Advertisement
Published: August 3rd 2017
Ruteng
The convent.... so said Hamlet to poor, doomed Ophelia. I had to stifle the giggles when I learned that the English-speaking nun who takes care of bookings at Susteran St. Maria Berdukacita in Ruteng, commonly known as MBC, was named Sister Ophelia. In case you're still wondering what on earth I am going on about, I stayed at a convent. And no, I didn't burst into flames while I was there. But first, let's talk about one of the most memorable days of travel I have ever had (and the bar was already set very high on this one).
Getting to Ruteng
The morning started with yet another transportation c**k up. The Gunong Mas shared van that was supposed to pick me up at the hotel didn't arrive at the appointed time. The hotel called the bus company, who told us they will call back in 15 minutes to confirm. While waiting, I found out that another hotel guest was heading east with a hired car. I asked him if he was willing to give me a ride to Ruteng, and he said yes. Although I ended up paying a bit more than I would have on the
shared van, having a hired driver meant that I could visit the spiderweb rice fields en route (I wouldn't have been able to do this with the shared van) so this was a win overall.
Setting off from Labuanbajo around 8.30am, we drove east into the mountains. In the car with me were Pierre, a French retiree and fellow guest at Komodo Boutique Hotel who graciously agreed to share his ride with me, and John, the driver. The drive to Ruteng took us through winding mountain roads. It rained throughout most of the drive, and there was fog as well, so the going was a little treacherous. Along the way, we saw two overturned trucks. John and Pierre turned out to be good company. Interestingly, when John asked me whether I was married and I replied in the affirmative, his next question was "is it a he or a she". I certainly did not expect this from an Indonesian from outside the major cities. He didn't miss a beat when I said "he", but then, rather bizzarely, he went on to refer to my spouse as my wife. I didn't quite know what to make of this.
We
stopped at the spiderweb rice fields at Cancar Village. To get to the viewpoint, we had to hike up a hill. The rice fields are shaped like spiderwebs because of how they are divided when the land is passed down a generation. There were four spiderwebs visible. Amazingly, the clouds cleared just as we got to the viewpoint, and we had a few minutes to take photos before the view was lost again.
Accosted By Teenagers!
We rolled in to Ruteng at 1pm not long after leaving the spiderweb rice fields, and John deposited me at MBC. As soon as I stepped out of the car, I was accosted by a gaggle of teenagers. They explained that they were from a vocational high school and they were being trained as tourist guides. They wanted to spend time with me, show me around, and practice their English. John didn't shoo them away, so I guessed they were legit. I said my goodbyes to John and Pierre and then I went to check in. The guides-in-training waited for me while I checked in, and then pounced on me again as I walked out. There were two boys
Ruteng
The girls who chatted with me. I look positively gargantuan next to them. and four girls. They agreed to walk with me to Agape Cafe where I planned to have lunch.
During the 15 minute walk to Agape Cafe, I found out that they were 17 years old and that their high school has a three year vocational track to train them as either hotel employees or as guides. During these three years, those on the guide track must make 1,300 contacts with tourists. It seems quite a tall order considering Ruteng isn't a major tourist town. Heck, I was even surprised there was a tourism school there. Anyway, while walking, Sepen, one of the two boys who appeared to be the ringleader, said that they would be happy to accompany me to the Hobbit Cave at Liang Bua. I accepted their offer.
When we reached Agape Cafe, I went inside to eat. The girls hung out outside while the two boys - Sepen and Semple - went out to procure a
bemo (minivan, but much lower and far less fancy then what Americans think of as minivans) to take us to Liang Bua. Entering Agape Cafe, I was relieved to see John and Pierre. John confirmed that these kids were
Ruteng
Semple and Sepen. legit, that I should pay no more than 150,000rp - which I thought was a little steep - to charter the
bemo, and that I should not give money to the kids (I wasn't planning to but I did buy water and snacks for them).
After I ate my lunch, I walked out to find that the girls had grown in number from four to seven. I chatted with them a little, then they all produced their log books for me to sign, and they scattered when the
bemo turned up. I guess this meant I was only going to Liang Bua with the two boys. In America, I would never have agreed to do anything like this for fear of liability, but hey, this is Indonesia.
