14 January 1986

We’d heard that a cruise ship was berthed in Teluk Dalam and passengers were going to the village of Bawomataluo for a special performance of traditional dancing and stone jumping. So we walked 8 kms from our lodge on Lagundri Beach before a hot, steep 3 km hike up a hill to the village.

High-roofed traditional houses with thatched roofs are quite strange. The stone jumping was impressive, using a rock to push up from they cleared a 2m high stone wall feet-first.

We came down the hill another way, via stone steps for most of the way, followed by children. We had a dip in the stream. Drank tea in a villager’s home. Bought coconuts to eat and drink, a young boy clambered up the trees and cut them down. Bought bananas at the junction. No transport, had to walk the final 6 kms in the 1 o’clock sun, 22 km all up.

The Bawomataluo settlement was submitted to be a world heritage site in 2009, see: http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5463/