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Pictures of the third part of our Indonesia trip in Lombok, Sumbawa
and Flores in the island group of Nusa Tenggara – on the way to Sumba and West Timor, and further to Timor-Leste

latest picture: June 12, 2007

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More websites from Indonesia and Timor-Leste:
 
On November 21st, 2006, we left the Island of Borneo after half a year, where we overhauled completely our car and visited the Malaysian provinces of Sarawak and Sabah and two new countries – Brunei (# 154) and in Kalimantan the "begin" of Indonesia (# 155) –, driving a total of 3'258 miles. Two days later, we arrived on a domestic ferry in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, a mega-city of about 17 million people on the island of Java. Then, a whole range of more Indonesian islands followed: Sumatra to the West and Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa, Rinca with the Komodo Dragons, Flores, Sumba and Timor to the East. In-between we explored the 156th country – Timor-Leste –, before our Indonesian roundtrip continued in Sulawesi and ended finally in Kalimantan on the Island of Borneo.
 
 
 
01  Another one of the countless
Indonesian ferries carries us during
a rough 5-hour ride from Bali
to Lombok
02  We drive past one of the
mosques in Mataram, the capital
of Lombok. Being a strong Moslem
island, mosques are dominating
03  The Pura Meru temple in Mataram
is the largest Balinese temple in Lombok.
In Western Lombok, the Balinese
culture is still present in some places
 
 
 
 
 
 
04  North of the tourist resort of
Senggigi, we follow a beautiful
coast with fishing villages hiding
in palm groves
05  Palm trees and fishing boat
silhouettes in the setting sun in Senggigi
06  One of the lovely views over
the wild, windy beaches in the North
of Senggigi. It is the most impressive
coast of Lombok
 
 
 
 
 
 
07  By a rough sea, hundreds of
picturesque outrigger canoes line up
side by side at the fishing village
of Ampenan near Mataram
08  In a side street of Mataram,
we encounter this tricycle, where
children can happily ride for only
10 US-Cents
09  Lush green rice fields follow on
the Northern inland route. They are
stretching to the mountains on one
side and to the sea on the other side
 
 
 
 
 
 
10  Despite of foggy weather, we
decide to take the very windy, very
narrow and very steep forested
mountain route from Bayan to
Sembalunlawang that leads us up
to over 5’200 ft. altitude
11  Deep down in the valley,
we catch the view of this village from
the mountain road to Sembalanlawang
12  These three boys from Sapit follow
with curiosity every of our movements
 
 
 
 
 
 
13   The ferry from Lombok to
Sumbawa is filling up steadily
14   Chicken are being transported on
the roof of a truck squeezed in baskets
and fed with grains now and then. Some
of them are able to escape from the
basket. Their rescue is always fun for
the many spectators
15   The lighthouse of Pototano on the
island of Sumbawa looks like a dwarf
against the impressing volcano Rinjani
looming from neighboring Lombok
 
 
 
 
 
 
16   A typical village street
in a rural area .....
17   ..... and a school class watching
a competition. We are friendly invited
to take pictures
18   One of the beautiful lush green
landscapes with rolling hills that are
greeting us again and again on our
265 miles journey through Sumbawa
 
 
 
 
 
 
19   Small picturesque fishing villages
nestle alongside beaches
20   Water buffaloes are a common side
along Sumbawa’s roads. They feed on all the
greenery which the rainy season produced
21   A beautiful stretch of wild coast is
greeting us from Empang along the
Straight of Teluk Saleh
 
 
 
 
 
 
22   We take a rest from the long
driving and enjoy the panorama
23   A truck is never full. There is
still space also on the sides!
24   The wild coast of Teluk Saleh changes
suddenly into deeply forested hills, where grey
monkeys are often seen along the road
 

  

  
25   Another Indonesian Island
hopping, this time 8 hours
from Sumbawa to Flores
26   Sitting between the trucks, these
women and girls are sorting out
vegetables during the sea journey
27   View over the Flores Sea –
a ferry is just leaving the port of
Labuhanbajo for Sape on Sumbawa
 

  

  
28   One of the many small islands
we pass on our boat trip from
Labuhanbajo to Rinca
29   The skies over the islands are
darkening dramatically. Shortly after, a
storm sweeps above our heads. Despite
of the roof tarp, everybody gets wet
30   The vegetation on the island of
Rinca – besides the island of Komodo
the second home of the Komodo dragons
– exists mainly of grass and palm trees
 

  

  
31 32 33
Who would think that these dragons can run at a speed of 50miles/h for a short while? These monitor lizards
exist only on the islands of Komodo and Rinca which lie between Sumbawa and Flores. We saw seven of them on Rinca
 

  

  

