Flores: Full of fabulous culture

Philomena Reiss, Contributor, Maumere, Flores

The 5:30 a.m. Merpati flight from Jakarta was too early for many in our tour group, but it is the only way to connect to a 9:30 a.m. departure to Labuhanbajo via Bima.

It had been difficult to get a trip together after the Sept. 11 tragedy, but we decided to push through with our 11-day tour of Flores.

And we were glad we did.

Any remaining doubts we may have had were almost immediately forgotten when we took off from Bima and glimpsed the islands, including the legendary Komodo, set in a deep blue sea.

After 45 minutes the plane landed at Labuhanbajo, the westernmost part of Flores Island. Our local guide, Dominggus, had driven two days all the way from Maumere to meet us at the airport, but he still had a welcome smile.

Labuhanbajo is a small, quiet town surrounded by islands famous for snorkeling and diving. Lunch -- grilled fresh tuna steaks served with vegetables and rice -- was eaten at a restaurant overlooking the sea.

We then set off to Ruteng, the capital of Manggarai regency. There were two impassable bridges and so our van had to cross three rocky rivers but our patient and experienced driver took us through without difficulty. It was five hours drive to Ruteng, passing beautiful scenery and spider-like rice terraces on the hills and coffee plantations.

The loud sound of church bells was a reminder that the people of the area are predominantly Christian. The church we went to in town was a very simple, tin-roofed structure which was packed with Sunday worshipers singing hymns in their own dialect.

Not far away was a market offering everything under the sun, from dried fish to hand-woven textiles, especially ikat. A little workshop nearby demonstrated how they weave the Manggarai-motif sarongs on a backstrap loom.

Townspeople performed a war dance called Caci. This is a whip and shield duel between two men, accompanied by the beat of the drums and gongs played by a group of elderly women. The attacker has a vicious whip and the defender a rawhide shield for protection. The men were also dressed in colorful Manggarai sarongs and protective headgear.

These macho whip fights are performed not only for tourists but also during traditional ceremonies, like weddings and funerals, and also on Independence Day. The aim of the dance is to test the strength and endurance of men whom the Manggarai women admire.

One day in Ruteng is not enough to get a real feel of village life, but since the days were limited for seeing this big island the next town on the agenda was Bajawa. En route was a stop at Ranamese, with fabulous surroundings and a tranquil crater lake.

Another small town before Bajawa is the village called Aimere, where the people make arak (palm wine). The villagers showed us how they collect lontar palm juice, and distill it into an alcoholic drink either fine or rough, sold cheaply in the market for local consumption.

Bajawa is a small hill town, the center of the Ngada people. The first day in Bajawa involved a one-and-a-half hour climb to a newborn volcano called Wago Muda, which erupted only months ago. The eruption left seven crater lakes, as spectacular as the famous tri-colored Kelimutu lakes. Devastating could be the word to describe its eruption, but it made the soil rich for productive agriculture, an amazing natural phenomenon.

In the afternoon we headed to the village of Bolozi, where the people entertained us with a flute orchestra and dances. The women wore black sarongs with horse motifs, a traditional design of this region. They invited us to one of the houses and we joined the singing, eating and drinking tuak until late afternoon. They were such hospitable people that it was very difficult to say goodbye.

Flores textiles are as diverse as its people. From Labuhanbajo in the west to Larantuka in the east, there are textiles of a different variety of colors, motifs and cotton used. You could practically identify the regency or even village a person comes from by the ikat they wear. Flore is definitely a haven for textile lovers and collectors.

Wologogo was the ideal spot to view and take photos of the nearly perfect cone of Mt. Inerie. If you had the time, you could gaze at this volcano practically all day. The traditional houses of Wogo and Loba are very impressive, but Bena is most unique -- a living museum of Bajawa's architecture perched on a hill.

The Ngada people believe in ancestor worship, building a Ngadu (male ancestral tombs) and a Bhaga (female ancestral tombs), megaliths altars and menhirs at the center of the village ground.

Riung is situated on the northern coast of Ngada regency. Most of the people here are Bugis and Bajau from South Sulawesi. With Pulau Tujubelas it was an ideal spot for snorkeling.

The corals are in very good condition, with a great variety of colorful tropical reef fish, sponges, nudibrachs and starfish.

Low tide prevented our boat from stopping at a nearby island where flying foxes live, but we still managed to see thousands of them after our boat captain kindly walked ashore to wake them up for us. On the way back he picked up a few edible sea urchins for us to taste.

The drive to Ende was long but relaxing, passing Mbay and stopping at the Blue stone beach. On the beach, the women in this area collect beautiful smooth blue stones that are sold in Surabaya for building houses.

There is a stunning view of Mt. Iya and Mt. Meja as you approach Ende. Wolotopo is a traditional village on a hill along the coast frequented by tourists. A climb up the hill is well worth the effort for the sight of several remaining adat (traditional) houses and a few tombs of the village ancestors. Women weave under their houses.

Another attraction was the mummified body of a hero called Kakek More, kept in front of one of the traditional homes. Accompanied by the caretaker Paulus Moro, and the oldest woman in the village, who was carrying an offering of betel nut, the 100- year-old mummy was shown to us.

It was still dark when the van left the sleeping village behind.

Sunrise on top of Kelimutu lakes was missed, but the colored lakes were as spectacular as ever.

Nggela was the next stop before heading to Maumere. When the village people saw the van arriving, a small textile market was set up on the street right in front of us, although we did not buy many.

There was a short detour to the village of Sikka for the driver to rest and also view another textile village. It was clear, as in Nggela, that the women vendors were desperate to make a sale because there are few visitors today.

Maumere is the capital of Sikka regency, a town just recovering from a terrible 1992 earthquake and tidal wave disaster which left thousands dead.

On the itinerary the next day was Larantuka, the easternmost part of Flores Island. This little town is situated at the foot of Mt. Ili Manderi, overlooking the sea and the surrounding islands of Adonara and Solor.

The drive to Larantuka along the coast is breath-taking. On the hills are cashew nut plantations suited to this dry type of soil. All day was spent visiting the textile villages of Loweklowok and Riankemi.

On the way back to Maumere the next day, we found Bama is a village not to be missed. The women proudly showed us their handspun, naturally dyed, back strap loom woven textiles, which are really works of art.

It was a great and rewarding journey. While Flores does not have the amenities of other famous tourist destinations in the country, like Bali, it is brimming with cultural attractions. It's a hard and adventure-filled trip offering stunning rewards.