Island-hopping on a Bugis schooner
Fitri Wulandari, The Jakarta Post, Bima, West Nusa Tenggara
The morning light burst through as our anchored schooner bobbed amid a gleaming dark blue sea, filled with strange, arid islands.
Not a single ship, even a catamaran, was in sight. It was so peacefully quiet that, for a second, I thought I was in 1492: Conquest of Paradise. Obviously I wasn't, because there was no Gerard Depardieu on board!
In reality, I was aboard the Katharina, along with a multinational group on a weeklong cruise of the Flores Sea, sampling its enchanting natural and cultural beauty.
The Katharina is no ordinary cruise ship, but a converted Bugis phinisi schooner.
Made from ironwood, the phinisi make up the largest handmade wooden fleet left in the world. These were the vessels that the Buginese sea-goers of South Sulawesi used to control trade routes in the eastern seas for centuries, challenging Western traders.
Dick Bergsma, the director of the company that operates the Katharina, Sea Trek, and the man who invited The Jakarta Post to participate in the cruise, came up with the idea of using the vessels to cruise the archipelago when he saw them at Sunda Kelapa Port in Jakarta in 1976.
"You have the largest archipelago in the world. The best way to explore it is by the largest wooden fleet in the world, the phinisi," Dick said.
Built in 1998, the Katharina maintains the vessels' original design: two masts with two top sails, two main sails and three foresails. Manned by a crew of 12, it has the comfort of a modern cruise ship, with eight air-conditioned rooms with private shower, a salon, a fridge stocked with fresh beverages, a modern kitchen and, most importantly, a spacious deck.
It sails mostly to the eastern part of the country, but its many creature comforts always ensure a pleasant journey.
Our trip started in Bima, a busy little port town in Sumbawa. Catamarans, ferries and cruise ships jostled in Bima Port, which serves as the hub for islands in its vicinity.
Tanjung Putih beach, on the other side of Sumbawa island, was our first stop. There is nothing spectacular about the stretch of beach except the fact that it has barely been touched by development -- and that's what makes it beautiful.
We sat anchored until dinner before sailing to Komodo National Park.
At dinner, our tour leader, Arifin, introduced us to the crew. Very professional and friendly, they could do just about anything, from sailing the ship to setting up a barbecue on secluded beaches. We quickly became friends.
Dining on the Katharina was exceptional. Imagine having fresh hot pancakes in the morning and mouthwatering fish steak and rose wine for dinner, cooked up in the middle of nowhere.
Arifin warned us it was the west monsoon season, when the sea is supposed to show its full fury. But it was surprisingly calm during our trip.
For the first two days, we island-hopped around the Komodo National Park, dropping in at the largest islands of Komodo, Rinca and Padar.
Covering an area of 173,300 hectares, Komodo National Park was declared a World Heritage Site in 1980 by the UN.
Komodo and Rinca are home to some 3,000 prehistoric Komodo dragons that have managed to survive into modernity on their remote outpost.
It's hard not to think of Jurassic Park when you see a wooden gate at Loh Liang, Komodo island's main entrance (but, thankfully, with no visitors covered in blood screaming and running to the four corners of the island).
In an attempt to get a glimpse of the real dragons, we trekked some two kilometers to a komodo observation spot, Banu Nggulung, with three rangers.
The rangers carried Y-shaped sticks as protection against the dragons, which are almost blind but have a highly developed sense of smell.
Surviving by devouring just about anything that walks, from birds to buffalo, the dragons can sense dinner with their forked tongues at a distance of seven kilometers.
Along the way, we spotted at least half a dozen komodos. They lay under shady bushes or rocks, or simply ambled along.
They totally ignored us.
"Komodos are only drawn to the smell of blood. If there is none, then there is nothing to worry about," Pak Abdul, one of the rangers, said, adding that women having their period are advised not to take part in the Komodo visit.
Komodos are not the only inhabitants of the island. A traditional fishing village, the only human settlement on the island, is home to about 1,270 people.
