Hotel Susteran Ruteng

... turns out if was a nun’s convent – and this was by far the nicest accommodation we had in all of Flores. Who would have believed it? The room was tiny, but it was immaculate. The bathroom was completely tiled and scrubbed clean. It had a ventilation fan, a flush toilet, a proper shower (with hot water!) with excellent water pressure. (Oh it’s the small things that mean so ...

... dat plastic zakjes standaard bijgeleverd worden. Dankzij mijn flinke voorraadje reistabletjes heb ik het redelijk overleefd wat ik niet kon zeggen van een aantal van mijn medepassagiers die soms over me heen hingen om bij het raam te komen. Na de busrit van 10 uur was ik blij dat we in Bajawa aankwamen en ik een paar uur op bed kon liggen om bij te komen.

Bajawa is een rustig plaatsje en ligt op ongeveer 1100 meter . Het is het centrum ...

... Bajo nach Ruteng. Die Landschaft dort ist echt Atemberaubend, es geht immer auf und ab durch die berge ....durch Bergdoerfeer wo einem die Kinder immer Zurufen Hey Mister!!! War echt witzig...denn fuer die war das etwas besonderes, weil in diese Gegend ganz selten Touristen kommen. Als wir an einem Fussballspiel vorbeifuhren hielten wir an um etwas zuzuschauen, da kamen immer mehr und mehr Kinder und Erwachsene um uns rum und schaauten uns an ...

... amp; there is really only one - the Trans Flores Highway - does not really exist as we would know a highway! The road is very narrow & possible a contender for the most twisting hairpined potholed up & down road on this planet! The island is so volcanic & mountainous that there is virtually no flat land & almost no straight section of road at all. the maximum speeed you achieve even in a ...

... out to say hello or give me a high five. The village of Bena consists of tall thatched roof houses, two rows of them facing one another, and in the middle, these odd tomblike structures made of stone where ceremonies and sacrifices are held. Each house had a male or female figurine on the roof, and the doorways are decorated with buffalo horns and jawbones which apparently signifies the family's prosperity. All of this is surrounded by huge green ...

... farms and jungle lined the road. Local kids chased the car and waved, all calling "Tourist!" and "Hello Mister" and "Bule!" - which Franco told us meant "white skinned" - racists! You could see the kids go through stages of realisation. First they'd look at the jeep. Then they'd spot the bules, then their jaws would drop, then they'd grab their friends/family and point at us screaming "bule!" before waving and shouting Hello Mister, Hello Missus! We felt like ...

... they should change everything for you?" It was a point, and that's why I never asked anyone to stop smoking (besides which it would have been pointless because EVERY Indonesian man smokes, so I would have had to ask most of the bus to please stop). But most Europeans smoke and they manage to be polite about it. You never realize how little Americans smoke until you leave the US. I kid you not. Compared to the rest of the world we seem to be a ...

... how to cook for Christmas, so there was no shortage of lovely food. In short, there was a real family feeling, which was perfect for Christmas. Ruteng SLB (school for disabled children) is near Bec's house, and like most others in Flores, it is Catholic. We started Christmas Eve by going there so that I could have a chat with the Head Sister, and meet some of the deaf children. That was both interesting and enjoyable. Since most ...

We rendezvoused with Alison's friend Karrie and her friend Michael for our trip to Flores. Flores is part of a string of islands called the Nusa Tenggara, in the eastern part of Indonesia. We started in Labuanbajo, a small fishing village on the western tip of Flores. First we went snorkelling and beach-combing on Bidadari, a small private island and nature preserve about 1 hour by boat from Bajo ...

Leaving behind the city of Maumere we took a 4hr bus ride to arrive at Larantuka, a small port town at the Eastern tip of Flores. The journey was uneventful apart from the occasional 'clucking' from the chickens underneath our seat. A lot of the hotels here were full so we opted for a room at the Hotel Rulie with its 'sunken' beds while we awaited a ferry the following day. With an early start we were down at the harbour by 7.30 - just early enough to get a seat on the ...