LOMBOK BEGINS A STRING of islands which stretch to Timor, and contain some of Indonesia’s most incredible sights, like dragons, tri-coloured volcanic lakes and men who hunt whales by hand.
Either a Royal Palace or a museum, on the island of Sumbawa.
A woman sews a garment in a market, Flores.
A day's hunting brought in one small ray, in the village of Lamalera.
The beach in the main village on Roti, an island off Kupang, West Timor.
Migrating whales are the usual target for these villagers.
Home made boats, and hand thrown harpoons make this a fair fight between man and beast.
A woman's modest stall, Kupang, West Timor.
Young girls supporting their family, Kupang, West Timor.
Young students in a parade, Kupang.
My travelling companions insisted we visit a famed weaving village on the south of Flores. I am glad we did.
Besides the scenery, the weaving was high quality. The best was when one of the locals asked my friend, "Bapak?" (Are you his father?). He didn't think it was funny.
Vegetable and spices for sale in Flores. The piles are how they are sold, not by weight.
Mother and daughter? Or granddaughter?
Keli Mutu volcano, in the centre of Flores. Tourists coming from Bali are surprised how few tourists there are. Coming from Timor, we were surprised how many!
A farmer inspects his crop, Flores.
In the east of Flores, a market doubles as a bus terminal.
One of Keli Mutu's three different coloured lake craters.
Another pretty view of Flores, an island which has many.
On Flores, a man grinds betel nut, a somewhat unpleasant mis of lime, plant, other stuff. It stains the teeth red, gives you cancer, but a bit of a buzz.
"There be dragons!"
So said the sailors' maps. Indonesia made changes in 2019, making visiting Komodo extremely expensive, hoping to spread tourist numbers to nearby Rinca island.
Food stalls in a market, somewhere on Flores, Indonesia.