Loksado - Kalimantan Selatan

Having lived in Indonesia for 3 years, the country has become a part of me. I realized that I have stopped noticing those small details that would give somebody an inspiration to get on an airplane and travel halfway around the world to visit. I pass the overloaded motorbikes with my overloaded motorbike, I shop at the crowded markets and buy the freshly cut chicken where the old vendor swats the flies with a bamboo fan, and I eat the smoking satay from street food stalls. But every once in a while there comes an unexpected thrill that reminds me, although this is my home, I am still a foreigner, and this is still a developing country.

I had heard horror stories from travelers who had experiences life threatening bus rides in far away, unknown, exotic places. But really, Indonesia, I have travelled so many times by public bus and always felt safe and secure.

We made it to Balikpapan bus terminal around 6pm to get a 10 hour overnight bus to Loksado. The plan was we would sleep the whole way so we could go trekking the next day. There were no seats left anywhere on the bus but the very last row. That was the first mistake. The second mistake was choosing the Samarinda Lestari Bus which apparently had no appreciation for the cargo with which they carry. For 10 hours we held on to the back of the seat in front of us with white knuckles, partly to keep us from flying and swaying with every bump and corner and partly because it felt like a safety belt, which they didn’t have on the bus. The driver even took us down a one lane mining road when he got lost. Finally after 8 hours of holding on for dear life, they switched the bus driver in Tanjung and we safely arrived in Kandangan at 6 am.

The Kandangan terminal at 6 am is dead quiet, but we manage to find two guys who would give us a ride to Loksado, about an hour away on a motorbike. They ask for 100,000rp per person but we know that seems crazy expensive so we finally manage to get them down to 80k which is still ridiculous but we are tired and don’t want to wait around. It was a beautiful ride through the mountains. There were a few people around the visitor’s center when we arrived but the center was still closed. We got a little information and planned for a little hiking in the forest and then to sleep at a dayak village and come back to Loksado the next day. There are two routes and the guides kept fighting over which was the best.

 We took a breakfast of powdered sugar donuts which were incredible and started the walk up a mountain where they say there is still virgin forest.

Well, they may be virgin rubber trees, I don’t know but half way up the guide begins to change direction without telling us and says we are going to the waterfall. It’s much nicer there. Although he was right, it was a little awkward that there was no communication but that’s Indonesia so we just kept following him.

The Haratai waterfall was brilliant although the water was so big you couldn’t swim.

 We cooked rice in Bamboo and boiled water for our noodles. It was simple but awesome. After lunch and relaxing we went to the cave. It was a nice walk, but I hated the leeches. There were big fat black leeches that lived in the ground and small skinny leeches that lived on the leaves. As much as I hated the leeches it was a good sign that the forest there was still untouched by man and had to have held some good wildlife although we didn’t spot any.

 The cave was beautiful but since it was the rainy season it was full of water and you weren’t able to enter it. We also found gigantic trees which had to have been hundreds and hundreds of years old. The pictures just don’t do it justice.

We got back to the Haratai dayak village around 4pm and took and shower, rested, and ate. We were so tired after not having slept the night before that we fell asleep in the main room on bamboo mats in front of the whole family at around 7pm. We aren’t sure for how long they stayed awake chatting after that.

The next day we walked through some beautiful forest, along some small streams to some dayak villages and other waterfalls.

Drying cinammon

We had Es Campur and mie ayam and planed for a bamboo rafting the next day. We rented a motorbike and drove to …. Hotsprings. We stayed in the hotsprings resort and went to …. Waterfall where we were able to take a shower and relax. It was so quiet and beautiful we stayed for over an hour sitting in the small pool with the water coming over our backs.

The hotsprings were pretty crowded and the water wasn’t that clean but we dipped our feet in the hot water which was nice after two days hiking.

Bamboo rafting was by far the highlight of the trip. We drove back to Loksado where we would start our trip of two and a half hours sitting on bamboo going down the rapids. The raft was incredibly stable and the rapids were not that small. They would have been very big had we caught the river after a big down pour. The guide did a great job navigating the boat with a bamboo stick. The river was clean and fresh. We arrived back near our hotel where we picked up our bags and showered and got an ojek back to Kandangan. This time only 60k which was the actual right price.

Desperate for some good food in Kandangan before our bus ride back to Balikpapan we had Ketupat Kandangan which was Ketupat with a coconut curry fish, Soto Banjar, and Es campur.

This time our bus ride was not life threatening and we made in back to Balikpapan just in time for Zuhud to go to work on Monday morning.

Lombok - Gunung Rinjani

2 Decemeber 2010:

Vacation time at last after 4 months of hard work offshore in Balikpapan. Currently there is no direct flight from Balikpapan to Lombok so we had to transit in Surabaya. Nonetheless it was surprisingly easy to get to Lombok. We made hotel arrangements in Sengiggi, a small city about 30 minutes north of Mataram, at a hotel called Santai Beach inn.

