The growling, battered bus 'executive' arrested in front of our hotel in Labuan Bajo, its engine eagerly pointing towards the road out of town. This thriving, chaotic port on the coast of Flores, we first shook a heavily wooded road through a corrugated roofs undeveloped countryside, woven bamboo huts in the middle of well-swept yard land with coffee, cocoa and drying the beans on mats.
on the other side of the mountain, we descended on a newly constructed road with bridges impassible, huge rocky canyons steep cliffs and across vast stretches of rice fields. The bus was crowded, the members and the boys hung windows, Javanese pop blaring volume burst ear that we headed for Bajawa Highland Capital Ngada Regency.
Welcome to Ngada people, known in Dutch literature as early Rokka, the Malay / mixed Melanesian race settled this fertile plateau around 2245 meters high Mt. Inerie the 17th century.
With great natural beauty on all sides, Flores is the Switzerland of Southeast Asia, one of the most traditional islands of Indonesia, which has many more a distinct Melanesian flavor than its neighboring island of Sumbawa it could be a foreign country.
After a grueling race all day long winding mountain roads, shivering in the dark under sarongs with the cold air pouring in through every crack in the frame, we have been filed in the rain at 10pm on Jl. A. Yani, the main street of Bajawa. The nearest hotel, Korina, was the cheapest in town. Run by three sweet teenage daughters, the rooms were small, hard brick pillows, rats running around the walls, but the place was clean, offered free Wi-Fi and breakfast.
Motorcycle Tours
Although an attraction in itself - clean, relaxing and refreshing with a wide range of accommodations and rumah makan - high altitude Bajawa is mainly used as a base for exploring the surrounding rolling countryside where indigenous animist beliefs still thriving, the volcanic landscape is spectacular and where famous sofi alcoholic beverage is made and the strong coffee earth is grown. Nobody hassles you to buy anything.
There was no problem finding a guide. They found you. As soon as we got out of Korina the next morning, a press friendly but persistent touts, moto ojek pilot-cum-guides, welcomed us offering their services. After some back and forth bickering, we hired two guides told us about a kesao house warming ceremony to be held the next day in the village of Tolelo mountain. We have reached an agreement to Rp.150,000 for one adult and two children on two motorcycles.
Just before the village, we had a shrine to the Virgin Mary then paid our respects to the house of kepala desa (village chief) before strolling around and taking pictures. We signed the guest book and made a small donation. High stubble rows covered bamboo Ngadanese traditional dwellings and ritual houses with doors decorated with maxillary and buffalo horns stood around a central square in sharp stone.
The dancers formed around the vertical pole as ngadhu and Bhaga totemic ancestors stones that were placed between the structures. separate groups of women and children began to dance in a circle with linked arms, turning counterclockwise. In these graceful "round dance", they held a long scarf and danced with shuffling steps, hands and body gyrating while advancing, retreating and circling other dancers quivering.
Then it was the turn of the men, some with painted rawhide shields and helmets tufted with hairs that protect the face as a raised welding helmet. Assuming a warlike attitude, to the accompaniment of whistles, gongs and drums, circling each other like cats. I sat for a while next to the deep beating Florinese orchestra, the best starting point to display the hypnotic, unrehearsed performance in which the whole village participated view.
Now it was the middle of the afternoon. Wanting to return to the city before the night we said goodbye and started on the trail down. Only 30 minutes from the parking Tolelo, we made a stop at a river where all our efforts were awarded a swim in the warm water bubbling from an underwater spring.
Our tour ends in Bena, the most visited of all the old traditional villages of the region, 19 km southeast of Bajawa below Mount Inerie off. This village on three levels, with totemic figures and funeral megalithic structures as in the village square, practice their own brand of animism, as well as cultural and artistic traditions little known outside obscure missionary magazines. After taking photos of several women weaving ikat on their verandas, a boy took me a hill for a breathtaking view of the sea beyond a cascade of green hills
Overview
House: square Ngada Regency total area
population (2010): Bajawa 36082
highest altitude: 1,100 meters
get Bus fare Labuan Bajo Rp.100,000-Rp.150,000. AC bus costs Rp.250,000, 8-12 hours (depending on season). All city hotel can arrange tours and bus tickets
Stay :. Edelweisse is upscale to Rp.0,000-Rp.300,000. Budget Korina Hotel is Rp.150,000. Villa Silverin is simple but pleasant. Bintang Wistata is OK for a night or two. Marselino Homestay is ideal for backpackers. Hotel Happy Happy is a small well run with an excellent breakfast hotel.
Whatever the hotel where you are, get a bucket of hot water, towels and extra thick blankets because it is cold at night!
What Beno, Langa, Bela, Luba, and Wogo Tolelo villages adat traditional houses and megalithic sculptures. Wawo Muda for volcanic lakes.
Service Guide (min. 4 people) Cost of Rp.75,000-150,000 per day, including transport and driver. Tours can be tailored to your priorities and time constraints. The guides are excellent sources of information on harvest festivals, ritual sacrifice, consecration ceremonies, weddings and other family celebrations.
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