It's all about the stories - As our Indo legs have drawn to a close (ahem), it's time to comment more seriously on the culture we've seen over the last month. After all, our trip isn't just about our stories; it's also about the stories of those we meet. And swapping a breakfast of rice and palm wine in a bamboo shack in Flores for a steak and Malbec in Singapore's Clarke Quay this week has certainly given us food for thought about the differences in our journey'...

Eat, Love, Pray you don't see another copy of that bloody book - Our last stop back in Bali is Ubud. The other half of Bali's tourism duopoly, it is a heck of a lot more cultural than Kuta.Unfortunately, it's also now crowded with doe-eyed teenagers and recently-divorced women all clutching their copy of Eat, Love, Pray tightly to their confidence-lacking bosom in the hope that they'll find either peace or a piece of a hunky man in the Balinese jungle.When they d...

Flores in Figures - an epic 8 day trip across the crazy island of Flores came to an end today when we flew back to civilisation in Bali. The combination of immense volcanic geography, some wild journeys, lovely people and what must surely be the best rice and bananas this side of Lombok, made for a truly unforgettable week. And how else to present it but in our Flores in Figures Countdown: 1600 metres up Mount Kelimutu at 4am on the back of 2 mopeds to a stu...

Who do you fatten up first? - Let's take 32 people. They represent various European countries and Australian states. They range from 19 to 72 years of age. They each want to travel from the west coast of Lombok along the north coast of Sumbawa to Labuanbajo in Flores. Though they all have their different reasons, they each choose a three-day Perama boat leaving Labuhan Lombok on 31st May. Agatha Christie would have had a field day with this lot, as the three d...

Sugar and spice... and too much rice - Over the last four days, we've moped-ed (mo-peed?) from Sengiggi on the West coast of Lombok to Kuta Lombok (far nicer than Kuta Bali with Lombok's hottest surf spots and deserted beaches) and across to the South West peninsular, known as Lombok's Caribbean. We've sea-kayaked, sunbathed, done the best snorkelling of our lives in amongst shoals of giant bumphead parrot fish, read lots, walked around islands, eaten some delici...