From Flores we sailed north through several island groups where we encountered our first purely Moslem villages. In Jumpea Mangatti it was with some trepidation we went ashore only to be greeted with the warmth and friendliness we had come to expect. The Moslem villages are better laid out, cleaner with better houses and their children are much better behaved. We rode our bikes along one of the small roads for a few kilometers and were followed by children who took turns to ride the bikes too. Delightful! On our return to the village the head man invited us for tea and cake. Talk about the center of attention!
From here we sailed north to a small island called Pulassi. A couple of fishermen wearing balaclavas came alongside and immediately jumped aboard! Pirates you cry! Nope! They were just paying a friendly visit! Curious about everything. We were planning a BBQ Ausie style on the beach just before they arrived and after much hilarity as we tried to communicate in Bahassa…ours isn’t very good…we established that it was fine for us to go ashore and cook dinner. Quite a small crowd had gathered aboard by then, including a man and his wife and we took them all ashore with us in the inflatable....they were tickled! The BBQ was a huge success, we cooked Kangaroo...this took some explaining…and lamb sausages. After assuring them that there was no pork in them they happily tasted our food and were very approving. They slept in their fishing boat very close by all night and Huck played guitar and we played Pigram Brothers and Yothu Yindi to them much to their delight.
Onward to “Tana Beru” where a huge variety of timber boats are constructed right on the beach. The first thing to strike you as you sail into Indonesia is the number and variety of boats. Almost without exception these are constructed of timber and are often extravagant shapes and colours. Most are built of Teak with Ironwood keels from Kalimantan and called Pinece. These vessels are used extensively for transport and cargo. The design hasn’t changed much since the 15century. These are the same vessels which Makassan traders used to cross to Australia to trade with the Aboriginals.
On the beach there would be 150 boats some up to120ft long, under construction and we were invited aboard some of the largest ones. Many are built for overseas clients and the World Wild Life Fund has 4 under construction there at the moment. We also took a driver and guide and went down to Bieru on the south coast for a run. The country is very stony and not very productive. The main industry is boat building and their timber work is outstanding, a high standard finish being achieved with very limited use of electric tools and some pretty frightening electrical wiring!
“Makassar” conjured up images of minarets in the mist with wild eyed cutlass wielding pirates all steeped in the foggy aroma of a hundred different herbs and spices. Well this image is pretty correct except the pirates are not wielding the cutlass’s only carrying them for ceremonial purposes The Mosques are all shapes and sizes with stainless steel tops slashing the foggy scented air and the call to prayer dominating 5 times a day. Often they are very out of tune but make up for it with their enthusiasm and decibel level. They must have the biggest speakers in the world here!.
The foggy scented air is filled with the smell of gutters, drains, food and smoke. However having said this I must say it is the most delightfully exotic history soaked destination in Indonesia so far. The people yet again are unimaginably friendly. Rickshaw drivers, taxi drivers, bemo drivers, street workers: just everyone can’t do enough to help and they all want to talk to us.
