Shoestrappers

Traveling is always interesting since we try to avoid “touristy areas” yet are clearly tourists ourselves. Similarly we want to get into the wilder, more remote areas.. but with AC and good restaurants. Flores is the farthest east we have gone, and perhaps a good indicator is that it’s the area that prompted us to get additional vaccinations and medications. This includes protection against Japanese encephalitis, malaria, rabies, and typhoid, in addition to a myriad of recommended vaccinations we have already had in recent years. Lots of monkeys and mosquitos, and as you’ll see some bonus creatures. That said, as you travel east into the central mountains the scenery gets even more lush and dramatic. Worth the preparation one hundred-fold.

We stayed at Mbeliling Mountain Ecolodge, a nine villa property clinging to the steep mountainside on the west end of Flores’ central mountains. It reminds us of Hansel & Gretel. Amber & Tipo were with us again, which makes everything even more fun!

From the restaurant or either of our villas you can see the ocean to the west. You can usually see as far as Komodo Island, and when it is super clear you can see the island of Pulau Sangeang, which is essentially entirely a large stand-alone active volcano (Sangeang Api). Amber spotted it one early morning, but I sure didn’t in these pictures! I do like the “islands in the mist” look though…

We ate breakfast each day at the Ecolodge since it was included and there aren’t many food options up in the mountains. As with other places we’ve eaten, there are Indonesian and Western options. Indonesians tend not to have bread so the Western options always include toast. The Ecolodge’s toast was big pieces of white bread.. not the fluffy type but certainly not whole grain or sourdough. There is also some pancake or French toast option and some style of eggs. The Indonesian option generally includes three things:

• fresh fruits
• fried noodles (Mie Goreng)
• fried rice (Nasi Goreng)
• ..the latter two including vegetables and optionally a protein such as chicken and/or egg.

I found myself eating a mix of Indonesian and Western breakfasts. I could see adjusting my diet long-term to have more of these for breakfast!

Typical Indonesian coffee is “mud” or “sludge” coffee, with the coffee grounds poured directly in without a filter. The coffee is also quite dark.

We LOVE waterfall hikes, especially in Indonesia. The scenery is amazing, the waterfalls spectacular, and you get to cool down in the water! Did I mention that Indonesia is super hot and humid? In the mountains (at least at the fairly low elevation we were at) it is a little cooler but not enough to stop us from constantly sweating.

Our first waterfall hike was Cunca Wulang. This waterfall destination is less about the falls themselves than the slot canyon they have created. It’s a popular place to jump off the rocks into the deep*, narrow channel. The bright, mineral-rich, opaque water reminds me of quarry water.

The “ranger” encouraged me to jump starting about halfway up the canyon and I chose to go further to get a little higher and into what looked like the biggest pool. I was surprised after jumping to find when I swam down the canyon that my foot brushed a tongue of rock from the far side at the first location- make sure you know what you’re jumping into!

Speaking of safety, good thing the bridge across has carefully crafted sides.. whooah what!?! Good thing it has a nice wide plank floor? Always a good sign when the sign itself is showing.. signs.

You can look just about anywhere for a while and see life you’re not used to. Some insects blend into the environment so well it takes a moment to realize what you are looking at. Such as the orange butterfly that looks like a dead leaf. I especially LOVE the red dragonflies found across Indonesia.

After we hiked back out through the rainforest, including some brief but saturating rain, we drove to another trailhead for a series of waterfalls. We parked in the tiny village of Wae Lolos, and again were assigned a local ranger. This is customary across Indonesia, whether you “need” a help or not. They require a local ranger to escort you even if you already have a personal guide with you. As a result we had Rico, who drove us from the Ecolodge and gave all sorts of regional info in clear English, as well as a local who spoke little or no English and knows these trails and waterfalls well. While my independent side thinks that’s overkill, if it means more money is given to the locals and the land is better taken care of then I’m all for it.

The trail followed a nice vehicle track then dropped down onto a field road and into the rainforest. It then descended rapidly into a ravine and a roaring brook.. which soon led us to the first major waterfall, Cunca Plias.

This is a picture-perfect waterfall with an accessible and very comfortably swimmable pool. Locals have even built a small platform to jump from and it’s a family friendly social spot. Here Amber expertly demonstrates the famous Olympic cannonball dive flop.

Below Cunca Plias are a series of falls of varying sizes. Beautiful and filled with colorful energy.

The torrent then flows into a lovely shell-shaped basin that pours out over an infinity edge. Not for the timid though.. the edge is the top of Cunca Ri’i, a 100 ft (30m) waterfall and the biggest in this area. When in the basin the current causes a gentle but constant tug toward the edge.

Before getting in, Rico and I climbed down and around to the base of Cunca Ri’i, a recently rerouted steep path through the lush foliage. I loved that Rico was game to go anywhere with me!

This series of waterfalls is one of my favorite types of places in the world.. cold fresh water forming natural pools that are both soothing and invigorating to bathe in. I could easily have stayed here all day, especially in the humid heat of Flores.

Of course returning from such a cool place entails climbing the steep trail back to the trailhead and driving out, so as with most Indonesian activities we were soon hot and sweating again. Rico took us to a small cafe near the Ecolodge called La Quoriena. It is a beautiful little spot on the hillside with modern, well thought out landscaping and art.

They have a single page menu with lots of lunch treats and creative drinks. We ended up visiting the next day as well.

After dabbling in their banana splits the first time we went all-in the second time. I have never been a big fan of banana splits, but when you have fresh island bananas with top-notch flavor and texture it’s a whole different dish!

We visited the nearby village of Melo to see the local architecture, traditional weaving technique, and resulting textiles.

Before leaving the Ecolodge, some pictures with their epic backdrop.

Some friendly critters posing..

Umm yeah.. that last one wasn’t welcome. That spider was the size of my hand and from what we can tell it was a brown recluse. It held Amber and Tipo hostage for a while then scurried up into the rafters to prepare for the next visitor. Public service messages: Mosquito netting isn’t just for mosquitos and.. always shake out your clothes and shoes before putting them on.