Larantuka

The people of Flores are very outgoing and friendly. Their bemos are brightly painted with murals on the sides and their radios blast the latest tunes. Larantuka is a pleasant little village on the east end of the island. Catholic churches line the roads with a few mosques sprinkled in. There is a harbor in town and another one a few kilometers away where the ferry boat leaves to Kupang in West Timor. Boats traveling to Alor leave from the wharf in town. The tuna boats at the docks have a big square platform on the bow where fishermen line up with bamboo poles line up flipping hooked tunas on board. There are 6 to 8 water jets that spray a steady stream of water on the surface to attract the tunas and then bait fish are tossed in to drive the tunas into a feeding frenzy. These are not the big yellow or bluefin tunas but the smaller ones about 2 feet in length. They are often sold by roadside vendors along the road from Maumere. I had taken the bus from Ende to Larantuka because I had been told that there was a possibility of getting a boat from Ende to Kupang. My Indonesian visa was running out of time and there didn't seem  to be any boats scheduled to Kupang in the near future. One of the old men at my losman in Ende assured me that Larantuka would have a boat for sure but no one was sure what day it left. Sometimes it is hard to get information about boat schedules in Indonesia because things are not too organized. There are other variables like the weather that postpone scheduled trips. Often the vendors selling bananas and water at the docks have a pretty good idea when the boat sails. Everything is within walking distance except for the pier where the boats leave for Timor (4-5 km from town). Even that is a pleasant walk if you do it early enough before it gets too hot. There are some New Orleans style cemeteries along the beach on the way. They are well maintained and very colorful. These people put a lot of work into them. Their homes are brightly colored and well kept as well. It makes me wonder if it is a Portuguese trait or the Catholic influence or what, but this town is exceptionally clean and orderly and the people seem to put a lot of effort in keeping things looking good. If you get into town by bus the driver will drop you off at your hotel or the pier. They stop at the terminal a ways out of town and you can take a bemo for 5000 rupiah but it is not necessary as the bus driver is heading into Larantuka anyways. The bemo drivers might try to convince you otherwise but why waste the money. There is one losman near the pier but the best place to stay is the Hotel Rulies. I didn't see any foreigners the few days I was there but the hotel gets quite a few of the local businessmen that are traveling through. This is a nice clean well organized hotel right across from the sea. It is a peaceful relaxing place where you can catch up on your laundry and rest up from long bus rides etc. At night there are a group of warungs set up on the other side of the road with a good selection of Indonesian food. I didn't eat at any restaurants but there might be some downtown. If you travel by bus it will stop along the way at various fruit stands. The oranges there have green peels and don't appear to be ripe but they are and are very sweet and delicious. 2006 www.dutchpickle.com

 

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