Rinca, however, has more diverse wildlife. Apart from komodos, other animals include deer, buffaloes, horses, boars and megapod birds. The landscapes on Komodo and Rinca are similar, with vast savannas and arid hills covered in tall grass. The air is crisp and dry.
Padar, the third island we visited, was stunningly beautiful. It has distinctive red sand, courtesy of crushed red coral, and clear turquoise water.
The shore is lined with palm trees and ringed with jagged cliffs, like picture-postcards brought to life.
At night, we had a barbecue in Padar, another great highlight of the trip.
Every inch of the Komodo National Park is heaven for snorkling and diving devotees because of the numerous islands with pristine beaches and reefs. Many of these places are so remote that the only way to reach them is by sea.
After two days in Komodo National Park, we set sail again on the Flores Sea to Labuanbajo, a small fishing town in Flores, for a cultural trip.
The scenery throughout the Flores Sea is eerily beautiful: arid islands covered in grass, craggy rocks protruding from the deep blue waters and crisp dry air dominate the senses.
Just before entering Labuanbajo, we tasted what pure sailing is all about: sails unfurled, the engines turned off, side steering down as we rode with the wind.
You immediately feel the boat's grandeur, and it is easy to conjure up images of Bugis pirates on their phinisi ruling the sea.
In Labuanbajo, we watched a caci, a war dance. To see this performance, we drove to Way Kesambi village, some five kilometers from the port.
Caci means one by one. Two to four dancers take turns as the attacker and the defender. The attacker holds a whip and the defender has a rawhide shield. They were dressed in traditional colorful sarongs and wore horn-shaped protective headgear.
The rhythm of the drums and gongs played by a group of elderly women accompanied the duel. Symbolizing manhood, caci is performed during weddings and at harvest time. In the case of real battles, a caci can take up to three days.
At the end of the performance, we danced with the local people. In the evening, we sailed back to Bima for another cultural experience.
In Bima, we went to Donggo village where the original Bimanese live. Today, they inhabit the highlands, forced out by development and new migrants.
We drove along a narrow winding road for about two hours, passing lush green hills. Donggo is divided into Donggo Bawah and Donggo Ele. Donggo Bawah is predominantly Catholic, while Ele is Muslim.
We went to Donggo Bawah, walking along narrow stone path with wooden houses on stilts on either side.
In the village, we saw a triangular rice barn on stilts called a lengge. It is said to be almost 200 years old. Its walls are made from grass.
The lengge is more than just a rice barn. The elders use it to summon villagers to discuss village problems, including the division of farming plots.
After lunch in an old Dutch house overlooking Bima Bay, we set course for Satonda Island.
Arriving in Satonda the following morning, we were greeted by probably the oldest ranger in the country, 79-year-old Pak Pujadi.
He led us to the holy crater-lake, Lake Satonda, or in the local tongue Moti To'i, the Little Sea. It was given this name because it holds two kinds of water. The first 40 m is salt water and the rest fresh water. It is believed the lake has the power to grant people's wishes if they hang pebbles on the branches of a mangrove tree.
While Satonda is unknown to most Indonesians, it has long been famous among divers from throughout the world. The coral reefs in Satonda's waters were the best we saw during our trip.
We did not have to dive deep to see the underwater world. Schools of colorful fish swam around us, while pristine reefs in fantastic shapes and colors lay on the seabed. When the sun's rays shot through the water, it was a breathtaking sight.
In the afternoon, we sailed to Moyo Island to sample the jungle waterfall. At night we sailed to our last stop, Gili Trawangan, an island off Lombok.
After spending days on sparsely populated, less developed islands and sailing through vast, quiet waters, setting foot in touristy Gili Trawangan was a bit of a shock.
Our trip ended as we sailed to Lembar, Lombok, to catch a ferry to Bali. It was an inspiring odyssey. In our seafaring adventure, we made new friends and learned more about our land, seas and people.
For more information on Sea Trek: www.seatrekindonesia.com www.anasia-cruise.com