Foolish in retrospect. We should have known something was suspicious as we asked around town about the waterfall. In true Indonesian fashion, no one would admit that they had no idea… each answer differing greatly. We decided to chance it and take a drive on Ravi’s motorbike the couple of kilometers out of Bajawa to see if we could do a bit of exploring around Lekelado for ourselves. Where was this rumored waterfall??
A compounded set of circumstances… a long holiday weekend, cancelled village visits, and a text message from VSO that said to check email immediately. The halfway point, Ravi and I decided to rendezvous in Bajawa as a rescue from boredom and internet access. Ravi made the trip in 3 hours. Mine 5 on the bus due to unnecessary stops… washing the bus in the river by hand seemed like something the crew could do when there weren’t passengers. After a recovery Bintang, we headed to the natural hot springs. As the hot water bubbled from the ground, only slightly cooling as it gushed over the rocks and pounded on our backs for a natural massage… there was no doubt that the trip was worth it.
After breakfast the next morning, we met up to go in search of internet. What’s this immediate news from VSO? Logged in and scanned for the email. To summarize the contents… deportation!! Perhaps within the week. Be on call. More news to follow by telephone. What!
Deportation perhaps is an over-emotional word. But what’s a better choice for having to leave the country? Exile. Banishment. Transitioning to a new visa met a suspension in the VSO program. When our current visas expire we’d have to leave the country… and for longer than the typical overnighter in Singapore. There’s no use dwelling on something with out having all the details… so more on this situation later. Back to the Lekelado and waterfall.
Quite sensibly neither of us decided to go home at the news of imminent packing. In fact, we extended the holiday in Bajawa.
The trekking was a bit more arduous than we had imagined. Ask Ravi and he would even categorize it as treacherous. Ancient volcanic ripples and crevasses. A mere reminder of the origins that shaped the island, now deep forests and rice paddies. A steady drizzle formed droplets on the prolific vegetation. We had employed two local men to guide us the couple of kilometer climb down into the valley. Good thing we had two… one to hold each of Ravi’s hands. Literally. Only after we had made the return trip did we dare laugh… and laugh hard we did! Sorry, Ravi.
A minefield of leeches. Their parasitic black bodies climbing up our legs and arms. Growing large with blood we plucked them off. At the bottom of the cascade of rocks we crossed a suspension bridge that led to a… a cabin. Available for camping if you plan ahead… not sure if that is so they can bring food or get of the wildlife out from inside. Scenic. The waterfall just steps away. Climbing the ladder to the second floor balcony offered grand views. But I had come prepared for a closer view. Pealing off my already wet clothes, I changed into my swimsuit. It was cold. And the water colder. But how often do get a chance to swim out to a waterfall?? Despite the chill, I was totally psyched for the dip, until I found out about the eels… eels longer than your arm. Eels freak me out. Especially ones longer than any body part.
Maybe if I didn’t touch the bottom, I’d be ok? Maybe. No talking Ravi into it. I took the plunge. God damn cold! Swam over to see what one of our guides was so occupied with. It was a ginormous spider… which he broken open with his hands and offered me a bite. Uh, no thank you. And before I encountered any eels longer than my arm and another spider the size of my head, I decided that I had had sufficient swimming. Waterfall swimming… check.
At the end of this mini- adventure, the sky treated us with a rainbow arching its colorful stripes above the volcano.
A compounded set of circumstances… a long holiday weekend, cancelled village visits, and a text message from VSO that said to check email immediately. The halfway point, Ravi and I decided to rendezvous in Bajawa as a rescue from boredom and internet access. Ravi made the trip in 3 hours. Mine 5 on the bus due to unnecessary stops… washing the bus in the river by hand seemed like something the crew could do when there weren’t passengers. After a recovery Bintang, we headed to the natural hot springs. As the hot water bubbled from the ground, only slightly cooling as it gushed over the rocks and pounded on our backs for a natural massage… there was no doubt that the trip was worth it.
After breakfast the next morning, we met up to go in search of internet. What’s this immediate news from VSO? Logged in and scanned for the email. To summarize the contents… deportation!! Perhaps within the week. Be on call. More news to follow by telephone. What!
Deportation perhaps is an over-emotional word. But what’s a better choice for having to leave the country? Exile. Banishment. Transitioning to a new visa met a suspension in the VSO program. When our current visas expire we’d have to leave the country… and for longer than the typical overnighter in Singapore. There’s no use dwelling on something with out having all the details… so more on this situation later. Back to the Lekelado and waterfall.
Quite sensibly neither of us decided to go home at the news of imminent packing. In fact, we extended the holiday in Bajawa.
The trekking was a bit more arduous than we had imagined. Ask Ravi and he would even categorize it as treacherous. Ancient volcanic ripples and crevasses. A mere reminder of the origins that shaped the island, now deep forests and rice paddies. A steady drizzle formed droplets on the prolific vegetation. We had employed two local men to guide us the couple of kilometer climb down into the valley. Good thing we had two… one to hold each of Ravi’s hands. Literally. Only after we had made the return trip did we dare laugh… and laugh hard we did! Sorry, Ravi.
A minefield of leeches. Their parasitic black bodies climbing up our legs and arms. Growing large with blood we plucked them off. At the bottom of the cascade of rocks we crossed a suspension bridge that led to a… a cabin. Available for camping if you plan ahead… not sure if that is so they can bring food or get of the wildlife out from inside. Scenic. The waterfall just steps away. Climbing the ladder to the second floor balcony offered grand views. But I had come prepared for a closer view. Pealing off my already wet clothes, I changed into my swimsuit. It was cold. And the water colder. But how often do get a chance to swim out to a waterfall?? Despite the chill, I was totally psyched for the dip, until I found out about the eels… eels longer than your arm. Eels freak me out. Especially ones longer than any body part.
Maybe if I didn’t touch the bottom, I’d be ok? Maybe. No talking Ravi into it. I took the plunge. God damn cold! Swam over to see what one of our guides was so occupied with. It was a ginormous spider… which he broken open with his hands and offered me a bite. Uh, no thank you. And before I encountered any eels longer than my arm and another spider the size of my head, I decided that I had had sufficient swimming. Waterfall swimming… check.
At the end of this mini- adventure, the sky treated us with a rainbow arching its colorful stripes above the volcano.
No comments:
Post a Comment