Western Sumba Pics

Ferry Ride to Sumba

As soon as we stepped foot onto the boat we were weaving our way between chickens, building materials, and countless boxes with locals piled across the tops of them. A slight panic swept through me as I saw the slender passageway leading up to the ladder. We sidestepped our way through beetle nut chewing hawkers selling snacks with wide stained red smiles. Jess and I climbed up the staircase, hardly able to squeeze through with our bags and surfboards. Once we reached the next floor we were even more apprehensive, there was no space to turn or sit or stand....the smoky room was dark and chaotic. There we families layered out like a double decker sardine can. We went to the next ladder hoping we could pay for a room on the upper deck. No such luck. Immediately after climbing the latter I was told to head back down,which at that moment was impossible, as I tried to explain that there were too many people in my way, out stepped one of our acquaintances who we shared a Bemo (small van) with while leaving Nemberala. Relief swept through me. He helped us communicate with the captain, but there was no way he was going to allow us to rent a room. I thanked our friend and made light hearted jokes about the adventure in which we were about to embark, and what a story it would be once finished.

Back down the stairs we went into the unfamiliar life so normal to the Indonesian people. Every inch of the room was claimed as someone's sleeping or storage area. Once again we felt lost and on the edge of hopeless (where were we going to rest during this two day boat ride?). A small voice asked "can I help you?" I turned to her...."yes! please!" And so it was, we made a new friend of whom we could not have been more grateful for. Her name was Washtea. She gave us an area to put our bags and to sit. She told us about her ministry preaching and teaching at a Christian church turned into a high school for students on the Island of Savu (our 1st stop). She told us of her love for Jesus, and affirmed His faithfulness. I really enjoyed visiting with her. At only 26 years old she looked 19, but all 25 of her students (14-17 yrs. old) call her Mother. She was a blessing to us, a true hero of our trip.

That first night was intense in every way. Hundreds of people were laying all around us, there were movies and Indonesian love songs blaring all night from a speaker five feet away from where we lay. The smell of clove cigarettes wafted over us, and the constant rise and fall of the ship was only avoided when we got an hour or two of precious sleep. The ocean was a deep cobalt blue almost black, and the moon illuminated the the wake of the boat to a brilliant ivory. Jesse spent about five hours leaning over the rail of the ship watching the sea, nauseous. Another passenger didn't make it to the rail and vomited all over one our bags. Every time I woke up I was struck, "is this really happening, are we seriously on this boat?" To fall asleep I would talk to the Lord, making a game of complementing His goodness until I could sleep again. I can't imagine what it was like on the bottom deck. Around 3:00 am, the roosters started to crow, undeterred by the change of scenery. At 4:00 am we reached Savu, our first stop, and said goodbye to Washtea, then watched the sunrise. The second half of our trip was actually enjoyable. It is strange being so far out to sea. There is nothing in any direction but the sapphire ocean. that night I watched the moon rise and looked out at the southern cross. We arrived in Sumba at 1am after 36 long hours. By 3 we were asleep in a bed on dry land in Sumba.

We decide to do a little bit of sight seeing the first week and a half that we are here. Today we took a bus to western Sumba. This island has the least western influence of Nusa Tenggara and the strongest tribal culture. It is famous for it's horse breeding, ikat weaving, megalithic tombs, and sacrficial burials.

Everywhere you go in Indonesia, there is always someone yelling (or blurting) out "hello mister!!". Or "where are you going mister!!" But then, when you look at them or reply in any way, the kids especially, run away giggling. It is very different here to say the least. That is all for now. Love to all Jessica

Rote Photos

Rote Island, Indonesia

Jesse and I are in a region of Indonesia called Nusa Tenggara. Our first stop was the Island of Rote, just off the coast of Western Timor. Our destination was the small village of Nemberala. Known to be home to one of the best surf breaks in Eastern Indonesia.
Our accomidation for 12 days was a homestay owned by Mr. Thomas, and his wife Mama. They had several members of the family working for them who did all of the cooking for breaky, lunch, and dinner. Which was always fried fish, veggies, ramen noodles, salsa, and of course rice. Breakfast was coffee and freshly baked banana, or white bread, accompanied by homemade donuts which was difinitly a treat. It was great to stay with other travelers. We enjoyed friendship and fellowship with many of them.
To get to the beach we only had to walk three minutes down a path passing the local well, where women were always filling their buckets, and through a gem of a palm grove. We never knew what kind of animals we would pass. Sometimes goats, pigs, chickens, or dogs, sometimes giant cows that look like big bambis, and sometimes slightly built horses. We could always count on the smell of burning leaves or branches, or smoke from a smoldering garbage pile to accompany us on the short trip to the waters edge. The view from the beach showed the life of many on the villagers. We would see boats drifting in or out from a fishing trip, or from dropping a surfer off at the break. There were women and men walking out across the reef collecting seaweed from the steaked farms. The beach would never fail to have a few families of pigs running across it, eating seaweed off of the shore, or rooting in the sand. There was always activity, and every night families would walk down and enjoy the sunset together before eating their evening meals
It took twenty minutes to walk across the reef (littered with wooden stakes for seaweed harvesting) out to the surf break called T-Land. It is a long fun wave breaking to the left. Overall it was great surfing there. Life here was slow paced, but interesting. Three of the guests at Mr. Thomas' were from Australia there working with the local government to help with education One day we went on a trip with them and about thirteen of the village boys to an underground cave to go swimming. We had flashlights to explore and goggles and squirt guns for entertainment. Another of the teachers, Libby, who has studied weaving for years, originally came to the island to learn more. She took us to her weaving teachers house where we were able to ask questions and observe the beautifully woven ikats. She is one of the three remaining weavers in the village and is 76 years old and is still using natural dyes and the traditional patterns native to Rote Island.
It took a little while to adapt to Nemberala, but once we created friendships with our fellow travelers everything settled into place. Jesse drank the well water, it had a thick taste of hickory smoke. I resorted to bottled water. Two days before we left Jesse was having one of his best sessions surfing. On the last wave the fin of his board hit his shin. I gave him ten stiches and he is healing well.
The day after this happened an guy stopped by who looked vaguely familiar. He recognized us first. We met this him (Chris) during a camping trip to the east cape of Baja over four years ago. We were just out of tech school and I had sewed up a man's forehead who was hit by his board. Chris had a picture of me doing this on his i-pod! We couldn't believe it, after all those years we met again on another continent.
We decide to leave the day after Jess hurt his shin. He could not surf and it made sense to travel to our next destination and where that was we had no idea. We started by leaving the island on the five hour ferry. We were planning on going to Bali but then changed directions to Sumba. All of the flights were booked due to the Islamic holiday Ramadan. From there we decided to take a boat. We had no idea what we were in for. But that is for the next blog. Love Jessica

The In-Between Post

Hello family and friends! We have been on the remote Islands of Rote, and Sumba. There has been no wireless!! I have so many pictures that I would like put up but they will have to wait until we reach Bali (two more weeks!). Jess and I are doing well. We are enjoying the experiences that we have been having some are fun and some inspire growth.
We will be in Bali for one week then are going up to Western Kalimantan (Borneo) where we will be guests of a missionary run hospital with a busy surgery department. We are both excited about this new opportunity! Well I will fill in all of the details as soon as I can. Love to all! Jessica