Our trip to Indonesia was sparked by an interest in the island of Sumba which is a relatively unspoiled and quiet island. However, to get to Sumba by air, there is little choice except to go via Bali. Bali is a heavily touristed and busy island, and not somewhere that we really wanted to visit. However, our travel agent convinced us that we should take a look at Bali and we were pleasantly surprised. However Sumba was everything that we hoped that it would be. Whilst the wildlife was very difficult to find, the scenery and cultural aspects more than made up for that. Consequently, far fewer shots of birds and animals follow than may normally be expected.
The map below shows the northwest of Australia in relation to the Indonesian islands that we visited. We stayed in both Bali and Sumba and just transited through Lombok on the way to Sumba
We flew from Melbourne to Denpasar and then had a driver to take us to Ubud which is a busy touristy town north of Denpasar. The hotel that Audrie, our travel agent, had selected for us was, thankfully, a couple of kilometers outside Ubud amidst rice paddies and was delightfully quiet.
Ubud on Bali
Our hotel in Ubud, was rather nice. See below.
Wapa di Ume, Ubud
At the hotel, we were treated to a Balinese dance demonstration.
We also visited the Monkey Forest
Also the Jatiluwih Rice Terraces
And the Mengwi water temple, more properly known as Pura Taman Ayun
Pura Tanah Lot at sunset was rather beautiful.
In Ubud itself we visited the Pura Taman Saraswati water palace before finding our happy place at craft beer bar on the outskirts, see below.
Sumba
As previously mentioned, Sumba was the real target of our trip. It did not disappoint.
Our first port of call was Kandora villas, on the eastern side of the island. It was delightful. Extremely quiet and for much of the time, we had our own private resort.
Kandora Villas
One of the features of the eastern end of Sumba is the rolling hills. We visited 3 separate spots in the hills. See below.
Hiliwuku Hills, Sumba
Savana Merdeka Hills, Sumba
Palindi Piarakuku Hills, Sumba
Sumbanese Horses
In Sumbanese culture, horses are very important. They are used to pay the dowry for marriage and also for the amazing sport/ritual of the Pasola Festival. It is not for the faint hearted. See here. We were there at the wrong time to witness the event but we did see the horse running wild over the hills.
Walakiri Beach
The reason that we wanted to go to Sumba was because a photo of Walakiri beach popped up on Rob’s computer desktop one day. Fascinated, we visited Audrie, our travel agent and said, “we would like to go there, pointing at the photo”. Audrie had not had anyone want to go to Sumba before, but she made it happen. Thanks Audrie. We got to the beach just in time to see a storm front, very slowly cross in front of the sun which created these amazing photos.
Cap Karoso
After Kandora we travelled on a 6 hour drive to the other end of the island to a place called Cap Karoso. This is a much larger resort than Kandora but still very nice. Upon arrival we were informed that there was special art exhibition dinner taking place that night in which the chef would create a meal inspired by the art of the two New Zealand resident artists, known as Flox and Sweats, who were to head back to New Zealand the next day. So we decided to go. We were surrounded by the works of art and even the place mats had been hand cut by one of the artists. A most memorable occasion.
Cap Karoso
A few photos of Cap Karoso, Sumba
Two waterfalls on Sumba
Whilst at Cap Karoso, we hiked to two of the most spectacular waterfalls that either of us had ever seen. The photos in no way do them justice. The staff at Cap Karoso gave us this information. “For the more adventurous, and not for the faint hearted, a 1hr 30min demanding trek led by local guides takes you past Lapopu and on to Matayangu Waterfall, otherwise known as the Blue Waterfall. Reward yourself by soaking up the spectacular location, that only few visit. When ready, head back to Lapopu Waterfall for a gourmet picnic.” They were not kidding. It actually took us 2hr 30min to get there and a similar time back. The terrain was extremely demanding with steep ascents and descents over ground competely covered in tree roots. It would have challenged us 30 years ago, but the overnight rain made it really treacherous for two wrinklies. So much so that the authorities closed the National park whilst we were en-route. Nevertheless, we made it without injury despite several falls by both of us. The reward was worth it with two spectacular waterfalls to ourselves and our two fabulous guides Alvin and Davip. It is fair to say that we would never have made it without them. Thank you chaps.
After that crazy hike, Alvin was still game to take us to Ratenggaro traditional village on the following day. The people that live here make some money out of tourism, but they are mostly farmers and fishermen. As you can see from the photos, the location of their village is in a staggeringly beautiful location. The local people practice the religion of Marapu which is the traditional belief system of the Sumbanese people. It blends animism, ancestor worship, and a 3 part balance between humans, nature, and the gods. People are buried very close to where they lived, usually very close to the house. There are many tombs in the village as can be seen in the aerial shots that follow. The spirits live in the tall roofs of the houses and the symbols at the top represent mother and father. Another exceptionally important aspect of Marapu is the festival of Pasola, a kind of ritual bloodsport on horseback where two villages engage in a ritual combat that regularly involves serious injury, see here. The final picture in the following gallery shows a tomb of a renowned Pasola participant.
Ratenggaro traditional village
Mandorak Beach, Sumba
Following the delightful cultural experience of Ratenggaro traditional village, we travelled to the spectacular Mandorak Beach and arrived at high tide to see fantastic crashing waves.
Waikuri Lagoon, Sumba
Waikuri Lagoon is a lagoon connected to the ocean but through a rock wall thereby creating tranquil waters that are connected to ocean. Some of the photos below show the ocean side and some the lagoon side.
Wapa di Ume, Sideman, Bali
Our final port of call was back to Bali at another Wapa di Ume but this time in Sideman which is a much smaller and quieter place than Ubud. See photos below
Around Sideman
Traditional Balinese life can still be found around Sideman. As you can see below, all the harvesting of the rice is done manually and Sarongs are made completely by hand using traditional weaving and colouring methods.
Volcanoes
As you can see from the map below, there are two major volcanoes close to Sideman, Batur and Agung. We really wanted to see both and our fantastic guide, Hardi from Wapa di Ume, obliged by taking us to Batur on one day and then to Agung on the next day when the weather was much clearer.
Mount Batur
Batur is much lower than Agung, the magma chamber having collapsed some 29000 years ago leaving a huge caldera with a young cone rising in the centre. The weather on the day that we visited was heavy cloud and rain but it did not dampen the experience and yielded some rather dramatic photos. We also visted a temple on lake Batur, Pura Segara Ulun Danu Batur.
Mount Agung
Agung is a classic cone shaped volcano which is very much active. It rises to over 3000m and needs clear weather to be seen. Thanks to Hardi, our guide, we were able to see the amazing mountain on our second volcano day. The photos do not do it justice.
And that concluded our holiday. Back to Kalorama on the overnight flight.
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