Blood Indonesian Sumba Another island, another ferry. After Flores 'time of Sumba, one of the most culturally' interest in the Indonesian archipelago. I am leaving behind volcanoes and rain forest to discover a landscape of gentle rolling hills covered with low shrubs and grass yellow and sharp. An arid land, hard, beaten by strong ocean winds, I might be in southern Spain or Italy, it was not for those high thatched roofs sprouting on the top of many hills. These are the traditional houses of Sumba, an island where ancient practices and rituals are still strongly rooted among the population. The guide who accompanied me for a day of exploring the villages (Boni) tells me that the entrenched position in the past facilitated the defense of the community 'from the attacks of tribes' rivals while high thatched roofs, almost conical, are still being constructed to accommodate the souls of the dead who, though dead, still live in the same houses.
The funeral rite and 'probably the most' striking a visit to a traditional village Sumbanese; during the funeral in fact, before a large crowd, composed of all the inhabitants of the community ', are killed more goods' important to belong to the dead; goods which are intended to follow in the life of 'Underworld: chickens, pigs, buffaloes and horses sometimes (a practice, this' last, that the Indonesian government is trying to discourage), slaughtered with machetes in the village center, on a sacrificial altar. During his visit to a community ', Boni tells me that in a few days there will be' where a funeral will probably be killed six buffalo. Bloody! Unfortunately the weather holds for me and I can not prolong my stay in very Sumba to attend this ceremony. In any case I do not know if I would have stood the vision of cows sacrificed by blows of the ax. Probably the thing I would open the doors to the vegetarian world.
As in Flores, Sumba also the people more 'important are buried in huge megalithic tombs, decorated with bas-reliefs, in the middle of villages. Some tombs are really great and the uprising of the stones are required hundreds of men and long days of effort.
Sumba and 'very little tourist island. Forget the mass of Bali. Here waves of capricious' spiaggioni Indian Ocean breaking on the deserted white sand and many inhabitants still wear traditional dress, beautifully embroidered, and men with a dagger tucked in his belt and a scarf tied at the head. In four days the foreigners I counted on the fingers of one hand. The visit to the villages and 'was fascinating, authentic experience, almost anthropological fatta da gesti semplici, ma carichi di significato. Vi spiego: Boni mi presenta all’anziano capo della comunita’ - una figura quasi regale - alle quale io offro pacchetti di sigarette e manciate di noce moscata (qui la masticano in continuazione; una roba amarissima e leggermente narcotica). Questi, seduto sotto il tetto spiovente della sua abitazione, ornata con teschi di mucche e maiali sacrificati, accetta di buon grado le offerte e acconsente quindi alla visita del villaggio. Insieme alla mia guida e accompagnato spesso da una allegra processione di bambini, ho cosi il permesso di fare foto e di entrare in alcune case. In una delle visite mi e’ capitato pure di partecipare ad un rito sciamanico, con lo stregone che, dopo aver preparato una mixture of nutmeg and fluid (saliva?), I smeared it all over his forehead saying mysterious phrases. Stuff chills down my spine.
Rene '
Getting around Flores The island of Flores' reached after 9 hours by ferry from Sumbawa. A crossing in a quiet, almost sleepy, hailed for a few seconds to a couple of dolphins. Labuanbajo (or Bajo), the port of arrival, and 'a pile of stinking village that has a certain charm. The bay overlooked by houses and steep slopes covered with vegetation down to the sea appear to have come from the pencil of Hugo Pratt, a scenario worthy of the adventures of Corto Maltese.
A few nautical miles from here there are the islands of Comfortable and Rinca, inhabited by fearsome dragons, lizards a couple of meters long known for being carnivorous and hungry. The islands are part of a national park and visit with a group of other passengers. The ranger who welcomes us to base camp Rinca us to walk for a couple of hours and helps us to find a dragon sleeping in the shade of a rock and the animal, he says, and 'digestion phase' cause in the last few days and 'pappa a deer. We learn that the dragons do not kill and eat their victims, but now the infecting bite with their saliva and this causes a fatal disease in the unfortunate beast that is guarded by dragons until death: an ambush that can 'take weeks. When there is' a particular food shortages, the dragons will also kill each other: cannibalism! After a few days
Bajo, at the 'western Flores, I move eastward, reaching the center of the island. I visit the villages of Ruteng Bajawa and, inland, where nights are surprisingly cool, around 10 degrees. The landscape around Bajawa and 'particularly attractive and lush rainforests, volcanoes, perfect cones, traditional villages where they still live in houses with thatched roofs. Hire a moto-taxi for a whole day in order to explore some local villages. The first visit that enjoys a spectacular location on a natural balcony at the beginning of a narrow valley: volcano to the right, the hills on the left and the blue sea on horizon. Not far into the forest, two creeks, one of ice water, the other boiling, combine to form a natural thermal bath, gorgeous. Let me first take this opportunity to "shower" hot weeks after.
