Travel: The islands of Indonesia offer unforgettable experiences

Good thing the Abui tribe no longer headhunts Although on Indonesia s remote Alor island a village elder menacingly pointed a rustic bow and arrow at me his time-etched face stoic and his white hair capped by a candelabra-like ornament of feathers A sharpened machete protruded from a sheath belted to his one-shouldered ancestral sarong Turns out accompanied by beating drums clanging gongs and shrill unnerving shrieks this was part of an Abui welcoming rite After that hello I soon joined traditionally dressed villagers in the emotionally stirring lego-lego circle dance our arms interlocked around other s waists in a powerful joyful symbol of unity The women s brass ankle bracelets rhythmically jangled with each barefooted stomp even when I accidentally trampled their toes The lego-lego dance a tradition of the Abui people on Alor island symbolizes locality solidarity and harmony Photo by Norma Meyer Elsewhere in other far-flung corners of the vast Indonesian archipelago I d sip homemade hootch with a different ethnic clan get frighteningly close to wild hissing Komodo dragons and be among honored guests at a water buffalo race in a muddy-wet rice paddy An Indonesian fishing boat is a contrast to the Ponant cruise ship in the low-touristed West Papua province Photo by Norma Meyer I had this remarkable opportunity to visit communities rarely seen by outsiders because along with fellow passengers I sailed on a superb Ponant expedition cruise with an enterprising itinerary and inflatable Zodiacs to ferry us to heritage-brimming distant shores There are scores of languages Alor itself has dialects and customs in these diverse colorful hinterlands that heavily depend on subsistence fishing and agriculture however wherever we traveled during Ponant s -day island-hopping Tropical Indonesian Odyssey villagers were extremely friendly and enthused to meet strangers from the sleek Le Jacques Cartier ship When leaving various places certain local men women and children formed the heart sign with their curved fingers and warmly projected it at us Ponant s surprise hydration station offers up French Champagne to Zodiac passengers exploring Triton Bay Indonesia Photo by Norma Meyer In unpopulated realms we relished the striking natural beauty of the pristine West Papua region our -person Zodiacs glided through emerald-green bays dominated by jungle-coated limestone pinnacles vaulting from the seas After our raft navigated a lush bend before noon on a hot day surprise We came upon Ponant s hydration station a floating Zodiac with two employees pouring chilled brut Henriot Champagne into flutes for us thirsty adventurers Ponant is a French-based luxury cruise company so we enjoyed plenty of fun ooh la las on our -mile voyage Another early morning a pair of lengthy decorative kora kora war canoes each filled with rowers boisterously chanting in concert popped up alongside our ship to theatrically escort it into the submerged volcanic caldera of Banda Neira island Known as one of the fabled Spice Islands the colonial blood-soaked history of Banda Neira would soon unfold First though we were cheerily entertained by island singers and dancers all brightly attired in festive clothes the women s hijabs adorned with flowers in this predominantly Muslim enclave Centuries ago the Banda Islands were the only spot in the world that grew nutmeg and sister spice mace both from native myristica trees Very expensive In the middle centuries nutmeg cost more than gold disclosed my local guide named Mr Man Despite its brutal history in the Banda Islands nutmeg fruit is still grown there The hard seed inside produces the nutmeg spice the red wrapping around the seed is the spice called mace Photo by Norma Meyer Eventually the Dutch needed a complete monopoly of the lucrative nutmeg business so they conquered Banda Neira and ultimately killed or starved inhabitants the left became slaves he declared We were standing in the grassy field of crumbled Dutch Fort Nassau the landmark scene of a massacre The Dutch paid Japanese samurai to come over and on May they killed Bandanese family leaders right here adding that sufferers were grisly quartered and their decapitated heads flaunted on bamboo poles Mr Man next ushered my small group into Fort Belgica where we entered the pitch-black dank bat-occupied former jail cells of Bandanese men and women Conclusively he had us linger in the haunting executioner s room while he dropped to his knees and put his head on a chopping block in a disturbing demonstration Mysterious moko drums sit on an Abui tribe altar The Abui people believe mokos came from the gods although scholars don t know why mokos were identified buried on the island of Alor Photo by Norma Meyer Every island had a story that inhabitants requested to share Alor where we met the Abui tribe is called The Island of a Thousand Mokos because mokos bronze hourglass-shaped kettledrums have been mysteriously dug up