Location: Kuta, Lombok, Indonesia

Originally we had planned to go on a guided tour today, but when booming thundershowers woke us up at 5 AM we cancelled it real fast. Instead we made our way over treacherously muddy roads (we only fell over once in the mud!) to a little blue café we’d passed by a few times called Early Bird. There was only one other patron there, there was no window panes at all in the place, just open air, and it was run by a really old Indonesian lady who didn’t speak a lick of English. Stray cats and dogs roamed around, and a brown creek ran alongside the building that was pretty full of litter. Despite this we agreed the place was comfy and served the best puff pastry meat pies we’ve ever had. Actually ever.

Since we’d cancelled our plans today, we didn’t know what to do! Max quickly searched up a few things and said ‘okay get on the bike we’re going to a waterfall! It’s three hours away but it’ll be fast!’

It was not fast.

We drove for a few hours all the way across the island. The traffic was manageable but the roads were insanity.

Actual insanity. Manifested as a road.

If you average out the road condition it would theoretically be fine. Long lengths of it were lovely and smooth but then out of absolutely nowhere you’d have potholes that would take out truck tires (let alone scooter tires), trees laying hidden around corners or over the crest of hills, missing chunks from landslides, and huge cracks from earthquakes. Also sometimes in the middle of nowhere for absolutely no discernible reason there were huge piles of dirt on the road. One of these such dirt piles unfortunately got the best of us as a car passed us and left little time or room to avoid the dirt. Luckily it was just dirt we slid into and not rocks or something worse. We have a few small scratches but otherwise are totally fine. We were a bit shaken up though and pressed on a little bit slower. We made it up into the mountains where it was misty and cold, and monkeys started showing up everywhere. Initially it was exciting, until we stopped at a lookout point and they turned out to be feral. It makes total sense… of course they are feral! They’re not hand fed by dudes in sarongs – but somehow we still forgot that. We left pretty quickly when they started eyeing me up in an unfriendly way and circling a bit crazily.

After so many hours of shifting our butts on the seat, a few sketchy moments, and a road that only seemed to be worsening we decided to call it quits. It was going to be dark in two hours, and we had at least a three hour ride home. We were both relieved to find the other wanted to turn around as well instead of pressing onwards. Despite not seeing the actual things we came all this way for, the views and seeing more of the island were a great adventure on their own.

The bike was almost out of fuel so we pulled into a fuel station to top up. Tell me, what do you imagine when you imagine a fuel station? Okay now wipe that completely from your mind and replace it with a dirt pathway up to a wooden magazine rack filled with one litre bottles of yellow or blue fuel, a funnel and a small old man or woman sitting on a step nearby.

Yeah that’s it.

We stopped for a wood fired pizza and a drink on the way home to calm our frazzled nerves, followed by some well deserved ice cream. We laughed for ages about the scary monkeys, the twisty roads, misspelled signs and overall sketchiness of the day. Scooters are no joke folks – people drive like maniacs here! (Don’t worry mom we’re okay!) We’re both looking forward to a good nights sleep after a day like that!

Sav