”Test of Guts” on Pulau Seribu Bends
As our car driver said, the road conditions on Timor Island are nothing compared to the roads on Flores Island, which we will be crossing the day after tomorrow. Duh, my head immediately filled with worry.
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Crossing the Maumere-Ende highway in the district of Sikka, East Nusa Tenggara on June 19, 2023.
It was never imagined that the terrain I would pass through in East Nusa Tenggara would be challenging enough. Those who have visited islands in the archipelago say that the roads of Flores Island are quite stomach-churning. Is that true?
At first I was skeptical because I had never been to NTT before. The opportunity to explore NTT arrived when the Nusantara Heritage Heritage Team from the Nusa Gastronomy Foundation invited Kompas to join them on their journey on 15-26 June 2023.
They are planning to document traditional Nusantara recipes, including recipes cooked by mothers in East Nusa Tenggara. This program is supported by the United States Embassy through the Ambassador Fund for Cultural Preservation grant.
On Monday (12/6/2023), Head of Multimedia Desk Prasetyo Eko P informed, "Mel, you're going to NTT. Coverage on the food expedition." I immediately contacted Ms. Meilati Batubara, Leader of Pusaka Rasa Nusantara Team, to request the travel plan during their stay in NTT.
"Wow, quite packed! It must be enjoyable," I thought to myself. I've never been to NTT before. When I do visit, I'll have the opportunity to explore almost all the regencies there with the Pusaka Rasa Nusantara team."
Our flight is scheduled for Thursday (15/6/2023) at 02.05 WIB and is planned to arrive at Eltari Kupang Airport at 06.05 Wita. Therefore, I have to be at Soekarno-Hatta Airport by midnight on Wednesday. Because I am afraid of oversleeping, I have booked an airport pick-up service so that I can be picked up on time from home.
The Pusaka Rasa Nusantara team from the Nusa Gastronomi Indonesia Foundation documented traditional recipes in the Liang Ndara Village, Mbeliling District, West Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, on Friday (27/6/2023).
At the airport, besides Ms. Meilati, I also met other team members, namely Reza Maulana (communication specialist) and Angga Safik (lead researcher). This is the third time I have had the opportunity to cover the Pusaka Rasa Nusantara expedition. Prior to this, I followed them to Bangka Belitung, East Kalimantan and North Kalimantan.
Upon arriving in Kupang, the Tim Pusaka Rasa Nusantara team immediately set off to meet the mothers in Ajaobaki Village, North Mollo District, South Central Timor Regency, East Nusa Tenggara.
We passed the Kupang-Soe route which offered a green natural panorama. Unfortunately, the road was quite winding. However, as stated by Uncle Yando, our driver, the road conditions on Timor Island are nothing compared to the roads we will pass on Flores Island tomorrow. Oh, I immediately felt worried, afraid of getting motion sickness. If it were love sickness, it would be nice, but this..
Furthermore, according to my sibling who has previously traveled around Flores Island, the roads on Flores Island are stomach-churning. They, who typically do not experience motion sickness, ultimately ended up vomiting at the end of the journey. They subsequently advised me to prepare mentally and regulate my diet so that my stomach is always full.
Ms. Meilati suggested that I sit next to the driver to prevent me from getting car sick. Without further thought, I immediately agreed. Om Yando also reassured me that the driver who will take us around Flores is skilled in driving. "We will meet Mus in Flores. She is used to the terrain, miss." For now, I can breathe a sigh of relief.
The journey from Kupang to Mollo Utara took more than two hours. Upon arriving at the mothers' house, we were served a glass of turmeric milk and fried bananas without flour.
A glass of turmeric milk served by the mothers in North Mollo.
Eat fried bananas with Dabu-dabu sauce.
Unexpectedly, the combination of turmeric and milk produces a quite delicious taste. Especially when accompanied by fried bananas eaten with a dabu-dabu sambal dipping sauce. It helped ease our upset stomachs during the trip.
On Saturday afternoon (17/6/2023), we shifted towards Maumere. Upon arrival at Frans Seda Airport, Maumere, we met with Om Hironimus (Om Mus) and Om Fando.
I headed towards Uncle Hironimus' car and sat next to him. Meanwhile, in the middle, there were Ms. Meilati and Angga. We took a break at the Go Hotel before continuing our agenda in Kajowair Village, Hewokloang District, Sikka Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, on Sunday (18/6/2023).
On Saturday night, we took the time to stop by the beach. When looking up, the sky was very clear with scattered stars. I immediately opened the Stellarium application on my phone to ensure the name of the planet and stars.
Uncle Mus laughed as he saw how mesmerized we were with the beauty of the sky. "In Jakarta, the stars aren't as clear as they are here, are they? Come on stars, hide, they want to take pictures of you," joked Uncle Mus.
See star clusters using the Stellarium application.
The next day we faced another winding journey towards Kajowair Village. Earlier, Uncle Mus had described the road conditions as being like an adventure movie, with many hills, trees, cliffs, and the road not wide enough for two cars to pass each other.
Some of the road sections are also prone to landslides, especially during the rainy season. Fortunately, at that time it was already entering the dry season and there was little rainfall. The journey of approximately one hour could be travelled smoothly.
During the trip, the three of us chose to sleep more. We agree that Om Mus is good at driving. The indicator is that the movement is very smooth when changing gears when going uphill and downhill.
The clutch and brake pedals were also observed to be safe under his control. Apparently, his skill has been honed since 2010. It's no wonder that Om Mus is quite experienced with the road terrain in Flores.
