DAY 3 ON THE BIKE - TETEBATU.... EVENTUALLY
After the walk back to our guesthouse, we were soon loaded on the bike and riding off into the unknown again with some amazing yet very contrasting views at times. The scenery switched from dry sparse fields, tiny villages, lush thick jungle, winding cliff side roads looking over the beautiful ocean and sometimes black-sand beaches.
We stopped for cold drinks and noodles along the way or simply just to take in the view regularly at different spots, it’s nice to stop and stretch the legs, they are pretty big days on the bike especially for Patty as she has never really spent that long on one and doesn’t actually ride herself.
After following the coast all the way over the top and down the East of Lombok, we aim to spend the night in Selong but on arrival very late in the day we have no luck in finding accommodation, there is some sort of festival happening and everything is full.
We scoured the whole town of Selong and surround’s with no result, continually asking locals for information, a near impossible task without Patty to translate, this part of Lombok rarely receives tourists and it shows. We have no choice but to continue on and I am starting to lose my spirits, I’m exhausted and it is getting dark and cold, it has been a massive day on the bike.
While Patty is asking directions, some local guy stops to chat with me in pretty good English, turns out we are heading the same place, he say’s ‘Follow me’ and when Patty returns to the bike he takes off at breakneck speed through pitch black winding mountain roads. I’m no slouch on a bike, but with visibility this poor and all the trucks, bikes etc flying at you around every corner, I end up losing him?!
Not to worry, we end up in Tetebatu / Kutaraja ? one of the 2 anyway and there are a ton of
accommodation options and we actually see 2 Bule (white tourists) at the place
we eat dinner, pretty much the first we have seen since leaving Gili Air.
Plenty of local places to eat and drink and we are soon feeling human again. The guy’s at our guesthouse even get a big fire going and we sit around it with a couple of cold beers to wind down, the night is cold and it’s a great way to cap off an exhausting and stressful day.
Plenty of local places to eat and drink and we are soon feeling human again. The guy’s at our guesthouse even get a big fire going and we sit around it with a couple of cold beers to wind down, the night is cold and it’s a great way to cap off an exhausting and stressful day.
Tetebatu is apparently well known and visited by tourists
(compared to the rest of Lombok that we had just been through) they turn up to visit Mt Rinjani for hiking
to the summit to visit the spectacular lake that has formed in the
caldera.
That is a minimum 2 day trek and we simply don’t have the time or fitness to undertake a trip like that, 10-14 hours a day hiking up a steep mountain side… maybe next time!
That is a minimum 2 day trek and we simply don’t have the time or fitness to undertake a trip like that, 10-14 hours a day hiking up a steep mountain side… maybe next time!
They also have one of the coolest waterfalls I have been to, a
nice little hike in through beautiful jungle brings you to almost a massive
cave of sorts that has a nice flow feeding into a great little pool to swim in
before cascading off through boulders and a downhill jungle stream.
We are thankful and happy that our accommodation plans fell to pieces in Selong or we probably would have missed this great part of Lombok. In hindsight, no visit would be complete without coming to Tetebatu, a really great spot to chill out for a day or 2 with some of the nicest people we have met on our travels.
We are thankful and happy that our accommodation plans fell to pieces in Selong or we probably would have missed this great part of Lombok. In hindsight, no visit would be complete without coming to Tetebatu, a really great spot to chill out for a day or 2 with some of the nicest people we have met on our travels.
After the waterfall visit we head back to Kuta, another big ride gets
us home and after the few days on the road, a drink and swim in the pool back
at Alfa is heaven.
Dinner and drinks in ‘town’ round out our night, I think the place was Cafe7, not our first visit there, great music, friendly host and delicious food. Try the seafood stir fry, the western food was pretty good also, plus they have shisha if you’re into it.
Dinner and drinks in ‘town’ round out our night, I think the place was Cafe7, not our first visit there, great music, friendly host and delicious food. Try the seafood stir fry, the western food was pretty good also, plus they have shisha if you’re into it.
The beautiful waterfall at Tetebatu
