The whale beach vol.2

The off road trip has been continued for more than three hours. Suddenly the sight is opened and I see a blue ocean below. Finally we get to the other side of the island. I see three palm trees are lined far away on the mountain ridge. While going down to the sea side, the truck goes around small villages to drop off the passengers. Families who pick'em up looks at me through the rear gate with curiosity.
Before long we go into Lamalera village. Then the madam who helped me in the bus terminal asks me something with the gesture of sleeping. Don't understand Indonesian language, but I guess she is asking if I'm looking for an accommodation. When I nod for the question, she tells me to get off together. I follow her and now we are in her house's yard. I put my baggage in a main house and have a look at the her tourist cottage. Although it's a relatively modern and settled almost on seaside, it looks like abandoned. The floor tiles and ceiling panels are peeled off. ummm...
Feels like the private cottage is not match to my Lamalera stay. I want to stay with host family. So I reject the offer. I gotta find another one.

Then I see the real Lamalera beach in the first time. The sandy beach is not so big and fishing boat huts are lined along it. Many drying poles are settled on the beach and something like chopped flesh are hang on it. You may know they are not fishes because of the smell. The smell flown over the beach is the animal's. Giant white bones are left beside the pieces of flesh. If I'm a passenger of drifting boat and reached to this beach, I must be scared and hesitate to land. But I know what they are. They are parts of whale. While I pre-studied Lamalera, I saw pictures of drying whale meat many times. But the actual scene of the beach which is covered with hundreds of whale parts is more shocking than I expected.

I walk on the beach holding my baggage. I have absolutely no idea each piece of the flesh, or gut, is which part of the whale. One of them is an oil dripping slice while the others are dried up in black. White bones make contrast on it. Smoke is flown over the beach. I head for the direction the smoke comes from. A fisherman is scorching a bamboo pole. He tells me that it's a haft of harpoon for whale hunting. I don't know what he scorches the joint for. Maybe for straightening the pole, maybe preservation from decay.
Kids play football on the beach. Surrounded by whale parts, they kick the less inflated ball by barefoot. That's another shocking picture to me. Oh, I gotta looking for a guest house.

There is a Bayan tree in the village square. Fishermen are chatting in the tree shade. I ask them if there is any guest house nearby. "Rosman? There is. Just walk up the path. Ask them" I follow the advise. I thought Rosman was the guest house's name. But actually "Rosman" means guest house itself in Indonesian language. The name after the Rosman is the name of the guest house. I missed chance to make sure the name. I remember the owner's name is on it. But it isn't big matter because I cannot get lost to come back in this small village. The owner is a quiet madam. (I call "mom" from later on")

The guest house is perfect to me. All meals are included. No restaurant or shops in the village, so it's the best way to be survived. Mom's daughter has got married and moved out. Her room with two story bed is offered to me. Notebooks are still stacked in a shelf and a photo collage work on her cat with letters "I Love Kitty!" is pinned on the wall. Might be a homework for her English class. I feel like time is frozen in this kid's room. Somehow it makes me relax.

The guest house is mom's house. Her son's family and her brother have each house in the house yard. I feel really safe staying with the families, absolutely better than being alone in tourist cottage. Three times in a day, meal is prepared on the simple table in the kitchen.
Electricity is blacked out during daytime. Mandi (shower) is typical Indonesian scoop cold water from the bucket type. Although no problem. Above all, the quiet settlement is luxurious to me. The only sound I hear is surf note from 200m away and sound of domestic animals. No traffic noise nor Karaoke sound here.
I heard the whale hunting boats leave at 7 am and come back at 2 pm. I gotta get up early tomorrow.