CAPTAIN PHIL IS TAKING OVER THE VESSEL FROM FLORES ISLAND – HEADING WEST FROM LABUAN BAJO (FLORES) TO SPAPE (SUMBAWA ISLAND)

GOOD VIBES ON MY BOAT..

AFTER ONLY 4 HOURS OF CALM OCEANS WE REACHED SUMBAWA ISLAND IN THE AFTERNOON

WE REACHED – BIMA – THE CAPITOL OF SUMBAWA SOON AS THE ROADS IN SUMBAWA ARE OUTSTANDING CONDITION. AND THEY ARE STRAIGHT – UNLIKE MY PREVIOUS EXPERIENCES. WE DECIDED TO CONTINUE DRIVING AS I WE WANTED TO KEEP GOING TO MEET SOME AMERICAN FRIENDS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ISLAND

FINDING ACCOMMODATION WITH A SHOWER WAS A BIT OF MISSION THOUGH

TAKING THE FERRY FROM SUMBAWA TO LOMBOK

THE FERRY WAS PRETTY STRAIGHT FORWARD – WE ARRIVED AT THE PORT AND WERE ABLE TO DRIVE ON THE FERRY STRAIGHT AWAY – THAT WAS TIMING. THE CROSSING TOOK LESS THAN 2 HOURS – ENOUGH FOR A SNOOZE THOUGH 🙂

MY PASSENGER ‘VAIDA’ WANTED TO GO TO ‘CUTE’ – A LITTLE TOWN SOUTH OF LOMBOK, FAMOUS FOR SURF, SO WE DID. THE SUN WAS ABOUT TO GO DOWN, WE CHECKED INTO  ‘BANANA HOMESTAY’ AND I JUMPED STRAIGHT INTO MY RUNNERS TO DO A LITTLE EXPLORATION RUN BEFORE DUSK WILL TURN INTO DARKNESS. I BUMPED INTO SOME ‘STRANDED’ SPANISH GIRLS AT THE BEACH ASKING ME FOR DIRECTIONS. WE BEFRIENDED – OBVIOUSLY – I MEAN WHO WOULDN’T BEFRIEND THREE SPANISH GIRLS IN THEIR 20’s. WE WENT FOR DINNER AND SET A DATE TO CHECK OUT THE SURF THE NEXT MORNING.

YOU GOTTA TAKE A BOAT TO CATCH THE WAVE OFFSHORE

AFTER A GOOD MORNING OF CATCHING SOME WAVES WE WENT TO EXPLORE SOME HIDDEN BEACHES AROUND THE ISLAND

THIS FABULOUS DAY GOT ME INTO SERIOUS TROUBLE AS LOCAL TAXI DRIVERS THOUGHT I AM A TOUR OPERATOR OR ‘UBER’ DRIVER AND A FIGHT ENDED KIND OF UGLY- THE STORY IS KIND OF COMPLICATED SO I DECIDED TO EXPLAIN IT ON A SEPARATE PAGE – CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE

THE GIRLS NEEDED A LIFT TO SANGIGI, ANOTHER TOWN ON THE WESTCOAST OF LOMBOK. I WAS GOING THAT WAY TO GET TO THE GILI ISLANDS SO THEY JUMPED IN

I DROPPED OFF THE GIRLS AND HEADED TO A LITTLE PORT FURTHER NORTH TO CATCH A FERRY TO THE GILI’S

I LEFT THE LANDCRUISER AT THE PORT AND TOOK A SPEEDBOAT TO THE GILI’S

THIS WAS MY 3RD VISIT TO GILI T – AS IT IS SUCH A RELAXED ISLAND WITH A LOT OF FUN BARS AND NO MOTORISED VEHICLES – SOO GOOD FOR A CHANGE

I ONLY SPENT A COUPLE OF DAYS ON GILI T BUT MANAGED TO HAVE ME IPHONE 6S STOLEN AND MY BANKCARD TAKEN BY THE ATM. NICE WORK PHIL!

SO I LEFT GILI WITHOUT A PHONE AND BANKCARD

I DROVE TO MATARAM – LOMBOK’S CAPITOL – TO FIND A COMMONWEALTH BANK BRANCH BECAUSE THEIR  ATM SWOLLOWED MY BANK CARD ON THE GILI’S – THEY ACTUALLY WENT TO THE ATM ON GILI T THE PREVIOUS DAY AND FOUND MORE THAN FOUR BANKCARDS STUCK INSIDE THE MASHINE – FOUR! BUT NOT MINE – SO I SENT THEM BACK TO HAVE A BETTER LOOK! USELESS BUNCH OF PEOPLE!

THANKS TO MY MATE JOESPH AT THIS POINT TO SORT ME OUT WITH EMERGENCY CASH OF OVER 3000 AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS WITHIN 2 DAYS. THE KIND OF FRIEND THAT YOU CAN COUNT ON IN DIFFICULT SITUATIONS! LOVE YOU

I DROVE SOUTH TO LEMBAR PORT TO CATCH THE FERRY TO BALI – AWAITING A 6 HOUR CROSSOVER

800.000 RUPIAH FOR THE FERRY