Bajawa - Flores - Indonesia

Off to the airport, check-in half an hour before departure and then a 30-minute flight towards 'Bajawa'. The airport is very small and consists only of a small house next to the runway, and the luggage is personally handed over to you. It was located far outside the small mountain town, so I took a taxi directly to Bajawa for another 30 minutes. Upon arrival, I noticed that it is noticeably cooler than in Labuan Bajo if you don't stay directly in the sun. But still pleasant.

The next day, I drove with my guide 'Ryan' and a French-American family with 2 kids in the car first to 'Bella', the first traditional village. I immediately recognized the relaxed atmosphere here. However, this was a very poor village from the lowest caste. The beauty of the village was made up of a rock massif behind the village, including a beautiful waterfall high up halfway. We didn't stay here for too long and immediately made our way to the next village called 'Bena'. It was a relatively large village, but very touristy, clean, and tidy.

Then, after a good hour's drive through the mountains and a final 2-kilometer walk due to a landslide, we arrived at the village 'Bopa' (I think). The local Thanksgiving festival was already in full swing. After a short introduction to all the approximately 150 villagers, I was already considered a friend, almost like a family member. The festival continued with uninterrupted 'Arak' (palm schnapps - 25%), and there was a lot of smoking. They sang and danced throughout the day. At sunset, we went up to a cliff above the village, accompanied by the singing village youth. And there was a fiery red sunset ceremony, simply beautiful and stunning.

Afterwards, we continued drinking until late evening when I looked for my sleeping place in the guide's family's house and immediately fell into a deep sleep.

In the morning, the same game started again with breakfast, Arak was served again. I accepted one out of kindness, but I politely declined any more. After lunch, my guide and I left the village with the motorbike and drove back to Bajawa in about 90 minutes, where I rested for a while.

In the late afternoon, the guide's brother and I drove up to 'Wavo Mudha', a mountain with a small crater lake that apparently changes its colors, which I unfortunately did not see. The walk up there was a bit problematic. It should have been very simple, I should just follow the main road, which I did, but at some point, I had to choose between two paths, and I mistakenly chose the one that didn't lead me to my destination. I happily continued hiking until I became impatient because I had already walked easily for 4 km, while it should have been only 2 km. Luckily, I met a boy who told me that I was already far too far. So I marched back and then chose the right path. When I reached the destination, I realized that the lake was not worth mentioning, but the beautiful landscape enchanted me once again.