Willkommen auf meinem "abenteuer und reisen" Profil

Biophilia Expedition - Lembata Island 2009

Some scientists believe that humans have a fundamental and genetically rooted need to affiliate with nature and other forms, so do I. They call it “Biophilia” and in respect of the nature I intent to explore one of Indonesia’s most eastern island “Pulau Lembata” with my 1974 Land Rover. With me is my friend Ichal from the Land Rover Club Indonesia and Roberto and Alice from Italy, who are going to document the small and three weeks long Biophilia Expedition for the Italian television.

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THE TERM “BIOPHILIA” LITERALLY MEANS ‘LOVE OF LIFE OR LIVING SYSTEMS’ AND IT WAS FIRST USED BY ERICH FROMM TO DESCRIBE A PHYCHOLOGICAL ORIENTATION OF BEING ATTRACTED TO ALL THAT IS ALIVE AND VITAL. LATER WILSON USES THE TERM IN THE SAME SENSE WHEN HE SUGGESTS THAT BIOPHILIA DESCRIBES THE CONNECTION THAT HUMAN BEINGS SUBCONSCIESLY SEEK WITH THE REST OF LIFE.
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Lembata Island is mostly known for is traditional whale hunting village Lamalera on the southern coast line facing the Indian Ocean, but also being almost the eastern tip of the well known Ring of Fire, hence we can expect stunning landscapes but also unexplored beaches and rough wild coastlines.

We have to bear in mind that we are about 2.000 kilometers away from Jakarta and logistic is uncertain, as we have to bring my “Truck” all the way from Jakarta to Surabaya and further on by ferry to Maumere on Flores Island. This is the closest port a big ferry might go but still far away from where we suppose to go and start our journey. Hundreds of kilometers on curvy road along various mountain passes to Larantuka will follow from where a small ferry for a maximum of 20 cars leaves to Lamalera ones a week on Monday. Unfortunately ferry schedules are not published or if, not updated and subject to change without prior notice, but a survey few weeks prior to departure cleared the last uncertainties. Needless to say that the Truck finally made it to Lembata Island where the small adventure suppose to start.

Ichal, one of our temporary team members on the first leg of the trip successfully maneuvered the Truck with Roberto, Alice and all the equipment we have to carry over the mountains across the island to Lamalera. A relatively short leg of only 82 kilometers but it already gave a first idea of the nature of the island, its people and last but not least the track conditions we can expect for the rest of the journey.

It is currently dry season, hence the roads are dusty, the surface is bone dry and the riverbeds are dried out. Luckily I must say, since certain bends of the tracks are extremely tight and on both sides almost vertical. Not a nice place to run a Truck without a working handbrake in case of any emergency situation but even though it would work, I doubt it would be able to hold a fully loaded truck on such steep assents and decent. Anyhow, there is always a way out, in this case two pieces of wood.

Lamalera, even though remote and hardly mentioned on any map, seems to be currently in the center of media attention as we were not alone trying to capture and documents the traditional whale hunting on film. The BBC arrived only few days after us with a huge film crew, National Geographic Channel was producing an episode, A French film crew as well and obviously us plus a professional photographer sent by the National Geographic Magazine.

The village of around 2.000 fishermen still follows a hundreds of years long tradition of manual whale hunting with harpoons from small fishing boats in the wide open Indian Ocean and the documentation of the whale hunting was obviously one of the main reasons we came all the long way here beside spectacular nature. But obviously Lamalera got more cameras than whales. In fact none of the film crews captured any whale on film. Last years season brought 39 whales on shore and this years season only three and that was right at the beginning of the season in May, now we have already September and there is only a month left. However there was still plenty of other fishing action going on and mantas, sharks and even dolphins have been caught on a daily basis.

One might think three big sperm whales are more than enough for 2.000 villagers, but dried whale, manta or dolphin meat is used in traditional markets to trade vegetables and fruits in exchange. Money is hardly used yet by the village elders and that is another reason why this village is something of the beaten track.

Traditions are likely going to die soon as the island has natural gold reserves and gold mining will automatically and unlikely bring pollution of any kind and destruction of nature not only to the island but also the waters surrounding it. And since the traditional whale hunting is very spiritual, the villagers believe with the arrival of the gold the whales are gone and therefore only three whales have been captured this year. But there might be also another reason since fishing with bombs takes place off the coast of Lamalera. This is obviously done anonymously and not by people from Lamalera. Villagers believe this is done by people who want to convert the surrounding waters of Lamalera into a Maritime National Park to prevent them from whale hunting. This is at least what the rumors in Lamalera say but the real truth we might not be able to find out.

There is obviously a big conflict of interest going on and the villagers of lamalera are caught in between, onshore and offshore interests. Who knows how long they might be able to continue and keep up their traditions, how long the smell of sun dried whale meat hangs over the village every day and how long dried whale meat is still used in exchange for fruits and vegetables with other villages who don’t follow the same traditions.

While all the other film crews kept on waiting every day for the whales to return before end of the season, we have to continue our journey around the island and can’t wait to follow a spectacular track along cliffs, around volcano’s and along untouched beaches as part of our small Biophilia Expedition.

For whatever reason the track brings us anticlockwise around the island without any major technical problem beside a dirty fuel filter and a broken fuel pump, all replaceable and in our spare part stock but back in Lewoleba, the capitol of the island, the car somehow became worn off over the last few days off road and on one off the daily trips out of Lewoleba, the Truck finally encountered a steering problem.

Luckily this didn’t happen on one of the curvy tracks and didn’t cause any major accident but a broken and irreparable steering column ended our journey. Welding impossible, replacement not available and if only thousands of kilometers away in Jakarta, where there is public holiday for a week and all offices and workshops are closed. How to get the Truck out of the ditch in this remote area? Well, the answer is pretty simple, with a towing truck, but where and how to get one here. One might think of miracles or not, but the next village only 5 kilometers away got one and as a matter of fact this towing truck was used by a gold mining company to transport heavy duty mining vehicles around.

Last but not least the gold mining had something good for us at least, for the villagers of Lamalera though it is a fight for survival for an unknown future.

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