Fantastic scenery, probably the best I have

ever seen combined with lots of landslides

on both sides of the road. On the right side

it is the mountain and at times there are

these house-sized boulders which have come

down and have just stopped short of the

road. On the left side massive drops with

bits of the road missing at times and the

wheels only just miss the falls. At one

point the western guy in front of me almost

throws himself into the isle trying to get

away from the edge or may be he thinks he

can balance the bus. I dont think he is used

to the driving here.

at one point there is some stoppage and we

eventually drive past a truck which is

propped up from the off-road side with three

tree trunks to stop it falling completely

over into the verge, dont know how they have

managed to put thesupports there.

At Pendolo our passports are checked for

some reason and then the driving staff are

tieing a motor bike to the back of the bus

on a little carries rack. I realise that

this is my stop and having got my stuff head

in the direction of the Pendolo Cottages. I

am met by Johnnie who shows me this cottage

on stilts just on the beach, two other

cottages alongside are lit up but turn out

to be empty. I am soon in the water for my

first swim and the lake is unbelieveably

still.

3 a.m. noises outside which I cant figure

out, some animal wondering around and

scraping against trees, or is it up in the

roof space, never did find out.

Johnnie has told me about the harvest

festival at Bo-eh a village nearby tomorrow.

I am woken up around 8 being asked what I

want to drink and my breakfast of a fruit

salad and a mug of tea are delivered to my

porch.

some reading, meditation, sleep on the

porch, swim and shower. There is a young

couple (in their teens I think) hanging

around the place, turns out they are petting

and being watched by a group of boys who run

away when they see me coming. On the track

to the road I see a plastic cup full of

small fish, easily more than 10 they cant

move at all, I throw the whole thing into

the nearst pond, I presume the kids must

have other plans for them but got

distracted.

I cant find Johnnie to go to Bo-eh with so I

head out and manage to get motor bike lifts

(2 of them) to the village. there is no

obvious sign of festival and I enquire about

a eatery (Ruman Makan) but I am guided into

this house where food is laid out. I have

one of the best chichen dishes in the last

few monts with rice. This village

celeberates the rice harvest and people are

fed. I see lots of people leaving the

village with lots of bamboo sticks on their

bikes, containing rice cooked in bamboo

leaves which gives it a nice flavour. I some

how have a conversation with the coupe

hosting me, they are from Jakarta, have 6

children and from what I gather have ran a

pension in the past. Later I am offered

coffee and a herb cigarette which somehow

crystalises what I have been reading

recently, awareness of the present.

I walk down the road with a bamboo stick

strapped onto my shoulder, a biscuit can

full of crackers (similar to prawn

crackers). I join in a kick around with a

bunch kids and have a laugh, it is not a

good idea to hit the ball with the bamboo

stick as the rice leaks out!

Then I head for Pendolo, I know I can ask

for a lift but want to have a walk. As is

the usual 90% of passers by (on the motor

bikes naturally) say hello mister! I am in a

 very good mood so I shout louder than they

do which catches them by surprise. Most

people here are usually smiling specially

they see a foreigner, I think it is their

nervousness and all want to have some

interaction. Even if some look occasionally

serious as they go by, a little nod, smile

or wave tends to bring them out. As you go

by young girls tend to snigger, little boys

usually shout out and adult vary. I know

that I have found this tiresome at times

because you are shouted at 100s of times a

day but it is in good nature so I decide to

enjoy it today. One bike stops and the

passanger gets off and offers me a place, I

decline first as I thought there is going to

be three of us on the bike. He gave me his

place and got a ride from other friends of

his, I am delivered to the guesthouse, about

2 Km away.

In the evening Johnnie appears and has a few

smokes on my porch, he is separated with his

wife and 10 year old son livind in Tanteno.

He is not very pushy which helps.

I have a swim about 10.20 pm, it is really

nice and floating on my back I watch the

almost full moon with a large bright circle

around it edged with orange light against

the clouds. I wake up 5.30, still pitch

black and hear this unrecogniseable sound as

if a crowd are shouting, took me a while to

realise it was choir of cockerells, probably

hundreds of them crowing over and over

again, sounding almost a continuous stream

of noise.

Couple of swims in the morning, another

visit by the local gay (Rico, who was Maleka

the first night I arrived, and was hanging

around on the sand while I was sitting in

the lake). There seems to be fairly common

gay scene here, similar to Sumatra. I wait

for the bus from 11 till 1.30 to take us

(Johnnie is going too) to Tentena. We are

given free coffees by the shop owner where

we wait and have some of the bamboo rice and

crackers as I am getting hungry. The road to

Tentena is really scenic and the windiest I

have seen, at one point I see the gear stick

of the bus pop out of gear spontaneously and

the driver struggels to find a gear, it is a

very old bus.