Flores on my mind
The final destination of this voyage was initially the Island of Sumba.
After touring East Sumba for a week, I crossed over to the island who's name means FLOWER
The Island of FLORES* has a « je ne sais quoi » that touched me profoundly.
* Flores: Flowery, Soft. Flores coffee is tasty, not sour. Roads for race drivers who love to change gears constantly.
Its people, shy. Religion, mostly Protestant and Catholic.
After touring East Sumba for a week, I crossed over to the island who's name means FLOWER
The Island of FLORES* has a « je ne sais quoi » that touched me profoundly.
* Flores: Flowery, Soft. Flores coffee is tasty, not sour. Roads for race drivers who love to change gears constantly.
Its people, shy. Religion, mostly Protestant and Catholic.
Flores curves and beautiful scenery. What more does a rider wish for.
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Riding a motorbike brings a smile to my face
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Here’s what Lonely planet says about Flores : « |
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Churches, a great place to meditate and rest
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Posing in front of traditional church
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Day 27 (from my travel notes)
Resting at Lucas lodge in Bajawa & visit to Bena village. Headache and jaw ache for five days now. Working on the new chapter of site. Had a great visit at a traditional village named BENA. Yes at every house they sell sarongs and the owners try to get money from the tourist selling their wares, but the village is so beautiful. I am so happy to have stayed one more day to visit this traditional village. |
Carl and Frisky, the son of the owner of Lucas Lodge.
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Entrance of traditional house
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The Flores I wanted to see
Bena
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Ominous bird
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After Returning From Bena Village I Stopped At A Flores Burial Ground That Reminded Me So Much Of Portuguese Cemeteries;
with its Catholic images inlaid in the headstones. There I cried: Why do we hurt one another? We all end up eating the flowers by their roots.
Day 29 / Slowly making my way back to Java
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The 140km road from Ruteng to Labuan Bajo was one of the most challenging roads I rode on during this trip.
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Ruteng to Labuan Bajo. 140 km. 6 hours.
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Lonely Planet: «The 670km serpentine, yet rapidly improving, Trans-Flores Hwy skirts knife-edge ridges that sheer into spectacular river canyons, brushes by dozens of traditional villages, and always seems to have a perfectly conical volcano in view. Roads of varying quality branch off into areas few tourists have explored.»
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Many bends, sharp curves going down or up, hairpin turns. One thing I noticed was that the gravitational force plays a lot of importance in the curves that go down hill. |
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Days 31 and 32
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Hanging around Labuan Bajo before heading West to Java. |
About Flores and Sumba
Both Flores and Sumba are my "dessert" Islands.
SWEET AS .....
Both Islands brought me solace and peace.
I often wondered if the mixture of animism and Cristian religion creates an aura of well being for the travellor.
On photography
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During this voyage, I took many photographs and practised the art of being aware. The words of John Ruskin come to mind. He who wrote this about art :
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... the twin purposes of art is to make sense of pain and to fathom the sources of beauty. |
more to come... |
I plan to return to Sumba in February 2018 for the ceremony of Pasola; where two teams of men on horses throw wooded spears at each other.
At Easter 2018, I plan to go to Larantuka, East Flores where the people re-enact the crucifixion of Christ. |
THE NEVER ENDING ADVENTURE OF THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH TRAVEL LOG.
I am still itching to see what is on the other side of that curve or hill or river or mountain or ....
I am still itching to see what is on the other side of that curve or hill or river or mountain or ....
Seven year itch Voyage STATISTICS
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 Photo of Carl by Prem Byron
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