350000 ruppiah goes a long way!

350 000 Ruppiah goes along way here in Indonesia(about 20 quid)! Approximatley 500 miles! So we were in Flores and wanting to get back to Bali. Not wanting to spend money on air fair we decided to take local transport. In rhetrospect I can see how this was a big mistake but I also can see how great an experience it was and am glad we choose to do it this way.
To begin with we woke early and ate donuts from a local stall, packed our gear then headed down to the port to get the first ferry from Flores to Sumbawa. The ferry was due to leave at 10ish and bring us into Flores in the afternoon to catch our connecting bus at 7ish. When we arrived at the port we could here people hamering at the boat and although what they were doing seemed fruitless we guessed that the boat wasn't going anywhere fast. So we did what we did for the last few days...back to the restaurant! That avo we did emails etc and spent some time trying to find flip flops for James. We eventually found some which cost him about 60 pence. The same would cost ten times the price in a tourist area, it really is amazing how cheap things are when you pay the local price.
After marvelling at a truck with ramboo painted on the back we finally borded the ship at around 7 leaving at 8. We got a nice little spot at the front and were quickly surrounded by kids and locals staring at us in the usuall manner. I got some noodles which were fine then we chatted with some of the locals. Some of the kids were drinking Araq and after a while their nature became more and more annoying. I managed to nestle between the rucksacks and the floor and slept fairly well considering.
We arrived in Sumbawa at 3am but were not able to leave the boat till 6 so i continued to sleep. Leaving the boat we all felt failry rough. With minimal sleep and the usuall indonesian style ferry we were all in need of a rest but the journey had just really begun.
Walking into the port I saw a mini bus which I assumed was our transport. What didnt strike me at first was the Kiara was climbing on top of it. I imagined it was to help load bags but when the rest of the guys followed suit I realised our seats were on top of the bus. HMMM. So with no questions asked I climbed up and got a seat at the front of the bus. I had no where to hold onto so I was kind of sitting between James legs as one would do in the groovy train.
Sumbawa is the poorest island in Indonesia and it showed. Driving through we didnt really pass any developed town, it was all make shift shanty town type dwellings. The locals who had probably just roused from sleep were equally suprised to see 8 white people sitting on top of a bus and there were endless waves and laughs en route.
Travelling on top of that bus was of course not safe but it was a great experience and I guess Ive began to take it for granted that travelling here isnt safe so I wont complain.
The mini bus took us to a port in Sumbawa where after a commotion concerning baggage etc we were dropped at the locla bus depot. Of course due to the ferrys delay the whole journey had been delayed and we now had to wait 9hours for the pm bus. Frustrated we walked into town hitching a lift on some local guys truck, met Ian and had some lunch in a local eatery. James Kiara and Jarod braved the local cuisine which involed actually going into the kitcken and selecting your food. Kim and I decided to go for a pop mie (indonesian pot noodle) which worked well.
Walking back to our depot was eventfull. At first 2 trucks tore past us obviously racing and when one tried to cut up the inside he lost controll waked the kerb and to our amazement regained composure before carrying on, we were sure he would crash.
I noticed some locals fishing on the lake adjacent to the road so I went over to investigate. They didnt speak much english but they were pleased to see me and offered to let me fish with them. Soon the others joined and we spent an hour or so fishing for fish no larger than 2 inches.
We finally made it to the terminal and after some chat with the drunk bus terminal guy we got on our excecutive bus. It was indeed a nice bus, we all had a seat each which reclined and for all intents and purposes it was perfect. But O NO! A few minutes into the journey the guy behind me let out a huge burp which was gross. Amidst lafter and embarrasement we guessed it was a one of but after the 4th or 5th time we realised it was going to be a long journey. The burping continued, he insisted on putting his feet on my arm rest and sitting forward with his hands on my seat. Obviously I was livid as I wanted to sleep and was being kept awake by what I deemed as poor manners but I had to consider that he was probably doing nothing out of the ordinary for his cutlure so I held my tongue.
That night we travelled through the darkness hurtling along windey roads at untold speeds. The bus driver truely was a maniac and there were many many close calls but as mentioned I now take it for granted that travelling here is not safe so I tried my best not to think of it and sleep.
This was a wasted endeavour and eventually we arrived at the port for our next ferry. We took a 2 hour ferry to Lombok sitting on the roof of the ship. Im not sure we were allowed to do this but we were tired of being stared at I guess (especially the girls) so it was nice to lie down in peace.
After the ferry we travelled over land through Lombok. We stopped at a bus station mid journey where we received our lunch which was included in the ticket price. Following lunch as we waited to get on the bus which doors had jammed locking Jarod on boarded I decided I would treat myself to an ice cream. Some lady with a screaming kid had attracted the local vender over. I had tried to get one of him earlier but he told me he was out so I assumed he had restocked and hurried out to get one. He finished serving the lady and I pointed the the one I wanted. It was a mutli coloured one which I had had before and was 2400 ruppiah. He then responded by raising his hand and mouthing 5000 ruppiah. I was not about to haggle as the price was set so i pointed at the price and said 2400. At this stage he through up his hands said something in indonesian then hastily began to wheel his cart off. I called after him at this stage angry that he refused to serve me. Basically he wouldn't serve me cause I was white. James then told me he had tried to buy an ice cream off him earlier and he wouldnt serve him either. Sumbawa is highly muslim and this is the first and only time I have ever felt someone being racist towards me. It made me really angry and although it was only a small thing it made me appreciate what all those who have struggled to fight racism went through and the change that we all see as a result.
The journey carried on and after hours on the bus we made it to the port on the west side of Lombok.This was the port we originally arrived at when we came to Lombok that first night and it looked alot different in daylight. We boarded the ferry and after an hour or two trying to fix some problem we departed. The problem with the ferry was it was lop sided. It leant to the left and didnt seem to go straight. Mixed with large swell this proved for another interesting journey. This journey took 5 hours and on it I finished the Beach which was a great read. Arriving back in Bali though I felt like I was returning the hole I wanted so badly to get out of in the first place. We took a bmo from the station crammed 7 of us with surfboards and bags in and headed for Kuta.After an hour of trying to get accomo we split up and got seperate hotels. The places is packed with ozzies and is more like ibiza than south east asia. We had food , the others went out partying and I went to bed. Tired and dirty after 60 hours of tense travelling I was glad to get my head down and rest. Today I feel alive again and am ready for the next adventure this trip has to offer.