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.