Time Stands Still on the “Island of Flowers”

Kompas/Agus Susanto

Tourists enjoy the panoramic view of Bajawa from Ngada regency, East Nusa Tenggara, Friday (4/8). Bajawa is a transit stop for tourists traveling in Flores.

Leandro van Hoop sighed as he arrived at Hotel Korina. He had gone to three other hotels in Bajawa, Ngada regency, East Nusa Tenggara, that Friday (4/8/2017) afternoon. Unfortunately for him, all accommodation in the remote district on Flores Island had been fully booked by foreign travelers.

At Hotel Korina, Leandro finally found a triple room available. He immediately booked and paid for it. “We tried booking a room through websites, but nothing was available. That is why we are going from hotel to hotel to find a room,” he said in English with a Spanish accent.

Despite its remote location in the middle of Flores Island, Bajawa is popular among travelers. The capital of Ngada regency is especially popular among foreigners. “They come to Bajawa for the mountain, the culture and the coffee,” said Michael Tallo, a local tour guide that has accompanied countless foreign travelers in the region for the past 12 years.

For 22 years, Ngada has been a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. It was listed in 1995 and ever since, it has become renowned as a cultural tourism destination. The ruins of megalithic culture as well as traditional houses and ceremonies are among the sights to see in Ngada.

Michael, who was guiding 18 Dutch travelers in early August, said that travelers came to Bajawa to hike the local mountains. Mt. Inie Rie is the location of the main nature trail and travelers often leave their hotels at dawn to hike it.

Ngada is the complete opposite of the image of Flores held by people who have never been to the island. Many people think that Flores is a desolate land with only vast savannas and hot winds. This is true only if you visit Maumere in Sikka regency or Padar island in West Manggarai regency.

However, the image is completely wrong for Ngada, Manggarai or Ende. These regencies in central Flores are green and located in the highlands. Kelimutu in Ende is the best example of the lush and cool Flores highlands.

Complete package

For Michael and other tour guides, guiding travelers in Flores is like offering them the whole package. It is common for travel agencies in Flores to offer tour packages from the mountaintops all the way down to under the seas. All of these locales are reachable within a five-hour drive.

After diving in Maumere, travelers can shiver in the cool air of Moni on the foothills of Kelimutu. For a bit of warmth afterwards, travelers can go on a two-hour drive to Ende and enjoy the sea breeze along Flores’s southern shores.

However, do not pack your warm clothes in the bottom of your suitcases. Prepare your jackets and blankets, as you can relax in the cool mountain air of Bajawa only two hours from Ende.

Entering Bajawa means preparing to taste one of the world’s most aromatic coffees, the Bajawa coffee. At Bajawa’s markets are a number of kiosks whose sellers greet incoming travelers. They have only one question: Coffee?

The sellers are asking if you want to buy ground coffee. Those who believe that real coffee must be ground by hand instead of bought in pre-ground sachets will not be interested in the offer. Instead, they will visit the local farmers group to purchase homegrown coffee beans.

Meanwhile, travelers wishing to enjoy brewed coffee can visit one of the roadside stalls. The coffee stalls in Bajawa may not be as numerous as their counterparts in Belitung or Banda Aceh, where stall after coffee stall can be seen lining both sides of the street.

However, you can find still other sources of coffee in Bajawa. For a more authentic experience, just visit one of the locals at their homes. They will be happy to offer you coffee, freshly brewed, when you visit.

The past

One surely visits Flores for more than just the coffee. At the island’s western tip is a faunal relic from millions of years ago: the Komodo dragon. The reptile, called ora in the local tongue, has lived on the islands off Flores’s western shore since dinosaurs walked the earth. From the time the last Stegodon died to modern times when elephants were put in zoos for fear of their extinction, the Komodo has freely roamed the small islands near Flores.

The Stegodon and its descendant, the elephant, have left their mark on the culture of Flores. The people of the island still prefer ivory for their dowries, even though nobody on Flores actually recalls when an elephant was last seen on the island. Neither do they know when the ivory dowry tradition began.

Ivory and ora are just two relics of the distant past you can find on Flores. The traditional villages in Wae Rebo, Gurusina and Bena also count among the preserved relics of the past. There, travelers can view the traditional homes of the ancient tribes of Flores. In some of the villages, you can also see stone remains of the megalithic era.

From the more recent ages, there are building more than 100 years old, some of which are still being used for their original purpose today. On the outskirts of Bajawa, there is a seminary school that has provided theological studies since the early 20th century.

In Sikka is a church constructed during the Portuguese colonization that is still active today. The buildings are preserved and still in use in Flores, which the Portuguese called the “Island of Flowers”.

The natural panorama, the coffee, the traditional houses, the Komodo and the colonial-era buildings make up part of the complete tour package for Flores. The local charms seem to make time stand still on the “Island of Flowers”.