 
34   Coconuts are unloaded at the
pier of Labuhanbajo harbor
35   The wild growing wine palm
tree is quite common in Flores
and is used to extract palm wine
36   Along the hot coast, the walls of the houses
are often made out of light palm leaves. Some are
lovingly decorated and show beautiful patterns
 

  

  
37   About 85% of the population of
Flores is Christian. There is no lack
of monumental churches. This is the
old Cathedral of Ruteng
38   Father Ernst Waser from Switzerland
(far right on the picture), his colleagues and
his staff give us a warm welcome in
Wankung near Ruteng. Father Waser
migrated to Indonesia in 1977
39   Easter Sunday in Ruteng.
Christians come from far to attend
the holy Easter mass in Ruteng
 

  

  
40   Fuel is often sold along the road
in plastic bottles – very convenient
for motorbike drivers. This little girl
is waiting for a customer
41   A striking sight: The spider
web rice fields of Ruteng
(compare alsp picture 65,
taken after harvesting)
42   The church of the mountain town
of Bajawa is completely full for the
Easter mass. People gather outside
 

  

  
43   In the mountain region around
Bajawa there are still traditional
houses and villages
44   The “Ngadhu Shrine” (the man) –
a parasol-like structure – symbolizes the
continuous presence of the ancestors.
“Bhaga” – looking like a tiny thatched
roof house – is the female partner to the
“Ngadhu”. They are the most evident
symbols of still practiced Ngada
tradition in the villages
45   A square of a traditional village
in the mountains near Bajawa
 

  

  

 
46   We approach the South coast near
Aimere with huge palm groves .....
47   ..... and follow the shore with
beaches of black volcanic sand .....
48   ..... and small fishing villages
 

  

  
49   Hardly visible, small mountain
villages nestle on top of the hills
50   Despite having already
seen so many rice fields, we
cannot stop taking pictures
of these fascinating plantations
51   Climbing from Ende towards the
mountains, we drive along an impressing
steep gorge with cascading waterfalls. Due to
the never ending curves and climbs, it’s hard
to drive more than 15 miles/hour on Flores
 

  

  
52 53 54
The mystic crater lakes of Kelimutu are said to be sacred to the local people. It is believed that spirits come to Kelimutu when people die.
They would leave their village and remain in Kelimutu forever. The colors of the lakes can change into unpredictable
colors because of the mineral contained in the water. We experienced them turquoise, red-brown and black
 

  

  
55   The black crater lake of
Kelimutu; he lies a little bit offside
from the other two
56   Market day in the mountain
village of Mataloko
57 Again and again, Christian churches
are greeting us on Flores, contrary to
the many mosques on other Indonesian
islands and the countless temples in Bali
 

  

  
58   This small village at the South
coast with its impressing mosque
is nestled along the road shortly
before the town of Ende
59   Copra is spread out to dry on
the beach near Wodong. It’s
produced from coconuts
60   Scenic North coast between
Maumere and Wodong on the way to
Larantuka at the Eastern end of the island
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
61   Shortly before arriving in
Larantuka – the Eastern end of
Flores – we enjoy this beautiful view
62   A photo shot in front of „our“
bungalow at Ankermi Cottages on
the Beach at Wairterang, 27 km
East of Maumere. We enjoyed 17
beautiful days the company of
Claudia, Kermi and their son
Ardjuna and their delicious food
63   On our (last stretch) in Flores –
from Bajawa to Aimere, where we
boarded the ferry to Waingapu in
Sumba – the volcano Inerie is
presenting us its full beauty
 

  

  
64   When we unexpectedly returned
by ferry to Aimere/Flores from
Kupang/Timor again, the volcano
Inerie is shrouded in dramatic clouds
and mist in the early morning hours
65   The spider shaped rice fields
outside of Ruteng reveal a totally
new sight on our second visit
(compare picture No. 41)
66   Churches are always a beautiful
sight in Christian dominated Flores, like
here in the harbor village of Labuhanbajo,
where we leave Flores for the second
time definitely to the island of Sulawesi
 
Continuation: Pictures from the fourth part of our Indonesian trip in Sumba and West Timor from April 27, 2007, onwards
 
More websites from Indonesia and Timor-Leste:

More websites from East Malaysia and Brunei:
Articles in newspapers about us in Indonesia:
Article: "Tamu Istimewa: Neverending Journey", Monthly Car Magazine "Jip", January 2007
Article: "Toyota FJ60 1982 World Travelers", Monthly Car Magazine "Jip",  February 2007
Article: "CHEESE LAND CRUISER", Monthly Car Magazine "BBC Top Gear", February 2007
Article: "22 Tahun Jelajahi 156 Negara", Daily Newspaper "Post Metro Balikpapan", July 17, 2007