This was a Lonely Planet special and once we arrived to Santai Beach Inn, we were certain that we had made the right choice for a hotel. It was pretty much ideal, with bamboo bungaloos and mosquito nets around the bed. Had an old fashioned outdoor shower and toilet, albeit cold water, with stones and fresh flowers. On the porch in front of the house had cushions on the ground with low tables and a hammock. We were served coffee and hot tea straight away and immediately felt at home.

We rented a motorbike because the hotel is about a five or ten minutes drive north of the city of Sengiggi, and after a nice rest headed down the road about a mile to Coco Beach which was very beautiful and relaxing. We ate gurame...Z's favorite river fish, and kangkung plecing with tahu and tempe. Pretty standard fare on the island of Lombok. Initially the waitress gave me a menu in English though and I was very confused because Zuhud kept telling me all of the good food he wanted to order but I couldn’t find it on the menu. Then I realized that the translation was ridiculous. For example Kangkung Plecing translated to spinach in tomato sauce which is completely incorrect as it is actually steamed spinich tossed in a spicy salsa with lime and peanuts....hmmmm.

 

13 December 2010: Finding and guide and around Mataram.

In the morning we searched for Rinjani trekking center which is a more reputable trekking company than the hundreds of private guides you can hire offering the same deal at much more the cost. Unfortunately, they all have signs saying Rinjani Trekking Centre. We went to one and after a long talk we decided that this wasn’t the place so we politely excused ourselves and called to ask directions to the correct office. Its not very convincing when the guide doesn’t look fit for the trek he is offering to take you on. When we got to the RTC, it seemed so much more we established and for quite a lower price. I believe that you can hike Rinjani without a guide but it is definitely worth it for the first time. They offered transportation, porters, guide and food for $120 a person 4 days and 3 nights. Ideally we wanted 5/4 but they didn’t offer it. He gave us a list of small things that we should bring and we headed into Mataram to go to the mall. We then went for Ayam Taliwang for lunch at a restaurant recommended to us by our friend Sulfan. It was really a very awesome kedai and the food was amazing and spicy. All food is spicy on Lombok. We ate our share to prepare us for the long trek up the next day as we would be leaving at 5am.

14 December 2010: Hiking Rinjani.

We got picked up at 5 am and drove 2 to 3 hours to the starting point of the trek in a small village of Sembalun. We met our porters there who would be our saving grace on the mountain as they would not only be carrying our food, but our tents and sleeping bags as well. They cooked us a banana pancake and brought us tea for breakfast before we started. It was an unbelievable.

I don’t know if it was the sudden feeling of going from an offshore rig to a completely quite and serene environment but the feeling was incredible. The silence of everything took my breath away as we walked through the deep bushes and long grass with Rinjani in the distance bearing over us. We stopped at Pos 1, and 2 and it was after that that we eventually started are more strenuous ascent. The weather also made it more surreal with the clouds and fog and the sun sometimes coming through brightening all of the wet green leaves. At Pos 3 we stopped for lunch were we ate by a nearly dried up river.

The porters made us noodle soup with vegetable and some fresh pineapple for dessert. It was more than enough to keep us going. From Pos 3 it was a much steeper ascent for about 3 hours with a little rain coming down to keep us cool if not even a little cold. But the trek was more than worth it when we finally reached the rim and were able to see over into the lake (Danau Segera Anak).

 The view was more than outstanding. We then walked a little further to the point where we would camp for the night at Pelawangan 1 at about 2700meters. It was very very windy and cold especially more so because we were already a little bit wet. But after I took off my dry clothes it wasn’t so bad. The porters helped set up the tent and it was very relieving to finally get inside and warm up. We took rest while they made us nasi goreng.. incredible service... complete with kerepuk and all. We ate it all up and fell asleep as we would begin the ascent to the summit at 2 am.  

15 December 2010

The sun woke us up at about 7am which seemed odd as we should have been up at 2am to summit. Unfortunately, there had been a big storm, thunder and lightning all night.We headed down to the lake instead where we would camp for the night. It was a rocky and steep descent but they day was fresh and sunny which kept me going. There was also a very big landslide happening on the slope across from us which sounded like thunder every time. It was so awesome at the lake though, reminded me of my home in Idaho. We ate Gado Gado and then went to the hot springs.

These were more than just hot springs though, it was more of a hot water park with waterfalls and pools beneath them where you could swim. So beautiful with the green algae and yellow sulfer clung to rocks. We showered and finally felt clean again. We enjoyed the sunset at the lake and at mie goreng for dinner.

16 Decemeber 2010

This morning we woke up fresh and clean. We went swimming at the hotsprings again and jumped into the cold lake. By lunchtime the weather started to turn windy and rainy so we decided to make a move to our next campsite. We hiked up and over to pos 3 were we made fire and warmed up and enjoyed the forest shelter from all the wind.

17 Decemeber 2010

The final descent down to Senaru. It was tough going as my legs were finally starting to really feel the wear of the last three days. But by lunch time we landed at Senaru. We took a side trip to a nice waterfall to shower.

We went back to Senggigi and ate a well deserved Nasi Padang from the warung in town staying again at Santai beach inn.. phewww.

