Day 11 of Sumbawa moto-trip (1386km behind): Motorbike and I are loaded on the ferry... Bye-bye, Sumbawa! May we meet again 🙏
Jun 5, 2022, 7:00pm · 🌧 27 °C Altitude: 11 m
West Nusa TenggaraRaremPelabuhan Kayangan8°29’6” S 116°40’28” E
Jun 5, 2022, 4:03pm · 🌧 28 °C Altitude: Sealevel
West Nusa TenggaraPototanoPelabuhan Pototano8°31’12” S 116°49’60” E
Day 11 of Sumbawa moto-trip (1386km behind): Motorbike and I are loaded on the ferry... Bye-bye, Sumbawa! May we meet again 🙏
Jun 5, 2022, 11:01am · ⛅ 30 °C Altitude: 7 m
Day 11 of Sumbawa moto-trip (1386km behind): It was a brutal day: after climbing Tambora, I drove around 300km visiting Satonda Island on the way. Next morning, in Sumbawa Besar, I woke up with an ambitious idea to visit Pulau Moyo for a couple of days. But Universe has its own ways as always - after attempts of locals to charge me 10 times more for shared boat ride than other passengers (locals, of course) and realising that visiting waterfalls on the island would require a few hours hike, I decided that my sore legs would be much better on motorbike. Thus, heading to Lombok 🌞Read more
Jun 4, 2022, 12:41pm · ⛅ 28 °C Altitude: Sealevel
West Nusa TenggaraNangamiro SatuTanjung Branti8°8’30” S 117°44’18” E
Day 10 of Sumbawa moto-trip (1101km behind): First time I learnt about Satonda Island in 2019 wondering around East Indonesia for weeks by public ferries. There was something in its shape - after checking the map I saw that it's a saucer-shaped island with a salt water lake that comprises nearly a quarter of the whole island and is inhabited with unique fauna. I promised myself that one day I set my foot on Satonda, and here I am 🤗Read more
Jun 3, 2022, 8:46pm · ☁️ 25 °C Altitude: 134 m
Day 8 of Sumbawa moto-trip (905km behind): Tambora hike is over (2722 masl) and I must say it was the most brutal hike I've ever attempted in my life (so far) because:
✔️ The distance turned out to be 44 km up and down with elevation gain 1980 meters instead of 34 km making it my new record after 42 km in a single day of hiking to Ala-Kul lake in Kyrgyzstan with elevation gain 2147 meters
✔️ Each major elevation gain was followed by at least 30% elevation loss making total elevation much more than 1980 meters by straight line
✔️ The track was full of fallen trees of different sizes laying at various angles and heights, sometimes up to more than 20 logs in 2 meters
✔️ Heavy rain on the night before and afternoon made clay/soil trail more slippery than the fastest waterslide in amusement parks
✔️ Walking the last 8 km down in total darkness hitting head against the fallen trees, breaking flipflops by hitting hard invisible roots in thick grass whilst almost running down & fixing them with wire from key rings, being eaten alive by leeches and whatnot else
🤗 But 17 minutes at the rim and the whole experience were very worth having all the above! Mount Tambora let me in by giving and taking 🙏 I'm grateful 🌞Read more
Jun 3, 2022, 2:50pm · ☁️ 17 °C Altitude: 2,635 m
Day 8 of Sumbawa moto-trip (905km behind): Somehow this bellflower looks so fragile but, hey, it can stand quite severe conditions at 2722 masl ⛰️
Jun 3, 2022, 2:45pm · ☁️ 17 °C Altitude: 2,613 m
Day 8 of Sumbawa moto-trip (905km behind): For me every mountain is a living being - I talk to them when I hike, I keep asking forgiveness from plants I step onto and keep thanking trees that give me support and allowing to lean against them when i get tired. The mountains are truly alive and they can be quite moody - they might let you in or they kick you down from their slopes. And if they allow you to get up - they will give you back all the energy you spend during the hike showing you their marvels, their grandeur and their awe-inspiring beauty ⛰️Read more
Jun 3, 2022, 2:39pm · ☁️ 17 °C Altitude: 2,613 m
Day 8 of Sumbawa moto-trip (905km behind): Now it'll be a bit sensitive subject where many would strongly object my passion to climb all mountains and volcanos in flipflops (if temperatures allow that, of course).
Here are my reasons for that:
👉 It's not hot and my feet do not sweat, so no blisters
👉 If it rains or there is a lot of wet grass, the feet get dry quicker and no moisture is accumulated in footwear
👉 If sand or small stones enter flipflops - they leave immediately and there is no need to unlace and shake them off
👉 Flipflops are much lighter than any hiking footwear, so no need to carry extra weight to the mountain and back
👉 And the most important - the muscles that keep ankles stable get proper training without relying on hiking shoes support (no atrophy)Read more
Jun 3, 2022, 2:32pm · ☁️ 18 °C Altitude: 2,613 m
Day 8 of Sumbawa moto-trip (905km behind): Just got above the clouds - and it seems I'm at the top of the world surrounded by white clouds slowly flowing inside the volcano crater over the rim ☁️
Jun 3, 2022, 1:02pm · ☁️ 18 °C Altitude: 1,998 m
Day 8 of Sumbawa moto-trip (905km behind): Now a bit of my nightmare: Originally I thought it's 17km to the top from the beginning of the trail (according to maps.me) but at this sign there was still 4.5km to go. I was quite exhausted already - every major elevation gain was followed by at least 30% elevation loss and 17km, and a trail overwhelmed by fallen trees of different sizes and on different heights from the ground was not strolling along boulevard. This sign was a quite decisive point for me - either to give up and go down (as otherwise I would have to cover 22km back in the same day, yet loosing a chance to see the crater) or push myself to the limits and have strong faith in myself. The choice was obvious. Why Maps.me was showing 17 km? Eventually, I realised that the shortest distance they consider a straight line - around 20 meters, yet in fact those 20 meters on trail sometimes had more than 20 twists and turns. Good lesson 😜Read more