Sumba

6 – 14 May 2010

I had a great time in East Sumba and had just started to explore West Sumba when I received an email from VSO offering me a second placement in Uganda starting 16 July. I therefore cut short my visit to Sumba to get home to see Steve. The countryside was far more rounded than the angular hills of Flores. Sumba has many traditional villages and I was invited to one Kampung Tarung as a friend. Like so many other events it meant that it was not really appropriate to be taking photographs. The traditional villages have large grave stones but even modern houses have huge ornate constructions over the family graves that have to be saved for and often mean the families develop large debts. I have shared transport with chickens, goats and pigs but this was the first time I had shared a bemo with a horse! I had been waiting on Sumba as I wanted to go to Sabu by ferry but the wind meant the waves were too high for the ferry to run - it will just have to wait until another visit.