Roadtrip Flores - Stage 3: Moni

The stage started around 8:30 am today. Actually, we could have started around 5:00 am. The accommodation where we spent the night was surrounded by numerous roosters. Unbelievable, they gave it their all at 4 am, and it was surreal to hear a dog howling in duet with a certain rooster. I thought I was in the wrong movie!

Shortly after we started, we were able to take photos of an active volcano. Actually, smoke clouds kept coming out of the crater, and I thought they were just weather clouds :-)

Afterwards, we went to Bluestone Beach! The drive was terrible, even though all the car rides were terrible! It was always going up and down, only serpentine roads, which was annoying! Well, after almost 3 hours of driving, we finally arrived at the beach. The entire beach is full of blue stones. This is probably due to the minerals. Otherwise, I didn't find the beach particularly special.

Then we continued towards Moni. Suddenly, there was a traffic jam on the road, and our guide cursed. He told us that during a construction phase, the roads are simply closed for 1-2 hours and then reopened for a short time. We stood in the heat for about 20 minutes and then were allowed to pass a huge excavator. Gravel kept falling from the slope, so it was quite nerve-wracking. Then a local bus overtook us, and hanging from the back with their heads down were numerous live chickens. I thought they were dead, but they were all still alive. Poor things, how can anyone transport animals like that.

The drive to Moni took forever, and we didn't arrive at our accommodation until late in the afternoon. We had a great bungalow. It was beautifully located, surrounded by fields and plantations. The resort had a total of 5 bungalows and 4 rooms. It was a family-run business, and dinner with the family was scheduled at 8:00 pm.

Greetings from Moni, Anke and Daniela