Project Sperm

Asia » Indonesia » Timor
October 7th 2010

Published: October 7th 2010

Project Sperm Eric and I went down to the harbor in Larantuka for the 8 o'clock ferry to embark on what in my head had been called "Project Sperm" for quite a while. I think it was in Yogyakarta that one of us had been leafing through Lonely Planet and had stumbled on our destination and said "We have to go there". That we were now finally on our way there felt absolutely fantastic. The ferry wa... Read Full Entry

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Jens Busse

JensBusse

I will use this blog to keep you all posted about where I am and what I am doing. I will do my best to update it frequently and post some of my best photos and entertaining stories. But I will also use it to post some quite self-centered musings about myself and the world (see below), but if that sounds OK to you, then subscribe to the blog (There is button on the right for this). ... full info

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Harpoon rack

The rack holding the bamboo harpoons.

Battle

Only the first harpoon is in at this point. Everybody (but me) are struggling to hold on to the single rope.

HOLD ON

And then it was dead

Our boat

This is our boat. The boats that the use for the big whales are the same size but have outriggers for more stability. No motors though. Tough people!

Playground

The kids were literally jumping all over the shark.

Big

I estimate that it was 6-7 meters long.

In the surf

It felt really rough, like sandpaper, to the touch.

Carving

And then it was carved up. It all happened so quickly my mind couldn't really keep up at the time. Surreal.

Running home with her share

Lamalera beach

Drying

This is where the whale meat is being hung up to dry. It smells quite a bit but not really unpleasant.

Lewoleba volleyball

Coach

This nun was a very enthusiastic coach for one of the girls teams.

Alor view

The view from our hut at La Petit Kepa.

Alor Airport

Tirstrup is a major hub compared to this :)

Security?

There were some obvious breaches in the security at the airport on Alor. At least close the gate, guys!

11th October 2010

Pascal
non-member comment

Hello from Spain !
Hello Jens ! I was reading your blog between 2 meetings at work, and I see that you really are making the best from your trip to Indonesia. I did not know about the whales, Dolphin, whale shark hunters in Lamalera. But you are right, the guys there have to eat... Take care, travel safe, and enjoy the rest of your trip in south-east Asia. Pascal

12th October 2010

Søren Bo Christensen
non-member comment

Sharks
Having just spent one week diving in Utila, one of the few places in the world where Whale Sharks are frequently seen, and having spent a lot of time talking to Steve Fox ()Owner of the Deep Blue Utila), I have to say that killing those wonderful creatures just seems so wrong to me. Sharks are a rare to find today and too many sharks have been killed for their fins. I know that the people of Lamalera just do it to feed themselves but I still can't help thinking this is wrong.

12th October 2010

JensBusse
Jens Busse

More sharks
Hi Søren As you can hopefully tell, I am quite torn about this. As a diver I feel absolutely horrible about having had a part in the killing of one the animals that I have had the greatest hopes of meeting underwater. But I cannot bring myself to condemn them for doing it. It has been their livelihood for centuries and the way that we treat the animals that we eat in Europe gives makes it even harder. BTW, how is the diving at Utila after the oilspill? A friend of mine told me that it would probably destroy the diving business in Honduras completely. Hopefully it is not that bad.

14th October 2010

Søren Bo Christensen
non-member comment

Even more Sharks
Hi Jens. I can understand how yiou feel and I would most likely feel the same being there. Diving in Utila was great, they had not been harmed by the oil spill at all. But in relation to sharks, we were told that they had been hunted to the point that there were rarely seen any in the shallow waters or on the reef, which was a shame. It just shows what will happen when hunting without thinking on the natural reproduction rate.

14th October 2010

JensBusse
Jens Busse

Even Even more sharks
Good to hear that Utila has not been affected so far. My travel companion in Indonesia did his DM there and he was quite concerned about the future for that place. The shark fishing around the world is out of control and there is one simple reason. For most people living in China the Shark Fin Soup was until recently something that only the most wealthy people could get. It is not even added to these dishes for flavour. It is only because the fins contain a lot of gelatine and thereby changes the "texture" of the soups and related dishes. All of this can be done by gelatine made from pigs etc. (in danish husblas) It all boils down to the same stupid superstitions and traditions that are also endangering tigers, asian elephants, Malay bears etc. But the global industry that kills millions of sharks every year just to retrieve the fins, dry them and ship them of to Chinese communities around the world has nothing at all to do with Lamalera. It is stupidity and ignorance that will wipe out some significant shark species. Not a single village in Indonesia.

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