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Published: June 22nd 2009
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On Timor I made my way up that island’s highest mountain, Gunung Mutis, and now I’ve also stood on top of Flores’ highest mountain, Gunung Ranaka. Its not really as great a feat as it may sound - there’s a paved road all the way to the top! Still it was a hard slog and took about five hours, including numerous birding stops as well as for second breakfast and elevenses. The entrance road isn't far from Ruteng, maybe eight kilometres or so, about four bends past where the road has obviously fairly recently been completely taken out by a landslide and re-cut. Its rather inconspicuous if you're trying to find it, just a modest arch labelled "Taman Wisata Alam Ruteng" set back from the main road. The situation seemed the same as at Danau Ranamese -- it looked like you should be paying a permit fee but the buildings are deserted. I’d heard that the road was all overgrown and pretty much impassable in the higher reaches but it turned out that someone had been up there recently, probably in the last week or two, and cut back all the canes that would have previously blocked it and also chopped
up and moved any fallen trees. You could go from the main road all the way to the top by motorbike although its quite steep in places so you wouldn’t want to be too heavy a passenger and you’d also risk scrambling your kidneys on the last few kilometres where the road is made up solely of broken rocks. A four-wheel drive could make it easily - I know because one passed me when I was about three kilometres from the top. They asked if I wanted a lift but I said I’d rather walk it. The pain lets me know I’m still alive. Also you can’t look for birds in the trees unless you’re on foot. Plus it was good for my calves.
The birding was pretty good up to a certain point but in the higher regions the numbers declined, probably simply because it was getting into the afternoon when the birds are less active anyway. I was pleased to come across two of the three dark-eyes that I’d failed to see at Danau Ranamese the other day, as well as the pigmy woodpeckers that I never get tired of, oriental cuckoo, dark-backed imperial pigeon and others.
Once at the top there’s not much to see because you’re surrounded by scrub, so if you’re just after birds there isn’t much point heading all the way up except to say you’ve been there. Gunung Ranaka is actually a volcano. It hasn’t erupted for at least a couple of decades but when you’re near the top you can see smoke rising from behind the rise. Unfortunately when right at the summit where the road ends any view of the crater is completely obscured. The four-wheel drive occupants were workers for Motorola there to fix the radio transmitter which had been broken for the last six months (and hence the reason the road had been cleared). Halfway down the mountain - it was quicker going downhill but harder on the legs! - they passed by again and this time I accepted the lift because it meant that I didn’t have to pay for a bemo back to the hotel when I reached the main road. We surprised a green junglefowl on the track on the way down which was a bonus.
Somewhat in contrast to what I wrote in an earlier post about the Rutenginites (Rutengians? Rutengorians? Rutengers? Rutengerines?) appearing not to be used to foreigners, there has been a steady stream of them through the Rima Hotel while I’ve been here. I have therefore come to the conclusion that the reason I am regarded as such a curiosity is because I’m travelling alone. Most foreigners come in small groups on tours - Labuanbajo to Ruteng to Bajawa to Ende, that sort of thing - so you wouldn’t normally see them wandering alone around the fish market for example. And walking in the forest by oneself is just plain bizarre behaviour. Maybe they’re all so friendly towards me because they think I’m touched in the head.
So tomorrow I am leaving Ruteng and taking the four hour bus trip all the way back to Labuanbajo where the Komodo dragon awaits. I saw the Hobbit cave, I saw lots of birds, but the closest I came to finding a giant rat was seeing a shrew at Danau Ranamese. I know they used to be found in the area because their bones have been found in the cave deposits but absolutely nobody here has any clue what I’m talking about. Maybe I can find some somewhere at lower altitude round Labuanbajo.
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Peter
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hairdo
How is your hairdo coming along? I was wondering if that had something to do with all the staring you get?????