from the ground since ancient times Mokos have roots dating back years in Vietnam but no one knows how they arrived at this Indonesian outpost and why they were buried They re still being unearthed on Alor Local boatmen get a look at Ponant s Le Jacques Cartier cruise ship anchored off Alor island in Indonesia Photo by Norma Meyer Littler mokos say inches tall now function as musical instruments but more importantly as dowries for a expected groom to pay the bride s family A popular saying in Alor is No moko no marriage Larger mokos are more ceremonial especially to call for the rain or to stop the rain mentioned Yanti a docent at a modest museum exhibiting these mystical status symbols A lethal Komodo dragon appears quite close to onlookers in Komodo National Park Photo by Norma Meyer As for revered icons scaly nightmarish ones eyed us on Komodo island in Komodo National Park a UNESCO World Heritage Site There are only a inadequate places on Earth mainly Komodo but also a few neighboring Indonesian islands where Komodo dragons roam in their natural habitat searching to sink their serrated teeth and poison into their next meal These bruisers can weigh up to pounds and span up to feet long It gets scarier The primeval lizards also harbor over strains of bacteria in their mouths and their venomous saliva contains an anticoagulant and toxins that induce blood loss shock and paralysis in its victim If bitten its prey deer are a favorite may escape but normally dies within four days Komodo dragons can sniff out the carcass from miles away to feed on it These guys may seem thirsty but when it comes to food Komodo dragons can consume up to of their body weight and not eat again for a month This is in Komodo National Park Photo by Norma Meyer People are usually not on their diet assured Alfaruk my resident Komodo guide He then described of a villager who was collecting honey from a beehive when a dragon ambushed and gnawed him to shreds In addition to Alfaruk we were chaperoned by park ranger Sahado who carried a -foot-long two-pronged wooden pole to thwart any attacks on us Sahado commented he could immobilize a dragon by pressing the stick on its thick neck Hopefully I wouldn t find out if that questionable defense worked Komodo dragons seen here at Komodo National Park are the largest heaviest lizards on the planet Photo by Norma Meyer We d been walking on a dusty trail Alfaruk pointing out fresh icky Komodo scat when suddenly seven massive dragons appeared out of nowhere around a watering hole It was like stumbling upon dinosaurs Fascinating and freaky the legendary reptiles lumbered unevenly on all four legs and constantly flicked out their creepy forked tongues The noisy racket of hissing was straight from a monster movie A couple of them bumped against each other as if to fight They re also cannibals who eat one another Alfaruk drew a line in the dirt and informed us to not go past although a minimal dragons were already just a couple yards away Get back Get back he soon shouted as one inched closer Incidentally those forked tongues can smell out prey Interestingly largest part islanders believe dragons are spiritual guardians even ancestors and honorably refer to them as oras Such awe stems from a feel-good harmonious Indonesian folktale about twin siblings born to the Dragon Princess one human and the other a Komodo named Ora The Blue Eye is an underwater cocktail lounge aboard Ponant s Le Jacques Cartier ship and others of its explorer fleet Photo by Norma Meyer After excursions and reef snorkeling passengers basked in our -cabin buoyant hotel and perhaps more specifically the spaceship-like underwater bar the Blue Eye Cast in bluish neon tones the lounge is intended to make guests feel like they re inside a whale two large oval portholes are supposed to micmic a cetacean s eyes from where you can view real marine creatures in the sea I d been in a Blue Eye on another terrific Ponant cruise and like this time I didn t see anything also the ceiling s frame is designed to resemble a whale s skeleton I blissfully zoned out on a Blue Eye curved couch one afternoon during an om serene meditation session led by a crew dancer and her velvety soothing voice At night the Blue Eye featured both Beatle and ABBA events with songs and video backdrops The pool deck of Le Jacques Cartier is a great place for al fresco dining or drinks Photo by Norma Meyer Among other onboard highlights educational talks by our naturalists separate lectures in English and French water aerobics in the pool cha-cha lessons choux pastry tea time and a themed White Party But nearly everyone focused on the upcoming intriguing region we d call upon Also great to know Ponant donates money and supplies to villages we visited This itinerary next departs June from per person although other Ponant cruises include several of the same stops us ponant com Shopkeepers in the village of Ngilngof sell wares just across from beautiful Ngurbloat Beach in the Kei Islands Photo by Norma