The 14km drive to Liang Bua was downhill on a really bad winding road through rural communities and spectacular terraced rice fields. I now understood why the charter cost so much; I doubt many drivers would willingly take their prized
bemos down a road like this. It was a stomach churning experience made worse by lack of air circulation, and cigarette smoke, body odor and bad breath from the three person
Liang Bua Cave
Meet Flo, the Flores hobbit. Although she is only 106cm tall, her stature in the archaeological world is unparalleled. bemo crew. I was a tiny bit queasy by the time we got to the cave. I was slightly annoyed that they picked up other passengers en route since I had chartered the
bemo, but I let it go because they didn't deviate from our route. They also kicked out one passenger when we chartered the
bemo; I felt so sorry for her and I tried to look apologetic.
The cave itself was, well, a cave. But, the archeological find here made shockwaves throughout the archeological world and challenged many long-held notions about human migration and evolution. There was a small museum opposite the cave that was very informative. I won't elaborate on the
Flores hobbit, also known as
homo floresiensis, here as my description would not do it justice. It is worth a visit despite the poorly maintained road.
After leaving Liang Bua, I let Sepen and Semple talk me into visiting their school. While they did tell me was that the school was rehearsing for a district-wide talent competition, they didn't disclose that all the students and staff would be there. I was mortified to find several hundred pairs of eyes on me as I was ushered
Ruteng
The school. Now imagine triple this number of eyes focused on you as you make your entrance... to a seat in the front and the headmaster and teachers came to introduce themselves. I stayed for about half and hour listening to song performances. I had a blast, but I didn't want to stay much longer as I was getting tired and it was getting chilly (Ruteng is at a high altitude) and I was wearing shorts. Sepen and Semple walked me to the Gunung Mas ticket office where I bought my shared ride ticket for the next day, then they walked me back to MBC. There, I said goodbye to them.
Reflections
Orbital's song
Beached from the soundtrack of
The Beach has been stuck in my head for some time now. As Leonardo di Caprio's character Richard says: "never refuse an offer, never resist the unfamiliar, never fail to be polite". I try to stick with these principles (as long as the offer isn't a scam) when I travel and boy, did it pay off this time. This has honestly been one of my best travel days ever, even though the effort of interacting with teenagers whose first language isn't English was pretty exhausting.
Now Back To The Nunnery...
Ruteng
The convent. I returned to MBC to hear nuns singing. How very
Sound of Music this was. The room is basic but clean, water is supplied, as is breakfast. The grounds are beautiful and well kept This place has its quirks though. Breakfast
ends at 7.30am. Check out is
before 9am. The front gate is locked at 9pm. The hot water was spotty, as was wifi. But hey, for 200,000 rupiah (under US$16) this is the best deal in town. There were several visiting clergymen in the other rooms, along with a few other travelers.
The Kindness of Strangers
The first available shared van ride to my next destination - Bajawa - was at 2pm, which meant I would get in after dark. I hadn't booked a hotel room in Bajawa and I am usually comfortable looking for a room if I arrive in the daytime. But, arriving at night is a different story. Sister Agnes at MBC tried calling a few places without success. I then went to the Gunung Mas shared ride office and asked them for help in my halting Indonesian. They called and found a room for me. Phew. This is why I dislike arriving at night
Ruteng
Me and two teachers. if I can help it.
Ruteng isn't on many travelers' radars. Most travelers blow through Ruteng en route to Bajawa. I decided to stop in Ruteng purely for the novelty of staying in a convent, but I am so much richer for having stopped here.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.091s; Tpl: 0.019s; cc: 17; qc: 22; dbt: 0.031s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 2;
; mem: 1.2mb
Kuan Yin
Karen Johnson
Students
What a marvelous story! I ran into a similar situation with students in Viet Nam. Sometimes they would have a mimeographed sheet of questions to ask me, so I could tell it was a class assignment. And the pictures of the spider rice fields are really cool. One of the main reasons I went to Indonesia was after seeing rice fields in the movie "The Year of Living Dangerously."