Thursday 16 August 2012

Lewoleba Tour

Hi everyone,
On Wednesday we went on a tour from Lewoleba to the whaling village of Lamalera on the south coast of Lembata Island.  It was a long drive over very rough roads but was interesting.  Always fun to see the hinterland rather than only the coast.

The scenery along the way was spectacular, and the variety of vegetation remarkable.  We saw coffee, cocoa, rice, tapioca, breadfruit, yams, beans, tomatoes, cashews and other crops.  We also saw teak and kapok trees.  The landscape varied from rainforest to dry, scrubby country.

Approaching the south coast
From the hills we drove down to the town.  Lamalera is a traditional village which continues to hunt whales using traditional methods.

Curing the whale meat
Lots of whale meat!
Whaler
The village foreshore
From the village we went to the guide's family home where we had lunch.  The guide's father prepared coconuts for us all and her mother was busy weaving ikat.

Ikat weaving
The tour was character-building due to the long drive over very poor roads.  It's a pity the organisers didn't provide snacks and water, and toilet stops, along the way.  With a little better organisation it could be much less trying.  We enjoyed the day nonetheless.

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