By this Author: AdventureRiders

Another breakfast of coffee, omelet and pancakes helped us get ready for another ferry crossing. It had been a good nights sleep and a few woke up before the alarm and some went for a little walk others took their bikes for a spin on the beach at sunrise. On the way to the ferry we made a quick stop at the Big Tree Sambelia to take some pictures of these huge trees.

This time we stocked up on food, snacks and drinks for the ferry crossing, even though it was a quick crossing compared to the Bali - Lombok ferry it was still nice to have ample supplies. As we left Lombok we soon got an amazing view of Mount Rinjani that we had been riding near the day before, and it's a spectacular sight.

After a short ride to the resort rooms were allocated and a few went for an afternoon ride while the rest of the group rested their butt-cheeks after all the hours in the saddle the previous day. We had two nights at the resort so plenty of time to relax, have a few drinks and share pictures from the first few days. We also started planning for the next couple of riding days.

The next day the groups split up in order to explore as much as possible. Adam to the guys on KLx150's into the hills in search of a hidden cave. It stayed hidden as even the locals couldn't help find it, but the road proved to be the adventure in itself with muddy single tracks leading up into a rainforest. Allan and Kevin went south along the coast, down the beach and then up a dried riverbed, through a field into a dead-end.

After two nights the group split up as Kevin and Craig had to head back to Bali while Ollie, Steve, Adam and Allan continued across Sumbawa towards Flores and Komodo. Kevin and Craig would head north and get the ferry back to Lombok, the other group would head south along the coast and up through a mountain range ending in Sumbawa Besar. The coastal road was an amazing mix of high standard tarmac in few areas and dirt tracks and mountain roads. Apart from Allan coming off his bike after hitting gravel in a hairpin turn coming up a mountain road and Steve hitting a goat the riders and the bikes handled to route well. The next day the bikes would get a wash before heading to the great Tambora volcano.

We woke up on an almost empty beach with the mountains on the north of the island visible through the morning mist. Pancakes, omelettes and coffee were lined up at the restaurant and we were soon packing our bikes. This time we were all dry and couldn't wait to head up through the mountains - Craig and Allan had been driving here before and called it Monkey Mountain. The mountain road would take us up to the northern shores and from there via some dirt tracks up near the Rinjani volcano, back down to the coast near the ferry port of Labuhan Lombok where we would get the ferry across to Sumbawa the following morning.

After hitting the edge of Mataram we were soon on a small mountain road with lots of traffic going both ways and it was a bit hectic ascending the mountain but we soon got high enough to have some spectacular views of the ocean and the Gili Islands. At the top of the mountain we stopped to take a proper look at the views but were soon intimidated by a monkey and decided to leave. After a superb lunch stop arranged by Craig we headed offroad and back up a mountain. The roads had changed a bit since last time we were here but we had some fun on the bikes before stopping at a waterfall. We got a local guy to show us up to the most remote pool and he picked some fresh cocoa pods for us.

We soon found ourselves back on tarmac and we were climbing up towards Mount Rinjani. We saw it from a distance but it's difficult to appreciate how big it is when you are driving so close to the base of it, we would later see it from across the Alas Strait in Sumbawa. On the way up the mountain Ollie's bike suddenly just died and after a quick tinker around with the spark plug we rolled back down to the nearest little bike shop where they soon had it back up and running. Dodgy wiring! It was now a race to get over the mountain and down to the coast before it got dark, especially because Kevin's bike had just blown the bulb in his front light, so he couldn't see much as the sun set. In the end Kevin rode on the inside of Allan who had a bike with light.

We hadn't booked anything for the night as we weren't sure how far we would get so we stopped for some food and a drink while we looked at possibilities. We were soon back on the bikes and headed to a small but tranquil resort just north of the ferry port. Tomorrow we would be heading into the unknown of Sumbawa. None of us had ever been riding there, so all we had was routes found via google earth. More adventure for sure!

As predicted it did rain on Bali. In fact it rained quite a bit the first day and using smart phones as gps was no the way forward but luckily we found pockets of sunshine along the way on the first day. We had a little ride around inside the Mount Batur crater before heading out to the east coast from where we would get the ferry across the Lombok Strait the next day. The bikes worked well and apart form getting separated at one mountain crossroad we had done well on the first day, but everyone was soaking wet when we got to the hotel in Padang Bai.

As we got up to get the ferry across to Lombok our riding gear was still wet, but it looked like we'd get some sunshine on the crossing and hopefully we'd get an opportunity to dry our stuff. Getting aboard the ferry was no problem, all paperwork was approved and so we set out to cross the famous Wallace Line between Bali and Lombok. It was a long ferry crossing and there was a warm breeze so we could dry our clothes. The food and drink selection was limited and in hindsight we should have stocked up before leaving, but we made it across to the other side and headed for a little guesthouse on the southern tip of Lombok.

We passed at wedding procession on our way from the ferry to the guesthouse and it felt like some kind of village carnival where everyone was welcome. We didn't stick around through as it was getting dark and we were hungry and just wanted to sit down and enjoy our dinner before heading up towards Mount Rinjani the next day.

The riders have arrived in Bali and we're getting everyone together for a ride around Ubud to check the bikes and equipment before heading off tomorrow. Half the group are on a KLX150 bored up to 200 while Adam, Kevin and Allan are on the KLX250's. It's been raining quite a bit in Bali in the afternoons and so we are expecting some rain on the trip and are trying to weather proof out luggage, Kevin also had a luggage rack made up.

Adam and Craig were busy getting last minute things arranged and ironing their shirts so they wouldn't be going on the test ride. It was a easy cruise along the rice fields surrounding Ubud, just to get used to the handling of the bikes. All the riders had been riding quite a lot in Asia and we had all been based in Thailand at some point and ridden bikes there.

After lunch at a little road side warung it was time to head back and pack the last few things before a group dinner at night and then it was off the next morning.

We had a bit of time riding the bikes in before the start of the Bali - Flores - Bali trip, and it was good to put some kilometers on the bikes and get the first free service by Kawasaki done before heading into the unknown. There was also lots of paperwork to get done, and Adam had some issues with his registration as he had changed to color of the bike form green to black which required approval from Jakarta.

There was still a 12 km evacuation zone around Agung but there is another dormant volcano on the northern side of the island which is so big that you can drive down into the crater and visit hot springs a local villages. Allan headed to the Mount Batur volcano and he was also looking for some black lava sand which is in the center of the crater and supposedly makes for some fun dirt bike action.

After visiting the volcanic crater of Mount Batur Allan headed to the east coast village of Amed through another volcanic crater which doesn't seem to get many if any tourists visiting. The ride was amazing and so was the view from the top of the volcano down into the river valley leading out to the coast. Upon reaching the coast we got the first glimpse of Mount Agung. Here on the north east coast the air was clear and the peak was clear and imposing.

The water was as clear as the air and it was time to stop and cool of and have some late lunch. The village of Amed was very quiet and the guides at one of the dive shops explained that tourists were uncomfortable staying within such close proximity to a volcano that might be about to erupt, even though it was more than twice the safe distance recommended by the government and the experts. At least parking wasn't a problem, but it usually isn't on a dirt bike.

After lunch it was time to head back to Ubud and arrange the last few things before the other riders arrived.