Kokas
Thursday, December 8, 2022
Kokas, Indonesia
We have now reached New Guinea, the second largest island in the world (Greenland is almost three times bigger). Politically, the western half is part of Indonesia, and the eastern half makes up most of the country of Papua New Guinea.
We went ashore at the small village of Kokas
And had a noisy welcome:
We were told that this village had not had any Western visitors in over a year, so our arrival was a major event and school was let out as we arrived:
We paraded up into the village and were seated in the shade:
The equivalent of the town mayor gave a long speech in a language which none of us spoke:
The children were polite and tolerant of the speechifying:
We then had a dance performance:
And the gabagaba stick dance, which some of us tried with no success:
Ultimately many of us joined in the festivities amid much
hilarity:
We were introduced to a fruit called durian, which ripens at this time of year, and is a delicacy for some. From the internet: “The durian's smell has been compared to smelly gym clothes, rotting meat, and even raw sewage. But if you're able to make it past the assault to your nose, it might be worth it.” Well, I tasted it and it’s sweet, but the smell is god-awful.
A table was set up with a variety of locally cooked foods for us to try, which were delicious:
However, there was a jellied goo which was added to some of the foods which we did not sample:
We delivered a gift of school supplies:
The tide was low, and the fishing boats were mostly at home:
Joyce has ben eager to do some shopping, but the options were limited:
Most of the homes have metal roofs, and we came across a pigeon coop:
The heat and humidity were overwhelming, and despite drinking copious amounts of water we were fading at the end of the visit. We took our Zodiacs back to the boat and to the AC. After recovering, our next excursion was to take the Zodiacs to visit the rock paintings dating back at least 20,000 years and, perhaps, 40,000 years on the limestone cliffs surrounding Berau Bay (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesian_painting )
What a gutsy guy - actually tasting a durian. I had heard about these in Singapore, but couldn't get up en6nerve to try one. The ancient cave images are remarkable, calling cards from time past!
ReplyDeleteThe best way to eat Durian is with one hand holding the nose while the guides the fruit into the mouth. It is very tasty.
ReplyDeleteSome hotels we stayed in in SE Asia have prominent signs forbidding bringing it into the building.
This certainly looks like a very exciting trip.
Fascinating--a very distant land indeed, and culturally very far from Western influences and norms, it seems. No visitors from abroad in a year?!
ReplyDelete--But I can't help thinking that the circle dancing looks a lot like fairly basic Israeli circle dancing, like the Mayim. And the stick dance does look like something one could master with a little time--the rhythm/pattern is totally consistent. Which makes it easy for the whole community to participate in. (Like some Bar Mitzvah reception dances, like the Chicken and the Slide.) I love it when everybody can join in to something--like a sing-along.
--As for durrian, I've heard about it and am happy to die without having smelled it.