We took a bechak from Freddie's to the island's western horn. So steep was the road through the forested island that I had to walk alongside the bechak at one point. But after endless climbing came the freewheel descent to Iboih. The settlement comprised just a little cluster of bungalows, shops and cafes, although development [...]
The fast ferry took us off the northern tip of Sumatra, cutting a smooth course through the waters between the mainland and Pulau ("island") Weh. We haggled with pushy bechak drivers for a ride over to Freddie's, a place recommended by Lonely Planet. Good quality roads took us through a hilly land ravaged by fecund [...]
We allowed three hours to get from Friendship Guesthouse, in the jungle village of Ketambe, to the airport at Kutacane, 35km to the the southeast. We were a few minutes late starting and the next bus took longer than expected but such delays were accounted for in our schedule. The bus was typical of the [...]
The flight from Labuan Bajo was in a propellor-driven plane. We turned in a wide arc after leaving the runway, to look down on the town and the islands and reefs splodged throughout the coastal water. We then flew straight back across the island chain, retracing the route we had taken by boat over the [...]