Lamalera and Maumere
From Lewoleba it was a hellish, four-hour truck ride to Lamalera. Sperm whales are still hunted here the traditional way, with rowboats and hand-thrown harpoons. It was not the principal whaling season, so all we could do was admire the fine “adat” boats that are still in use, each one built and decorated differently. In a small chapel on the beach stands a statue of a bearded Christian saint, staring out to sea with a book in one hand and a harpoon in the other.
 |
 |
Racks of stingray meat, their strong smell wafting on the breeze, hung drying in the fierce sunlight. The village and beachfront were littered with giant, bleached whale vertebrae and jaws. We listened constantly for the cry of “baleo!” (whale) but nothing was sighted in the days we were there. Indonesians have a strange concept of time. We asked around town, using the best of our two solid months of fluent Indonesian, to find out when the last whale had been taken. Each person gave us a different answer. Nobody seemed to know, or care.
 |
 |
Our first two months in Indonesia were coming to an end. We returned to Maumere to spend a few days relaxing at Ankermie's, a beach resort, enjoying their spacious bungalows and good food. We flew back to Surabaya and then onwards to Kuala Lumpur to visit Singapore for some rest and relaxation with friends.
We knew we would return immediately to Indonesia for another two months.
 |
Prev: Lembata