Upon hearing my story about the condition of the roads in NTT, a friend suggested that I take anti-nausea pills to prevent motion sickness. Om Mus then responded, "Don't worry Miss, there's no need to take medicine like that. With me, you won't get sick. I'll make sure you're comfortable on the road."
For Om Mus, passenger comfort is the number one priority. Om Mus' car consistently travels in the range of 40-50 kilometers per hour. He strives to be careful so that none of the passengers become motion sick.
Lebon poho or poho leaf porridge (Paederia foetida) is a menu that is rarely cooked by the people of Kajowair. This porridge uses pulut corn, iron gourd, taro/taro, cassava, and coconut milk.
It is said that our very busy schedule should be supported by a fit physical condition. If one becomes travel-sick, the head can ache and the body becomes weak, and the agenda falls apart.
At Kajowair, we enjoy lots of mouth watering traditional food. There are i'an tu'in (fish cooked in bamboo), lawar banana heart and sweet potato leaves, moke, lekun cake (made from a mixture of black rice flour, grated coconut, and palm sugar cooked in bamboo).
However, the most memorable menu is lebo poho or poho leaf porridge (Paederia foetida) which is rarely cooked by the Kajowair people. This porridge uses pulut corn, iron gourd, taro/taro, cassava, and coconut milk.
"I eat everything, but only enough so I can describe each menu that I will write. Actually, this method is also a strategy so that my stomach is not too full during the trip."
On Monday (19/6/2023) afternoon, we headed from Maumere to Ende with a duration of 3 hours and 30 minutes. Along the way, sometimes Uncle Mus sang, "Turn left...eee.. sweet lady, turn left, left, left...." He said this song is very fitting to describe the winding condition of the road from Maumere to Ende.
On either side of the road, we were presented with beautiful natural scenery. We briefly stopped at Ana Kalo Beach, Mbengu Village, Sikka Regency. It was only 10 minutes, but it was enough to stretch our legs and refresh our eyes.
That afternoon, the road was quite empty. As far as the eye could see, there were hills of rocks and on the other side, trees stretched out. We also stopped at several convenience stores to buy drinks or snacks, as well as to use the restroom.
According to fellow journalist Kompas in NTT, Brother Frans Pati Herin, the Maumere-Ende route is very challenging. Within 1 kilometer, there can be up to 25 turns. Hearing this, I already prepared myself to sleep for the duration of the trip. Again, I challenged myself not to take motion sickness pills.
Every time we arrived at a stop, Uncle Mus asked me, "Miss, are you okay?" This is how Uncle Mus ensures that I don't experience travel sickness. "I'm okay, Uncle," I confidently replied with a smile. Surprisingly, I did not experience any travel sickness at all.
In West Detusoko, the mothers cook delicious traditional menus, namely uta gowe or rice mixed with vegetables, lawar nails, onde cakes (similar to misro), fish with tomato sauce, chopped cassava, coconut sauce and tomato sauce .
I particularly enjoy consuming vegetables and dishes with steamed chopped cassava. This is a satisfying source of carbohydrates with a texture that suits the palate, chewy yet soft.
Ground cassava that has been steamed has a chewy texture. Its appearance when raw resembles noodles, but after steaming it looks like rice.
In addition to corn, the community also utilizes various food sources as a source of carbohydrates, such as black bean rice, corn rice, boiled kepok banana, and boiled cassava.
Being able to sample various dishes made of corn, sweet potato, and cassava is a luxury in itself as it is difficult to find in big cities like Jakarta. In some regions of East Nusa Tenggara, locals consume more cassava, sweet potato, taro, and corn compared to rice as their source of carbohydrates.
However, there are also those who consume rice because their area is a rice producer, such as Manggarai, West Detusoko, and around Ruteng.
Next, we will head to Bajawa on Wednesday (21/6/2023) morning and arrive at the location at 12.00. Om Mus asked again, "Miss, is it safe?" "It's safe," I answered enthusiastically.
That afternoon, we cooked at Dataran Sedang Watu Ata, Wawowae Village, Bajawa District, Ngada Regency. Previously, we had to walk more than 500 meters including climbing hills and passing through a coffee forest. The sun was scorching that day.
The blend of Bajawa coffee, which is consumed at an altitude of more than 1,400 meters above sea level, is quite effective in relieving fatigue. Moreover, after tasting the dishes from the mothers.
They prepare a lot of food, such as nasi sera (a mixture of ground corn, rice, and black beans), uta bhale (chayote leaves), and koro ipu (raw fish sauce). ). This tongue seems to have started to get used to eating porridge with a mixture of corn, sweet potatoes, or cassava.
Sunset sky view in Lembor District, West Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara, Friday (22/6/2023).
We have reached the final segment of the journey. The closing destination of the Tim Pusaka Rasa Nusantara expedition is Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai. It takes 7 hours and 30 minutes to travel from Bajawa to Labuan Bajo. We cannot make this trip without stopping for meals or to use the restroom. Of course, we need to make several stops.
Because sitting next to the driver, sometimes I react spontaneously. For example, there was a large vehicle that suddenly rushed towards our car. “Gosh, how scary!” my word. "It is okay. We submit to the maintenance of the Father. May our journey always be protected by Him, "said Om Mus.
Finally, we have completed our journey around Flores Island without experiencing motion sickness. The positive affirmation from Om Mus was able to dissipate all concerns about the unfriendly road conditions.
It seems that this is also because I was able to enjoy the journey with the Pusaka Rasa team which felt pleasant. For more than a week, we interacted and not only discussed work, but also shared stories and experiences about life, love, and aspirations. Apparently, the key is to enjoy the moment and be happy while going through it.
