Protest day

So this morning I need to get my visa sorted but there are massive protests here and everything is shut. All restaurants hotels. The locals are protesting about the fact of the national park rate as they know it will affect their business massively here. Rahmat from warung brothers has offered to help me and I'm due to meet him at 10am in the bar. As I'm walking there I'm shocked at the amount of police and army presence in the streets it's quite intimidating really . I arrive at the bar but there's no sign of Rahmat but I get chatting with Nico, Tiffany and Logan. 2 girls and a guy who were in here last night. As we're sat here two guys have had a close miss on the road and it really kicks off because a whole group start punching and kicking the one guy, within minutes the police are there and after a bit of commotion both are sent on there way but I must admit I'm quite shocked At midday there's still no sign of Rahmat so I decide to try and get it sorted myself. I walk to the printing shop but it's seriously hot here and as I arrive I get a message from Rahmat so I jump in a gochek like a taxi van and make my way to warung. On route I pass lots of military and police but I think they are just here as a form of prevention. Rahmat contacts his friend in immigration and sends photos of my photocopies and says it will be 2 days but he doesn't need my passport and when needed hell pick me up and take me to do fingerprints. As I'm sat in the bar I spot the fishermen coming from the beach with a huge Barracuda and Rahmat shouts down and before I know it I'm being served the freshest fish I've ever eaten In the evening the lady from immigration comes to warung and I hand her my passport. It's seems a strange thing to be handing my passport to a random stranger in a bar together with the money for my visa but that's the way things work here. Shortly after I head back to the hostel and a young Indonesian guy says hey I've met you before, I spend time talking with him and he was a ranger at Komodo Island it's so interesting and he's such a friendly guy. The young ones have messaged to say they are sat outside a shop drinking beers because literally no bars or restaurant's are open with the protesters threatening to set fire to any place that opens . I decide to just stay in the hostel and chill.Read more