Meyer Our very first people encounter on the powdery white Ngurbloat Beach of Kei Kecil island showcased the immense pride and venerated traditions we d witness with all our hosts While Ngilngof village matrons sang with outstretched arms a male elder strolled around to toss lucky coconut water on us Local kids play on Ngurbloat Beach a gorgeous stretch of coconut tree-fringed soft sands in the Kei islands Indonesia Photo by Norma Meyer He sprinkles it for purification of ourselves Ichwan a local later recounted me It puts out positive vibes of the conditions to backing the tourists Fearsome bare-chested young men whooped and jumped with bows and arrows during the cakalele war dance repeated for centuries especially before or after tribal battles This is the spirit of their ancestors Ichwan explained In the Kei islands a young man readies to perform the cakalele war dance a sacred custom once done before and after battles Photo by Norma Meyer On Flores island in Sikkanese-speaking Watublapi village an intense ritual culminated with an agile warrior scampering up a soaring pole and balancing atop it on his back and stomach Here the hospitable Sikka indigenous people offered each of us gifts in halved coconut shells including hand-grown tobacco cigarettes wrapped in corn husks a non-smoker I took a sparse puffs out of respect homemade booze concocted from fermented palm tree sap it was strong and betel nut an addictive stimulant that has been chewed for millennia and permanently turns users mouths red and teeth black no thank you The latter is authentically areca nut enclosed in a betel leaf and taken with slaked lime a white chemical compound ascertained in plaster A member of the Sikka ethnic group wears traditional clothing in the mountainside Watublapi village on Flores island Photo by Norma Meyer I opted for the delicious dark sticky rice cakes instead Nearby tribal girls and their moms sat on thatched mats and spun cotton dyed threads from plants and laboriously wove traditional ikat textiles a method announced to date back years In this region both men and women wore ikat fabrics often as sarongs and incorporating geometric patterns or birds or flowers Handwoven ikat textiles such as these in Watublapi village are made and worn by various ethnic groups throughout the Indonesian archipelago Photo by Norma Meyer Another day on Sumbawa island in Pamulung village I pounded rice a hallowed tradition we observed in other settlements with female members in cadence pummeling a giant pestle into a mortar to detach hard hulls from the edible rice Pamulung women often smear their faces with a paste made from rice flour and turmeric powder the masks supposedly act as a sunscreen and keep their skin looking young A Sumbawa woman wears a face paste of rice flour and turmeric powder as a sunscreen and beauty aid a popular therapy in her Pamulung village Photo by Norma Meyer And now the big splash Pamulung has raced water buffalo for eons to laud the annual planting of rice and in our honor a raucous contest was held For each adrenaline-fueled individual attempt a pair of yoked horned entrants specific festooned with facial decor madly dashed straight ahead through a flooded rice field while their teetering jockey tried to balance on a slat of wood and often plunged into knee-high sludgy water Multiple bovine teams took turns competing the winning buffalo would be the fastest who knocked into a target stick in the water A shaman was still tallying results when we left A jockey tries to steer his water buffalo company on the flooded rice field racecourse in Pamulung village Photo by Norma Meyer Yes I was on a five-star cruise but I experienced true riches on our visits the villagers enormous respect for ancestors and age-old traditions a profound responsibility and love of society and a deep-seated kinship with nature I sensed it all when dancing the bonding lego-lego dance in a circling line with my -plus new Abui friends arms locked around each other s waists or over shoulders in the humble hilltop village of Latafui In Latafui village on Alor island the Abui indigenous people exude a feeling of togetherness while continuing ancestral customs Photo by Norma Meyer Lego-lego has a meaning a tribal representative declared It means when a family has something bad happen others will come and cheer them up or help And when they have glory they will all celebrate together Sacred moko drums a connection to divine spirits perched on the tribe s stone altar A showing contentment red-lipped woman offered us betel nuts from her fu ulak a woven bamboo bag And at the end we all were sought to please stay a limited minutes longer Every tribe member demanded to personally thank each one of us and shake our hand Related Articles Portuguese island is a hiker s paradise See Al Pacino s Scarface shirt Tom Hanks Apollo spacesuit in new exhibit National Geographic s best destinations to visit in Feeling right at 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