While kicking back on the hotel terrace I spotted a white bellied sea eagle and so followed its flight. It landed atop the communication tower that appears in the above photo. There it had built its nest. Apparently they have to be at least 1.5mt wide as the young don't leave the nest until they are almost fully grown. You can see the nest clearly in the next photo.
I watched these birds next morning and eventually one left the nest and headed out to sea. About an hour later it returned holding something in its tallons. Mission accomplished!
My time in LBJ was short as a vist to the port confirmed the Sumbawa ferry would leave the next morning. So I spent the day swimming at Waicucieu Beach, just a short ride out of town. The first time I'd been to this spot I walked around the coast and never saw a soul. Now the beach was in a suburban area surrounded by dwellings, playing home to a run down resort complex. Still, the water was clean and there was a bar/warung that served excellent satè.
The ferry left behind schedule as normal and arrived in Sape around 5pm. I reacquainted myself with the De Aussef crew and was greeted like the Prodigal Son back at the Taliwang restaurant.
The trip back across Sumbawa saw me outrunning the rain in the hills between Sape and Bima. I climbed out of the Soriutu Valley via its sweeping bends and stopped for a coffee halfway down the Nangga Tumpu rise at a little truck stop buolt by an enterprising Balinese guy and his Javanese wife. I had known them for years and wasn't surprised to learn that their daughter, Karina, was away at Uni in Java studying International Relations - she's a very smart girl.
I spent the night at Kencana Beach and the following day headed for Sekongkang down south on the west coast. I took the secondary coastal road that goes via Kertasari and was surprised to see a massive project underway. Huge earth moving machine, fleets of dump trucks with kilometres of wire fencing already installed topped with razor wire. Maybe the proprosed prosessing plant for the ore from the Batu Hijau gold and copper mine.
It's a fine ride down through Taliwang to Maluk with some great views of the coast around Poto Batu.
This is the Taliwang River just before it reaches the sea.
This is a shot looking back to Kertasari Beach. Looks like a lot of land has been sold here for future tourist development as quote a few stone walls have been built.
I rode down Maluk's main street and into the hills that separate it from Sekongkang a few kilomtres further south. I pulled up at Santai Beach Bungalows and got a room - cheap and cheerful and right on the beach. Sadly, the restaurant no longer operates as they used to do an excellent breakfast. This is the view from Santai Beach Bungalows taken a few years previously.
The weather closed in and there was a big swell. I heard reports of ferries being cancelled between Lombok and Bali and talk of ferries from Sumbawa being cancelled too.
This is a shot of Maluk Bay taken from the old road. It's one of my favourite beaches.
So I made a decision to leave. My visa was about to expire and in any case I had to be back in Lombok to attend the 1000 days ceremony for my deceased mother-in-law. I could not risk being stranded in Sekongkang even thougjlh if I could choose a place to be stranded this part od Sumbawa's coastline would be high on my list. If I was ever on the run from authorities I think I could have a wonderful time evading them as I traverse the roads and trails of this wonderful island. I kid you not, in all the time I've been travelling there I've only encountered cops on the road once. And that was about 10 years ago when they pulled over a Dutchman riding a KLX250 because they'd never seen one before!
I got rained on again heading to Poto Tano. This time I took the main road. Just before Seteluk there is a massive rocky hill that must have its own micro climate as it poured for 15 minutes and then abruptly stopped once I got beyond it.
Soon the sun came out hot and fierce and when I hit the dual highway, about 10km from Poto Tano, I zinged along at 80kph - wet clothes taken of!
When I arrived at the port there was a ferry discharging. Eventually we got underway but had to queue at the Lombok end for about an hour which meant having to ride home partly in the dark - not something I enjoy but as you're reading this you can see I got back in one piece despite the car drivers who don't know what a dip switch is.
Would I do it all again? Is the Pope a Catholic?!