In the afternoon I stop in the village of Wogo. E 'being the funeral (rite Catholic) of an elderly resident. Here I meet Ervin, a local girl, who speaks excellent English and explains some of the traditions of the local population (the Ngada), including that of burying people more 'important in the center of the village under umbrella-shaped structures or miniature house, they are "consulted" before making important decisions such as sowing, harvesting and marriages. An interesting and mysterious mix of Catholicism and animism. Brings me to see the megalithic stones as high as 3 meters from the origin and meaning obscure. After the funeral Ervin invites me in some houses (rectangular wooden structures, one floor, mezzanine, and the thatched roof) where the relatives of the deceased (practically the entire village) came together and are consuming a meal. Even offered me a plate; issue of rice with beans and stringy pieces of meat (maybe pork) and difficult to chew gum, I try to do my best and I eat rice at least I do not want to offend anyone! After Ervin introduced me to a ten people are taken to another house where I find myself again with a plate (identical) under the nose, ugh! Same ritual as before. On the threshold of the third house, however, 'take the girl by the arm and begs her to finish the round of introductions, I have the stomach is about to burst! I greet you and I close this very special cultural experience. Back to
Bajawa and that 'now evening and pitch dark. The only place open seems to be room on the ground floor of a house where a group of kids sitting on the floor, is playing the Playstation 2 on three different televisions (must be the game room of the country). Shove the nose and immediately invite me to a challenge in football, play some games with Italy, winning almost tutte; mi diverto un sacco a urlare in faccia ai ragazzini "Pippooooo!" o "Gila!" ad ogni gol. Piovono pacche sulle spalle e risate generali. Football mania.
Dopo Bajawa faccio tappa alle pendici del vulcano Kelimutu. L’attrazione del luogo e’ la presenza di 3 laghi colorati all’interno della caldera: uno marrone, uno quasi nero e un altro turchese. Spettacolare. Sembrano tempere sulla tavolozza di un pittore. La colorazione delle acque e’ dovuta alla presenza di minerali nella roccia. Secondo una tradizione locale i laghi sono abitati dagli spiriti dei morti. Dalla cima del vulcano riesco a scorgere l’azzurro del mare lungo le coste meridionali e settentrionali (l’isola e’ abbastanza stretta) e, sforzandomi, arrival almost see the tip of the island. The landscape is' a succession of volcanoes, many of which are active smoking and cones.
Flores' all ups and downs: winding roads, serpentine, narrow valleys, ravines and steep slopes. Soil and 'black and often covered with thick tropical vegetation. A beautiful volcanic island and capricious.
A local guide told me that they have evacuated an area just east of the island in what they are waiting for the "pop" of a volcano. Wow. Quiet, I'm going in the opposite direction. Term stay in Flores in the city 'of Ende, one of the' big island, where, on the waterfront, there ' a lively fish market, fresh. I just caught tonnarelli bloody and still end up fairly quickly, once cut, boats on the back of a pick-up. The pungent smell of fish is mixed continuously to the more 'fresh vegetables, sold a little more' in the. All the differences between then end of the black sand beach, a prey to the mouth of noisy seagulls or dribbled by legions of kids to run after a ball. Overwhelming reality 'of Indonesia. Rene '
Global Village you do the time-space coordinates, for clarity and avoid confusion. It 's the end of April and I'm leaving Bali. A wooden boat along a fifteen feet, takes me along with 10 other travelers to the Gili islands, off the coast of Lombok. Six hours, lulled by a rhythmic rocking that puts to bed the most '.
