On the way to Moni we passed through Ende which is just jaw dropping with its natural beauty, and a hint of what we imagine New Zealand to look like maybe? Ende is surrounded by huge volcanoes and has a long stretch of beach with waves crashing over huge rocks. We stopped at the blue pebble beach for some much needed leg stretching. Surprisingly it was a beach covered in blue pebbles and rocks which were really pretty. It also seems to provide a way of making money as the pebbles were being bagged by the locals for export. The actual town is quite scruffy and the market place was just horrible - great mounds of rotting rubbish lay next to traders selling vegetables and fish. We were again followed by chants of "hello mister, where you going?" which was funny at first to think that they were so interested in our route but after the 50th time it got a little bit tiresome so we threw the question back at them. I think it totally confused them but it made us smile! The heavens opened for the rest of our journey and we reached Moni as the clouds rolled in over the hills making everything very grey and steamy. We spent the evening watching a performance of traditional dancing and singing put on for the 6 tourists in town at the time. It was really entertaining talking to the local ladies and they found Steve to be very handsome - I think he was a bit scared when the older lady, who was chewing betel nuts which make your teeth and mouth look like you have just torn apart a wild animal, gave him the eye!!!