Ronnie and I both agreed that nothing has changed since we lived here. At the same time, the people have not changed either, and that's a good thing because they are so very friendly! They rarely if ever see Caucasians (except on TV) so they look at us like they are seeing movie stars. ha! Just as we want to take their pictures, they are busy taking ours.
Ronnie wasn't up to a 6-7 hour excursion so instead he took the shuttle into the city to look for a battery for my make up mirror (no luck). What he saw was much worse than what I saw on the tour. He said that people were staring, honking, giving him thumbs up and taking pictures of him as well. Like I said, they just don't see that many Caucasians.
First we were driven to Oebelo Village where we watched the process of making a Sasando instrument out of palm leaves.
Oebelo Village
Thankfully, our bus had AC that worked. The bottom step didn't pull out so it was a long step to the ground. I kind of stabbed myself in the back with the door handle as I was getting off the first time. I'll probably be sore tomorrow, but thankfully no serious damage was done. A few minutes later I got stung by a bee. Sheesh.
It was super hot and everyone was melting as we watched the guy make the musical instrument. The "venue" was outdoors but thankfully covered (photo above).
Next we went to another place where we saw how palm sugar is made. It's cool that they use absolutely every part of this particular palm. The trunk of the tree is used to make furniture. The palm sap from the tree is used to make palm (or brown) sugar and the leaves are used to make these Sasando instruments, baskets, mats and other woven items like the hats they have on in the photos. The liquid is also fermented to make "arak" which is a local beverage.
second stop - palm sugar
The first step is for someone to shimmy up the palm tree and tap the tree for its sweet sap. This can be done every 8-10 hours or so. Next, the liquid is boiled over a wood fire for several hours until it begins to caramelize. The caramelized sugar is then poured into bamboo molds to harden. The taste and texture reminded me of pralines.
From there we were taken to Lasiana Beach to a large and modern structure with a beautiful roof made of bamboo. We were welcomed and later entertained by female dancers and given snacks of fried bananas, palm sugar cakes, cassava "fries" and tea.
On the way back, we stopped at Dekranasda Souvenir Center where a woman was weaving fabric on a floor loom. These "ikats" are woven into intricate patterns and vibrant colors unique to the area's cultural heritage. Indonesians are hard workers and are skilled in many trades. Prices are incredibly low if one is looking to buy items for themselves or for gifts.
Most of all, the Indonesian people are warm and welcoming. I remembered a few words from our time here back in 2012 so I used the phrase "Terima kasih" several times today (it means thank you) and they seemed delighted!
As already mentioned, it is super hot here so one must continually hydrate. We are, after all, very near the equator and we will be crossing it again, perhaps 2 more times. The people who live here don't know cold weather - ever. They have 2 seasons - dry and wet. Again, we are here at the end of the wet season and it was clouding up to rain as we were getting ready to sail.
My favorite photography genre is people and travel. The Indonesian people are especially gracious about letting someone take their picture. Here's some of my people photos from the day.
friends
friends (again) as I'm leaving
It was a long, hot but enjoyable day in Kupang West Timor. Tonight we're off to Komodo. I've seen komodo dragons before so I may opt to stay in the AC tomorrow!
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