Trawanggan, Air and Less are the names of three islands forming the archipelago of Gili. Tiny coral gems set in a sea of \u200b\u200bdeep blue color. A great place for snorkeling, diving, relax and pamper yourself with excellent food and lively evenings dancers. The most 'largest of the three islands - Trawanggan - turns in less than one hour by bike ... Little peace of heaven ': the islands there are no paved roads, so cars and zero zero scooters, bicycles only, with which we are silt, and cidomo, small carts pulled by horses.
Islands are a very popular destination among travelers, probably due to the proximity of Bali, and then become a real landmark dellla "ruta backpackers in Southeast Asia. Of course, as I have already 'seen in similar places (especially in Laos and Thailand), that' means a waiver of local characteristics, in this case Indonesia, to meet changing needs' of the global traveler. This phenomenon that has hit Trawanggan, where you can find everything from pizza to cappuccino, from burgers to fish & chips untissimi. There 'who enjoys and is stranded on these beaches for one month and there' who turn up their noses and run away after a few days, as you may have realized by now, I fall back into the second category. This' remains comunque che anche io approfitti della insonnia festaiola delle isole e dei suoi agi; per 2 notti consecutive finisco a letto alle 6, causa semifinali di Champions League, tra inglesi ubriachi e indonesiani football-maniaci. Inoltre la consapevolezza di trovarmi nell' ultimo party-place prima dell'Australia mi spinge a darci dentro. Conosco alcuni tipi interessanti: un istruttore di sub italiano; un gruppo di ragazze olandesi, una delle quali invaghita del subacqueo; un ragazzone tedesco reduce da 5 mesi di lavoro a Jakarta, con il quale mi confronto sulle follie notturne della capitale indonesiana.
Lascio questo villaggio globale dopo 6 giorni, 3 dei quali passati a Gili Trawanggan e 3 a Gili Air. Attraverso quindi in pullman e frettolosamente l'isola di Lombok; decision, in retrospect, regret ', as the island has much to offer: besides the ultra-friendly people of Indonesia, there' a volcano of over 3000m, rain forests and a wild and unspoilt south coast, battered by the foaming waves of the Indian Ocean.
In less than 24 hours and then I find myself in Sumbawa Besar, the largest of the city 'on the island of Sumbawa: destination number 5 of my "island-hopping" after Sumatra, Java, Bali and Lombok. Note
drug: from the islands Gili I started taking drugs with a daily pill of Malarone to prevent malaria, the areas I'm visiting are in fact considered at risk. A
Sumbawa again I find myself totally immersed in "the Indonesian experience": the absence of foreign travelers and people who say hello to me all the time, willing to start a conversation. My Bahasa Indonesia is improving and I get closer now to the basic 5-minute chat.
Stay in Sumbawa, Lombok as, and 'quick. I'm starting to count my days on a tourist visa, the road up to East Timor (and Australia), still long and, above all, unpredictable, urges me to accelerate the pace of the trip. I shot three quarters of the island in an exhausting day of travel. I cover the 250 km that separate me from Sape - the port where I embark 'on the island of Flores - in 13 hours, at an average of 20km per hour due to mechanical failures and a bus si ferma in continuazione a far salire e scendere passeggeri. Sono stretto tra due file di sedili con un sacco di riso sotto i piedi che mi costringe in una posizione rannicchiata, a ginocchia raccolte, che ammazza lentamente gambe e fondoschiena. Sono pieno di dolori e non riesco a spostare i piedi oltre il sacco di riso in quanto il pavimento del pullman e' surriscaldato e mi crema letteralmente le suole delle infradito. Fa talmente caldo che gli zipper metallici dello zaino della mia vicina di posto sono diventati incandescenti e uno mi ha ustionato il polpaccio! Il bus e' zeppo di persone e animali (galline in maggioranza) e non c'e' posto piu' neanche per uno spillo; anche se sono l'unico straniero in viaggio, questa volta c'e' poca voglia di scherzi e sorrisi: we are all suffering and we hope that this torture will end soon. When the hour of the 20 arriving at the quay of Canadian pension-Sape are so exhausted that I can not find even the strength of a scare when Rattazzi the size of a cat crosses my path in the hallway. Helmet in a heavy sleep, which stops abruptly at 5 am, when the relentless muezzin of the mosque next to the hotel decides it 'time to rally the faithful. Allaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!
Rene '
