I think the bus rides are killing my ass

Way too much time on buses recently. So much sitting in uncomfortable seats. It is really taking a toll on my tailbone. At least I should only have a few days left of bird travel. I think.

Today I woke up early and hired a motorcycle and divert to take me to a few of the traditional villages near Bajawa. The villages have continued much of their way of life from before colonization...with the exception of now selling their crafts to tourists.

The villages were very interesting to visit. My motorcycle divert was eager to answer questions and tell me about the customs of the clans. The only question I didn't ask because I didn't think about it at the time had to do with where they put their dead. They seem to have graves right there in the village, but there weren't that many of them. I would think after many years and generations... The whole village square would be a cemetery.

The area around the villages was stunning and my driver took me to a few viewpoints for photos before going back to Bajawa to catch a bus to Ruteng.

The drive to Ruteng was pretty amazing. Rice terraces all over the place and thick forested volcanoes. It is pretty obvious that I'm here at the very end of the dry season as I think this is as not green as Indonesia can get. It is still pretty Damn green, but also a little brown in spots and dusty.

Ruteng is the first town in a while that I've been to that has traffic lights. Granted, it is just one, but still.

I got here early enough that I was able to hire another motorcycle driver (I don't trust myself to just hour a motorcycle and drive it myself. I may be getting used to things being on the wrong side of the road...But not that used to it) to take me to Liang Bua. Also know as the cave where they found homo floresiensis, the hobbit fossil. There was a small museum there and the cave itself was pretty cool...very cool when you think about all the research that has been done there.

I'm kinda glad it worked out to visit the cave because the hobbit fossil and the cave (and Flores) because they were key parts of one of the books I have read on this trip, Prophet of Bones.

Tomorrow I had to Labuan Bajo for some dragons and maybe some scuba diving.

Pics below of the village of Bema, the area around Bema, and the hobbit fossil cave.