191. IN SEARCH OF LIZARDS

This propeller boneshaker took me from Bali to Ende over in Flores Island, a large island comprising several smaller islands, which are isolated, accessible by boats, where the giant monitor lizards call home.

Approaching Ende Airport, the jewel colours and rugged land below promise adventure and experiences I've not yet had...

Control tower in Ende airport - promises of small town things to come...

City of tolerance and harmony it says - there's religious diversity and unity for now - large numbers of local residents are catholics - legacy of a colonial Portuguese past who came for the spice trade, saw there was nothing much else that would bring them untold wealth, colonised the locals' minds with religion and abandoned the place in favour of richer spoils from other islands and neighbouring lands...

Residents are aboriginals who have assimilated into mainstream life, many work in the tourist industry which is the only industry supporting all other smaller industries

I'm fascinated with the very large land mass of Indonesia. I've covered Central Java, East and West Java by road, parts of huge Sumatra on 2 road trips, and now a remote isolated region known as Flores. The diversity in this country is amazing - it's landscapes, it's people, it's flora and fauna. The food too, just slight variation depending on the locations of the towns...

It was a gruelling trip because of the long bus rides and much trekking uphill and down...the sun was merciless - but I covered a lot of ground. It's not a trip I would repeat for I saw plenty, the program was a good one, very diverse landscapes and experiences - the organisers from Nature Inspired were young, thoughtful and considerate of the demographics as we had a young lot, middle-agers and retirees...

I was up at 2am to drive 2 hours to Kelimutu Park, walked/climbed 45 minutes for a spectacular view of 3 caulderas and to welcome Father Sun - why do I subject myself to this torture - it has to be the masochist in me. Light came early, by 4am it was this bright...

the view at the top was worth that cold early morning walk uphill. It wasn't possible to snap all 3 caulderas without a drone but the views will be etched into my mind for a long while...

Colours change as the Sun moves further up the horizon - I could only stare in awe - this is the real 'GOD' in action not the small 'god' created by the manipulations of men and their small minds to suit their narrative...

Sun Worshippers - as Father Sun rises, its brightness obliterates Mother Moon from my view - The Yang and the Yin - the Male and Female energies, the Polarities, the Duality of Creation...

The Motley Bunch

...it says Nuwamuri Koofai Point elevation 1598

I've conquered the Peak! So did many others!

Many sunrise and sunset moments - communing with Mother is peace and calm

No spectacular views without lots of climbing

Here I go again - up! once again I lament, why are all the breathtaking sights up the hills, up the mountains, up the stairs...?? All the more, I need to complete my bucket list pronto...

Lots of volcanos as the land is ringed by 452 dormant and active volcanoes, Indonesia's are among the most active in this Pacific Ring of Fire

Mt. Inerie in Bajawa, a town on higher ground, pleasantly cool in the evenings, made even 'cooler' by the owners of this establishment who catered our meals...

The little restaurant, Ditos, has walls that's woven bamboo strips, the shack lights up at night into a disco! Like!

The proprietor cooks for her restaurant, by night, she sings with this band, in between her numbers, she's running to the kitchen to supervise things! On this evening, our last night in small town Bajawa, this party livened up the street. Their people are good sports, the kitchen crew and my drivers took to the floor, everybody who weren't uptight shook their booty...!

Quaint...Ngada Regency (district), Bajawa

 

Grandma tends to her sweet potato patch, its colour gives the root a purple hue

Their source of income - vanilla pods, coffee, candlenuts, cloves, woven ikats...

His sarong is handwoven in this village where I stopped for local coffee. It has fine intricate multi-coloured designs woven into the fabric

They may be rural island folks but there's nothing backward about them - they're creative and are not afraid to show it - with their dreadlocks - not too common in these parts. Our bus is the largest in Flores, they proudly declare it's fully AC!

His shirt says Star Wars Coffee!!

In this traditional aboriginal village in Bena, at the foot of Mt Inerie, the older people chew on sireh - betelnuts - something I've not come across in a very long while...

As is so often the case, young men leave to seek jobs in towns and big cities, leaving behind their old folks, young wives and children...

This roofing can last 30 years if there's no fire...

Rebuilding and extending the village is taking place to welcome more tourists in the near future. From January 2020, parts of Komodo Island will close for a year, likely for tourist development projects. This traditional aboriginal village below is what's left that's still quite authentic so I'm truly glad I'm visiting now. There were hardly any other foreigners

Bena village with its megalithic stone formations and ancestral shrines is one of my fav spots, as a matter of fact, at every stop there are sights and scenes quite unique to this region, I liked them all...the other village Gurusina, is undergoing some reconstruction work...

Megalithic stone structures surround their ritual and animal sacrificial altars, is where they hold ceremonies for their dead - they are chiefly animists...they respect the Natural World all around, like I do, only I do so without animal sacrifice - for them it's a tribal thing...

Gurusina is the other village, undergoing some rebuilding - seems newish

The Indonesians have a positive attitude towards death - they bury their dead very close to them...in Sulawesi, another isolated large island, their embalmed dead live side by side with their families for months or years till they have enough money to bury them in an elaborate costly ritual in which it's a grand celebration...no matter if they're muslims or catholics - they see the practice as culture and custom, as love for the deceased...I like the way they think...

Mother's creations are always so beautiful - a black beach of lava sediment act as the canvas for multi coloured stones, polished smooth by the waves

Jewel shades of sapphire, turquoise, indigo, aquamarine

Enroute, a stop was made at Malanage hotsprings which was a natural waterfall, not a pool encased in cement. It's hot, warm, cool and cold at different spots...one has to test the temperature by dipping into it...!

The pictures are too numerous and it would be a shame to not share more of them or shorten the storytelling...will split this into 2 posts for as the publicity blurb went, this is an epic adventure from mountain to sea - over different terrains...

My thanks to fellow travellers whose pictures turned out sharper than mine...sigh