The Eastern Islands of Indonesia

You can travel from Bali to the Eastern islands of indonesia. There are more than 300 ethnic groups. A losmen is a cheap hotel in indonesia. MOtorcycles are a good way to get around and can cost about six dollars a day. To get to the eastern islands leave from the balinese port of padangbai. The cost is only a few dollars for the six and a half hour crossing. Ferries and boats are the best way to explore this part of the world. The onboard entertainment consists of dangdut karaoke. Lombok has mount rinjani. Along the west coast the beaches are preserved for tourists.

the sasak tribe have stick fighting. Dukuns put spells on the sticks to prevent injury. Many villages have banned stick fighting because of the injuries it causes. Betel nut is a mild stimulant that causes teeth to fall out and can cause mouth cancer. Horse drawn carriages are a common way to get around in Lombok. Some villages make hand thrown pots. The women make them and the men fire them. At some villages you might come upon a travelling movie show. It will be a silat or martial arts film for sure about love and magic and fighting. Comedy is a big hit of course.

You can take a trek up mount rinjani to the volcano. It takes a full day to reach the rim of the crater lake. But be prepared for a hell trek. Clouds can come in above the mountain and cause strange weather patterns. The guides will use their earnings to buy rice for their family. So do not begrudge them a bonus.

A gentle boat ride to Komodo is the next stop on the agenda. Tourists come to see the komodo dragon. The komodo is the largest lizard in the world. They are fed a goat to be a spectacle for the tourists. Komodo dragons have been known to eat children.

Flores is a peaceful boat ride. Huge colonies of bats wing their way into the night. Flores is a large island and the beaches on the west coast are peaceful and tranquil. You will need a mosquito net. Facilities are spartan of course and you will use a mandi to bathe and wash your clothes in a buckets. Use the mosquito coils at night when you go to sleep.

The people of Flores have lots of ceremonies such as the rites of passage for the young man. The dancers have bells and sitcks to have pretend fights. and big ceremonial bows. Stick fighting is still practiced there. Take a bus into the interior to a suza village where they have a cermony to put up the roof. They drink palm rice. They sacrifice a horse to bless the house with its blood. A pig is killed for the feast. It is a special occasion that the villagers will have meat.

Maumere is the capital of Flores. You can live for a few dollars a day. The street warungs provide snacks such as sate as usual. Kelimutu is a volcano with a crater lake. Flores people believe that the souls of deceased go into the lakes.

The Banda Islands are the spice islands of nutmeg, cloves, and mace. There is a rich and varied marine life. Go fishing and catch a barracuda. Fresh fish is a delight any where in the world. Cinamon is also grown there. and the dutch and british fought to the death for the spices. The war canoes used to carry a cannon and they would fight the dutch. The kora kora races involve village pride and respect. Gunung Api is a volcanic Island in the Banda Islands that is still active.

Ambon is a bustling city. The fish markets are full of life. Ambon is the capital of the spice islands and home to the bugis people whose ancestors were pirates. Travelling by air in Indonesia is cheap. there are hundreds of different routes connecting most of the islands of the indonesian archipelago.

Kupang is the capital of WEst Timor. they have the wildest bemos in all of indonesia. They are noisty and colourful. Kupang is a jumping off place for Australia. Put to sea from Kupang to Roti in deck class can be hot and stifling. roti island is the furthest south you can go in Indonesia. It is almost unknown except to die hard Australian Surfers.

.