Flores Island and Ambon Island, Indonesia

From Komodo Island, we sailed east on our way to Flores, another Indonesian island.  After leaving Komodo our route took us along the coastlines of several islands.  In the afternoon we sat on our balcony for several hours totally mesmerized by the beauty passing in front of us.  We were also entertained by small dolphins jumping completely out of the water in the wake of our ship.

Unlike Bali and Komodo Island, Flores is a long, large island.  We arrived in the port city of Larantuka which is on the northeast end of Flores.  We tendered in to explore the area on our own.  Well, it was  a culture shock after bustling Bali.  Larantuka is a small, third world town with little infrastructure for tourism.  We squeezed into a shuttle bus (actually, a van with no air conditioning) for a short ride from the ship to the marketplace.  One look at the marketplace and several passengers elected to stay on the bus and return to the ship, but we decided to explore the area.  The crowded, rustic market was busy.  The locals do not speak English, but were very friendly and the children were delightful.  The children would say "Hey Mister" and loved it when we said hello back to them bursting out with giggles.  At one point, we passed a vendor that had some island music playing and Brian did a little dance as we walked by.  The kids all flocked to us to join in, then followed us down the aisle.  They were so cute.  We then decided to walk back to the ship to experience the town rather than take the shuttle back.  Again, it was very third world with small shacks along the way, open garbage areas and even some goats wandering along the way.  However, all the way along, the locals said hello to us and the children called out "Hey Mister" and broke out with smiles and giggles with just a simple acknowledgment from us.  When we returned to the ship, we questioned why Seabourn, a "luxury" cruise line, chose to stop at such a remote, rustic location.  Upon reflection, we realized that this "developing port" may some day turn into a regular tourist stop, but fortunately for us, it is "real world" Indonesia for now.  We are grateful for our very rich experience here today.


Arriving at Larantuka, Flores Island

Town of Larantuka on Flores Island

 

Main Road in Laratuka -  Notice the Goat

Walking Through the Town of Larantuka

 

 Local Ferry Boat - Safety Equipment???? 

Our final stop in Indonesia was the island of Ambon.  As we were preparing to go ashore for the day we heard music coming from the port.  To the surprise of everyone on the ship, including the Captain, hundreds of people turned out to greet the ship.  A huge welcoming party, including members of the military, greeted us.  The mayor of Ambon Town and the governor of the province were there and made speeches and presented the Captain with keys to the town and other commemorative gifts.  Local dancers performed for us.  It was an amazing sight.  All the passengers enjoyed the welcoming ceremony from above the port plaza aboard the ship.  Once we disembarked, as we walked through the port, many of the locals came up to us and other passengers to have their pictures made with us on their cameras.  A family would have their kids stand with us and take a picture of us passengers with the kids, then the father would stand with us for a photo, then the mother would join us to for a photo.  We felt like Brad and Angelina!  Apparently, we were the first cruise ship to come to Ambon in several years so it was a big deal to this town.  This incredible warm greeting thrilled us all.  A funny thing occurred during our arrival.  One of the songs the residents greeted us with was a recorded version of  Blue Suede Shoes by Elvis. 

We spent the day exploring the town, including 2 beautiful mosques, a town park, a peace memorial and a shopping area.  Everyone really appreciated the wonderful greeting and send off at the end of day.  The send off was truly amazing.  Along with the dancing there was live music including a rendition of the song Delilah, the old Tom Jones song.  The passengers did not know whether to laugh or cry, but we all sang along.  It was a memorable moment.

A Beautiful Welcome to Ambon

  

The Governor of the Province and the Mayor of

Ambon Town Welcome our Captain with Speeches and Gifts

 

Street view of Ambon

 

Beautiful Mosque in Ambon

 

Beautiful Mosque in Ambon

 

Peace Gong in Ambon

 

Ambon Plaza, the local shopping mall

 

Singers serenading us at Port Ambon

 

Big crowd at Port Ambon to

 send us off at the end of the day



 

The cultural diversity of Indonesia is interesting.  While the country, as a whole, is predominantly Muslim, Bali is predominantly Hindu-Dharma, Flores is predominantly Catholic and Ambon is predominantly Muslim.  We saw the ornate temples in Bali, the presence of Christian churches in Larantuka, Flores and the beautiful mosques in Ambon.  These friendly, welcoming people from various cultural backgrounds seem to live in peaceful harmony here in these scattered islands - what a beautiful thing for us to witness in our travels.

 

Now, on to Malaysian Borneo for our next stop!