An Indonesian Adventure.

[billyboy]

This place is called Chan Chan in Rhutang, it was here i was told to ask to see ' Spiderweb ' It was a quite remarkable place, firsty you had to climb a steep hill which was a good 100 metres or so high then you where greeted with a view of Spiderweb. This is a massive area with rice paddy fields all constructed from a central point and spreading out like a spiders web, hence the name.I believe it was started hundreds of years ago by a family who's relatives and relatives of relatives continued to add paddy fields in a never ending construction spreading out vastly from the centre to form this amazing spectacle which i like even more so because it was not even listed in my travel guide book.You would drive past this easily without knowing, it is only when you get to height you can appreciate the detail and marvel at it's construction. There is a small house at the bottom of the hill which is run by an Indonesian family, the owners children where to be my guide to the top of the hill. After my return back down i signed the book and made a donation, there is no set fee here.There are some nice flowers to be seen on the way up the hill also. If you can just imagine how massive an area this is....you can perhaps judge from the houses in the distance as to the size of the Spiderweb.

Billy.

[billyboy]

Stopping for a meal in Rhutang we met a couple of Indonesian Policemen who had just finished there meal.Who said the police are scary!!!...hehe.One of policeman said wait i am not ready yet for the photo.....but i thought better the picture now than when he is ready!

Billy.

[billyboy]

The road trip to Bajowa was a long hard and dangerous one but i made it in one piece...just...what with the landslides and rockfalls.The air was so clean and fresh as we where very high up with Kelimuto volcano not to far away.The scenery was amazing, in fact i liked everything about this very small place.Lovely rice terraces, bugs i have never seen before..( pictures will follow later), flowers everywhere.The first picture you see is showing where i stayed whilst there, look how beautifully situated it is, i took the photograph from a small restaurant that was overlooking it.It had only the two rooms as you can see from the photograph, i was in the room on the right as you look at it.I will have to check my little book for the price i paid, i remember it was very cheap with a breakfast included.The other photographs are just some i took while on the road near Bajowa.I think the two ladies on one of the roadside vegetable stores look like twin sisters.

Billy.

[Betti]

(Billy, this is Moni, not Bajawa. it's near Kelimutu and I also recognise the church.
btw, one of my kids picked a very special card and your name and address today and I think you'll like it :-) )

[fileeep]

Chillies%201_.jpg
Hey billyboy, I think this is a great shot and it would look fantastic increased in size to 12” by 16” and hung in a Kitchen.
I will be on the prowl now every time I go to a market for a similar shot, thanks.

Enjoy reading your travel report and again…….great photos.

[Marie]

Chillies%201_.jpg
Hey billyboy, I think this is a great shot and it would look fantastic increased in size to 12” by 16” and hung in a Kitchen.
I will be on the prowl now every time I go to a market for a similar shot, thanks.

.

I used to refer to this color as "Fire Red", but starting from now I will call it "Chilli Red" . After all, for me "fire" and "chilli" are synonyms.

[yy]

Incidentally, those are my favourite kind of chilli. They can really perk up a simple soup dish.

[billyboy]

Sorry for a little late in continuing this post, still a bit more to come.

From Moni my i headed for Kelimutu volcano, Kelimutu has three couloured lakes on the top of it.These can change colour at any time and they reckon it could due to chemical reactions in the lakes which may be caused by minerals in the water or volcanic gas activity. From Moni it is about a 50 Kkm drive and it is almost all uphill all the way with magnificent views! There is a charge to enter when you finaly get there, a small fee for entrance and another for the camera. Sunrise is the best time to visit because possibly evenings or afternoons there is a mist around the volcano. I will have to refer to my little travel book ( which i cannot find at the moment) but i counted all the steps up to the volcano and back again and if i remember rightly it was in the region of 1,400 or so!.

I would recomend getting there early and not trying to rush to the top for sunrise because the views on the way are amazing and best not to be missed. Saying that i realy struggled with my poor old knees to make it. But i never say no, ' i can't'....'cannot be done '....' impossible'...is not in my vocabulary. I suffered to get to the top, my knees felt on fire and my lungs where bursting but i made it, great if you are a youngster. I plotted my way from the start, first photo...( providing they load in order) is the start of the long walk to the top. Keep your eyes open for the wildlife, powder blue lizards where one species i saw and there are a great many birds also, take a bit of time out and watch and listen and they will come to you.

Second photo, a bit of a dangerous place i think, perhaps a risk of a rockfall. Then the hard work begins, i realy did not think i would make it to the top,nothing with the steps was uniform, everyone was a diferent height and width which made things harder...( photo three)...the steps seemed endless and when i thought i had reached the top there where even more! At this point frankly i was exhausted, i am not a young backpacker who would have probably flew up this hill, rather vocano, but the end was insight, behold it might be a long way away but the grab rails helped. I got there in the end and i am sure you will see from the other pictures the arduous route it was. I was pleased i made it and a feat i will remember for a long while.

The first photo i took was of a very light blue lake, in fact the one next to it was nearly the same colour. There are steps and walkways that lead you up to the top of these so as you can grab a pic. The views from this height where amazing. When i was there two lakes where blue and one was a browny colour. I did see photographs of someone who had pictures from when the lakes where green, yellow and even red! As for Moni, it is a beautifull scenic quiet place. Thanks to Betti for pointing out i was in Moni not Bajaowa, i guess i am getting travel weary...lol. But all in all, i would put this place on my itinerary if visiting.

Billy.

[Betti]

thanks for posting - it's one of my favourite places ever. btw, I walked back to Moni in 4 hours, downhill, it's more like 16 kms :-) but does seem longer holding on to the motorcycle taxi on the way up. I couldn't be bothered to get out of bed in the morning, and good decision, it was very cloudy it turned out, I loved the brilliant colours around noon, plus by then all the people were gone and the monkeys appeared. weekends see lots of locals and ALL of them want to chat and take your photo. I love it that the locals won't tell you in advance what colour the lakes are, they say "surprise". perfect. they charge a LOT for the camera (something like 20 dollars??) but it's a don't ask, don't tell policy, though of course everyone has a camera, nobody pays. there are NO restaurants at the national park entrance, only plastic noodles and biscuits, water is available. it's a very beautiful area, and especially the drive from Ende to Moni is stunning, but the road is so narrow and winding up a crazy ledge carved in to the sides of a valley with vertical walls that we couldn't even stop to throw up, let alone take pics.
none of Flores is as difficult as the guidebooks make it sound, though that does keep many away for now. I predict it's going to be a booming destination if services develop a bit. Komodo is already on the way to becoming a top tier luxury diving destination.

[billyboy]

When you have reached the top of Kelimuto you will see a small plaque that explains a little about the volcano. There is also a small monument here at the top.Great views all around and beautiful clean air. Two of the three lakes where light blue when i was here and the third a dark brown, then it was the long trip back down which i must say was far easier for me than going up!

Billy.