Indonesia - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 308

EATING
Bangkalan II Jl Yani. Up near the airport roundabout and
offering inexpensive and tasty chicken and goat sates
(around Rp20,000), along with the usual padang food.
Daily 8am-9pm.
Iklhas Jl Yani. The restaurant of the hotel (see above),
serving cheap Indonesian staples as well as Western
dishes such as fish and chips; mains around Rp15,000.
Daily 8am-9pm.

ikat weaving. NGELLA is a weaving village
about 30km east from Wolowana bus
terminal in Ende, near the coast.
he cheaper losmen and some
restaurants are spread out along Jalan
Yani and around the airport roundabout,
while the rest are down in the old town;
travelling between the two areas is easily
done by bemo or ojek.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
By plane The airport is just north of the town, on Jl Yani;
you can walk into town, or catch an ojek. Trans Nusa
( T 0381 24333 or T 24222, W transnusa.co.id) is at
Jl Kelimutu 39 and the airport; Lion Air/Wings Air ( T 0381
22896, W lionair.co.id) is at the airport.
Destinations include Kupang (daily; 50min); Labuanbajo
(3 weekly; 40min); Tambolaka (3 weekly; 45min).
By bus Buses from the east arrive 4km further on from the
airport at the Wolowana bus terminal, where you'll be
mobbed by ojek drivers who will take you to town. Buses
from the west arrive at Ndao bus terminal, about 2km west
of town; bemos are in plentiful supply.
Destinations

DIRECTORY
Bank BRI and Danamon banks - two blocks up from the
sea on Jl Soekarno - have ATMs, as does the BNI just east
of the airport roundabout.
Internet There's an internet café opposite Hotel Safari on
Jl Yani, but the connection can be slow.
Pharmacy Jl Sudirman 6.
Post o ce Up the hill on Jl Basuki Rahmat (Mon-Thurs
8am-3pm, Fri 8-11.30am, & Sat 8am-1pm).

KELIMUTU AND MONI
Stunning Kelimutu volcano, with its
three strangely coloured crater lakes, is
without doubt one of the most startling
natural phenomena in Indonesia. he
picturesque village of Moni , 40km
northeast of Ende, stretches along the
road from the lower slopes of the volcano
down to the valley floor, and makes a
great base from which to hike up to
Kelimutu and around.

4 Bajawa (several daily; 4hr); Labuanbajo

(daily; 14hr); Maumere (several daily; 5hr); Moni (several
daily; 1hr 30min); Ruteng (several daily; 9hr).
By ferry Ipi harbour in the old town is used for all long-
distance boats; the ferry and harbour masters' o ces are
on the road that leads down to the harbour. Pelni ferries
stop here, and there are also ASDP ferries serving Sumba
and Kupang once a week. The Pelni o ce at Jl Kathedral 2
( T 0381 21043, W pelni.co.id) can help with Pelni and
ASDP tickets.
Destinations Bima (fortnightly; 23hr); Denpasar (fortnightly;
44hr); Kupang (Mon; 20hr); Surabaya (fortnightly; 58hr);
Waingapu (Sat; 10-12hr).

Kelimutu
he summit of Kelimutu (1620m) forms
a barren lunar landscape with, to the east,
two vast turquoise pools separated by a
narrow ridge. A few hundred metres to
the west, settled in a deep depression, lies
a dark khaki lake. he lakes' colours are
due partly to the levels of certain minerals
that dissolve in them. As the sulphurous
waters erode the caldera they lie in, they
uncover bands of different compounds
and, as the levels of these compounds are
in constant flux, so are the colours. Just as
important, however, is the level of oxygen
dissolved in the water. When their supply
is low, the lakes look green. Conversely,
when they are rich in oxygen, they range
from deep red to black. In the 1960s, the
lakes were red, white and blue.
Every morning at around 4am tourists
ride by ojek (around Rp70,000 return)

INFORMATION
Tourist information Jl Soekarno 4 (Mon-Thurs & Sat
7am-2pm, Fri 7-11am; T 0381 21303).

ACCOMMODATION
Grand Hotel Wisata Jl Kelimutu 32 T 0381 22974,
W grandhotelwisatahotel-ende.com. Located close to the
aiport, Wisata has variable rooms with mid-range
pretension s (TVs, fridge s and so on), a decent restaurant
and a pool. Rp500,000
Ikhlas Jl Yani 69 T 0381 21695. A reasonable budget option,
with rooms to suit most budgets and ple nty of inform ation,
though the staff aren't terribly responsive. Rp120,000
Safari Jl Yani 65 T 0381 21997. Next to Ikhlas and
offering rooms around an airy courtyard, including some
sm arter option s with mod cons such as a/c, showers and
TV. Rp75,000