Indonesia - Sumba - Tarimbang - HIKE - April 2010

The walk from martens to the beach was about 500 metres.

The beginning of the walk was along a narrow track pass a number of wooden and thatched houses. The locals were friendly. There was music coming from one house, which was a bit puzzling as there was no electricity nor was there a generator operating.

After the houses, we followed the road to the beach or there was a turnoff part of the way down the road through the jungle. The jungle was thick along the road with intermittent houses and small fields. The biggest problems were the dogs that roam freely. They were aggressive and intimidating. If one started barking or howling, others would appear and join in the game of terrorise and eat the tourist. Mind you, the locals eat the dogs. Blacked furred dogs are the preferred dog to eat.

The jungle track was cool as it ended suddenly on the beach and the vista of the stunning beach and headlands. Monkeys are living in the nearby jungle but I didn’t see any.

Where the road ends are a number of concrete slabs which, I was told by the king of tarimbang are graves. It was a popular spot for locals to sit, mainly because everywhere else was muddy.

The beach is white sand with safe swimming. A small river empties into the sea just beyond the road ending. We helped the king of Tarimbang cross the river by carrying him. He was built like a match stick and looked about 100 years old.

Towards the headland were the fishing canoes. Beyond them were the headland cliffs and small inlets.

The beach and headlands are an amazing beautiful sight.