Stops: Marina Hotel, Port of Labuhan Bima, Museum Asi Mbojo Eks. Istana Kesultanan, Kantin Yuank Istana Asi Kalende (Days 110-111)

I arrived at the Marina Hotel in Bima. Pretty down and dirty section of the city between the harbor and the market. And, I do mean dirty. And, a mistake.

There are two ports with ferries from Sumbawa to Flores, the next major island with settlements: Bima and Sape. Bima is to the north and the ferry route follows the Sumbawa coast, then weaves through Komodo and other islands to Labuan Bajo for about a nine hour cruise. Sape is to the southeast and a little closer, so a slightly shorter voyage. I thought I would opt for the longer boat ride and less overland travel, and maybe see the sights in Bima, so I booked two entirely unnecessary nights in what turned out to be the second worst hotel of the whole trip. And, experienced my first schedule/connection/planning fail. Not bad for four months on the road.

The drive from Labuhan Jambu down to Bima had some beautiful stretches along the coast, over the hills, and then down into the wide open flats. Big salt pans as we approached the city. Driver started to drop me at the Marina Inn, not the Marina Hotel. We gone over this, but the “Inn” is the place people stay. It looked pretty nice and was right on the shore with a pool, but also way out in the middle of nowhere.

I got us to the Hotel, and at first it appeared to be closed. No lights on. No staff in the dark lobby. Construction debris out front. Driver was dubious as was I. Tried the door and it opened. A young woman popped up from behind the desk and checked me in: no breakfast, no kettle in room, no nothing in the room. No working TV. No windows in the room. Re-checked my reservation and Agoda double charged me for this crap. Oh well deal with that later. Walk down and around the corner to the port to suss out the departure area. This’ll be fine. It’s just two nights for a little sight-seeing and to get on the daily boat.

Port is dead, dead, dead. All offices shut. But, that’s normal. Today’s boat has just been and gone and the next one will be early tomorrow. It is hot and dusty and dirty. The port seems to bring in a lot of animal feed and cement. The dust of both of which is everywhere. Back to the hotel to take a break until sundown, book my tickets online, then go explore when it is cooler.

Rome2Rio has once a day ferries from Bima to Flores. I’d checked the timetable from time to time, but hadn’t been ready to book. Uh-oh. Only on clicking through to PELNI to purchase for Sunday does it seem that it has been downgraded to once a week on Friday’s–which I had just missed. I go down and talk with the girl on the desk. Maybe there is another ticketing site? None of the online systems for tickets or visas work reliably. But, nope, she was surprised when I came to check in right after the best way out had just gone. Grar. Sightseeing Saturday anyway, and she arranged a car for me Sunday morning in time for the Sape ferry. Could have just gone direct from Labuhan Jambu to Sape for the same price as to this port, which confusingly was what the guy at the whale shark place initially thought I was doing because Port of Sape is also in the city of Bima along with Port of Bima. So, whenever I said I was going to Bima for the ferry, they all heard “Sape in Bima,” not “Bima in Bima.” Don’t try to keep track, but just one more layer of the confusion and misdirection.

First stop on Saturday is the Museum Asi Mbojo Eks. Istana Kesultanan, or the Sultan’s Palace. Bima was one of six sultanates on the island and the local language is Bahasa Bima or Nggahi Mbojo, which seems to be completely different from standard Indonesian. It’s a pretty sleepy old nineteenth century building with a slightly newer addition out front. Admission is 10,000 rupiah. I am the only visitor until a group of schoolboys come in with a teacher or guardian. You can see the Sultan’s bedroom and his daughters’ rooms. There is a collection of weapons locked up in a very sturdy cage.

These high school aged boys asked to take a photo together, but I was really surprised that none of them had a mobile phone. Very unusual.

There is also Soekarno’s Room. He seems to have one in every such building for when he came to town.

MIrror selfie in Bung Karno’s Room at the Sultan’s Palace.

Bung Karno is still beloved: “Merdeka Ataoe Mati,” on the windshield of a working truck near the market, “Freedom Or Death.”

There is not a lot else to do, but I had spotted what looked like a promising little cafe and since I’d had no breakfast, it was time for an early lunch.

Naga fruit smoothie and a club sandwich: beef bacon, cucumber, tomato, fried egg, and lots of chili sauce and shredded cheese at Kantin Yuank.

Next up was the Istana Asi Kalende (Wikipedia Bahasa Indonesia) which according to Google Maps (I know, I know.) should be right around the corner and just off a narrow residential street. So, I head over and I’m walking up and down the very narrow side-street with my phone out but cannot find anything. Perfect image of the lost tourist, which attracted the attention of a local resident named Win. I told him what I was looking for and he said, to follow him. Everyone else on the street started calling out to him, so Win introduced me as his brother. “We’re family!” he said.

Back out to the main road and down to the next, even narrower side-street. We get to the end and it is closed off with sheets of corrugated steel fencing. Win gets down to a little breaking and entering and soon we are in. Neighborhood kids see the opportunity and follow us.

The criminal enterprise: Your humble narrator, Win (age 57), Rizky (age 6), and Adam (age 9).

Win was adamant that I photograph the area under this entry porch. No damned idea why.

That was the first palace or “kings house” for the sultan or governor of the province. This iteration dates back to the mid-nineteenth century. It looks like it has a few more years before it just collapses, but the good news is that it hasn’t fallen to some quick concrete renovation. The original wood building and joinery is all there to be fixed up into an authentic historic place. Hope it happens.

As we left, I paid Win a coupla bucks and he shoved the sheet metal back into place. Never would have found this place otherwise. And, that was Bima.

Hit the road at 4:30 the next morning for the daily ferry from Sape, Bima.