Bromo to Lovina

I've paid for a package from Yogya to Bali via Bromo, but now the plans start to fall apart.  The Dutch family are angry because their jeep was the last up the mountain and they didn't get a good view.  MarieClaire is angry because she paid a single surcharge, yet had to share with others when the accommodation was overbooked and wasn't going to be given a refund.  A French girl was angry at everything.  This was too much for the local agent in Probolingo.  He threw his hands in the air, gave everyone 50kR, put us on a bus to the ferry terminal on the Java side, and told us to make our own way from there before storming off.

Reluctantly we get on the bus, and accept that when traveling in Asian countries it pays to expect the unexpected!  MarieClaire and I settle in together for another long trip - we've both decided to go to Lovina on Bali's north coast.  At least this trip's a bit shorter and less congested, and after a while we're following the coastline with tantalising images of Bali coming into view.

I have a cunning plan to relieve the boredom when not chatting.  After watching numerous zoo programs it's clearly important to hide the animals' food from them - the intellectual stimulation of searching and fossicking for their food keeps them fit, active, and free from boredom.  And so it was that I settled in with my bag of raw peanuts still in their shells - the challenge of extracting those tiny kernels on a bumpy bus without dropping rubbish everywhere kept me entertained for hours.

We make the ferry terminal well before dusk, and I'm looking forward to a quick trip over to the other side - it looks so close.  Well, the slow boat to China is now in service between Java and Bali, and it's a good two hours before we finally reach the terminal.  In our rush to the exit I leave my phone on my seat, and an anxious five minutes ensues as I sprint back to find it, and finally meet up with a Swiss couple who had seen me leave it behind, taken it and were searching for me.  After thanking them profusely I curse myself for being so sloppy, and thank my lucky stars I threw that flower into Bromo's crater.

But more bad luck was just around the corner.  The last bus for Lovina left half an hour before, leaving the Dutch family, MarieClaire and me stranded without any idea of the standard of local accommodation in what seemed to be a poky little town.  But we have an option - for 500kR we can hire a local van and driver to take us the two hours to Lovina, and after negotiating down to 400kR we're on the road.  No wonder our Probolingo agent deserted us, and his compensation was severely inadequate too.

Accommodation sorted at Hotel Angsoka, and finally a shower and dinner with MarieClaire rounds off an eventful day, and Lovina looks promising.

Note to those concerned - only the dinner was shared with MarieClaire :-)