LR
Travel Report
Flores, Indonesia ©Susan Campbell
Bali’s Shy Sister
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short flight from Bali is neighboring island Flores, a location just beginning to attract tourism. Unfortunately, due to time constraints (we were only visiting one night) we didn’t get to trek up to the awesome volcanic lakes on top of Mt. Kelimutu that constantly change color, but we did see some pretty cool things. Upon arrival, we immediately set off up an extremely steep mountain road to a special ceremony waiting for us hosted by the island’s native people, the Manggarai. Though this ritual ceremony should really go on for a few days, we were treated to a shorter version. The tribal chief welcomed us into his little village, and we were invited to partake in traditional rituals like drinking some local spirits (which were very strong) and eating some larvae (which I passed on). Then they entertained us royally with their colorful whip fight dance called the “Caci” and some other traditional dances handed down through the centuries. It was a colorful spectacle and the setting, on top of a mountain
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backed by a spectacular sunset, was magical. This island is predominately Catholic, and for some reason a lot of Italians had settled there as well. So it was only apropos that we have some artisanal pizza for dinner instead of Asian food, and it went perfectly with an ice-cold Bintang – the local beer. The reefs there also attract divers from around the world, with some 40 dive sites off Flores’ coast. The opportunity to dive with gigantic manta rays, spot dolphins and whales in the wild is the big lure. Unfortunately we didn’t have the chance to do that either, but we did get a chance to snorkel at beautiful Pink Beach, and it was exciting to see species of colorful fish not found on this side of the globe. We stayed at Bintang Flores Hotel, a fourstar stay in Labuan Bajo. It had a gorgeous water circuit, a wonderful buffet breakfast and a great vibe, but I was disappointed that the sea wasn’t clean enough to swim in. Next up, we were off to chase Komodo dragons. Visit: www.florestourism. com and www.wonderfulindonesia.com SUSAN CAMPBELL Twitter: @suectravel