 

Ecuador 2013

How my friend Paulo managed to get so many of his friends over to Ecuador all at the same time to celebrate his 30^th birthday still astounds me. For two weeks, we went from the western beaches to central Quito and the mountains all the way to the eastern Amazonian part of Ecuador. It was Zuhud and I’s first time in South America and the experience was amazing.

First, we all met up in Quito which was a reunion in itself to meet my friends from Qatar and their significant others. I had arrived in Ecuador two weeks early to do some volunteering and Zuhud would be arriving that night. The first day we spent touring the city and socializing. I picked up Zuhud at the airport and took him straight to the futbal stadium. Luckily he is never to tired to watch futbal… even after 2 days of flying J Quito was playing another team in the first match of the season. We weren’t able to get in touch with Paulo to get our tickets so we had to scalp tickets from outside. Songs and screaming fans greeted us inside but luckily our group was the loudest and we were able to find them.

The night wasn’t over yet either with a sandwhich and a change of clothes we went to The Juliana for some true South American salsa dancing with a live band. Incredible.



Happy Birthday Paulo



The next day there was a BBQ planned at Paulo’s house. The food and atmosphere was inspiring. I truly believe that if everyone could have that much love in their family, the world would be a better place. We ate, and chatted, danced, and sang until the sun went down and we left the party dreaming that one day we could have such a beautiful family.

Puerto Lopez was our next destination. 10 hours on a bus with a few wrong turns finally got us there. The plan was scuba diving but unfortunately there were too many of us for one boat so we had to split. The sea was choppy and some of us put our breakfast of bolon verde back to the sea for the fishes to eat.

 After an hour and a half we got to our diving spot on Isla de la Plata or otherwise known as the Galapagos for the poor people. It was a beautiful island with tons of birds flying around.

The diving was decent with a few mantas and some pretty fish but the swell was very big which was difficult for those on their first dive. After 3 dives we headed back to town to eat some good seafood in the town just south. The next day only one boat went out and the rest of us relaxed in Puerto Lopez.

We enjoyed a highly vibrating Tuk-Tuk ride to Les Frailes, a national reserve with nice hiking to a series of coves and hidden beaches. After which we went to Montanita, a beach-party town about an hour south of Puerto Lopez. We rented surfboards and to find that these were the biggest waves of the season. Our cheap rental costs quadrupled when we finally got out of the sea to find that two of the fins had broken off. Ouch. The upside is that we got to watch some expert surfers.

The beach was beautiful and clean with super soft sand. After the sun went down, it took a while to get the party started but with cocktail bars on the side of the main road and lots of entertainment the night was never dull.

Quito again and we hit up El Panecillo with a lovely dinner at Pims on the top of the hill.

The next day Ivy, Roger, Zuhud, and I went to Mitad del Mundo or the center of the earth where we were able to balance an egg on a nail. Not entirely convinced if it is due to the equilibrium of the gravitational forces at the center of the earth or just super good balancing skills.

 Just 20 minutes from Mitad del Mundo, Pululahua Volcano is a crater formed by a dormant volcano where there is a town which is very isolated from influences from the outside world.

We ate cuy asado (roated guinea pig) at Fiambre’s for a real Ecuadorian lunch. Apparently even Andrew Zimmerman has eaten there. Hehe.  

For the sunset in Quito we rode the Gondola up Pinchincha where we went horseback riding and enjoyed the views of the city.  

Now we were ready for the all night birthday party for Paulo’s 30th. He prepared his house to the max with food and a bar, a dance floor and even a tattoo studio. Impressive and totally fun. Lots of people, lots of music, and lots of dancing. 

The next adventure of the reunion took us on a short bus ride to El Chaquinan.  It is an old train track turned into a mountain bike bath. We did a short 10km which took us down to the bottom of the valley and then back up the other side where the bus picked us up.

Then the bus took us to the top of the mountain pass where the highway runs and while the bus continued on the highway, we took a small track down the mountain from 4,100m to 2,300m. It was full of adrenaline and luckily we all made it safely down with only a few scratches.

We ended in a hot springs resort in Papallacta. It was beautiful and relaxing. We went for a small walk by a river and then swam in the pools with water from a natural hot springs.

The next day in the afternoon we headed to Tena, a small town in the Amazon. We stayed at Huasquila Amazon Lodge and went for a jungle trek to the waterfalls. The guide was great and showed us a plant that had lemon flavored ants that you could eat, trees which had neon colored sap and medicinal plants for a variety of illnesses.

The final call was a day of white water rafting on the River Napo which was great fun for our big group. The water was a little low but the guides kept us busy with lots of games and letting us swim and try and flip the raft.

Before we set for Quito we spent the morning hiking through an underground cave system which has been used by indigenous people for hundreds if not thousands of years. There is a sacred temple where they used to worship and special mud with healing powers. There is also a water fall with pools that you can dunk yourself into. One is 5m deep and only wide enough for a human body. The brave people tried to touch the bottom.

After a wonderful two week adventure, we all had to say our goodbyes to each other and to the wonderful country of Ecuador. My only question is where is our next reunion?