The heart of east SUMBA ....quite close to the down town, less than 10 minutes drive from Umbu Mehang Kunda Airport . probably we should consider this villages to be one of the world cultural heritages :)

We (with partner and two kids aged 10 and 13), spent three nights in Sarah and Uman's bungalow in this village. We rented the bungalow through Air BNB. I really did not know how to rate it. It was not luxury, it was not perfect, a few things were not quite the way I'd like them. But then again, in all my years of travelling in Indonesia, this was a stand-out experience. We'll never forget it and I highly recommend to people who want to experience another culture, and who won't be put off if things aren't perfect. Details... The village is really close to a very major town Waingapoo, and the airport is about 10 minutes away. I'm told a local taxi should cost 50,000. but when out host failed to show to pick us up, we could not haggle down below 100,000. The chap who was supposed to pick us up was actually there, but I think he'd fallen asleep in his car. It is that kind of place. Don't expect Bali slickness. At the village we met Uman and his family and we were given some coffee and shown to the bungalow. The place from the start had an odd aspect - was it a guest house, or a house and we were guests? We were never quiet entirely sure, but it lead to some amazing experiences. We were lucky to be there when some special ceremonies were taking place for the roofing of the new house. On our second night we sat in on the sacrifice of seven chickens, accompanied by prayers and the inspection of the chickens' guts to see if messages were there about whether the roofing should proceed. You cannot buy an experience like that, but neither can you rely on being lucky enough to be around when it is going on. It was amazing, really. So too was 50 people turning up to roof the house the next day, watching the mass sharing of beetlenut, and the kick-to-kick (AFL - Australian football) my kids played for hours with the local village kids. Take a ball and play with them. A couple of the girls were amazing footballers. The room was comfortable and had a small fridge. We were provided with a nice breakfast and there were opportunities to eat with the family, although we mostly went out. Sarah and Uman were both friendly and very keen that we should be included and appreciate the culture. The family and other villagers were also friendly and welcoming. At the same time, this is a rural village and things are very basic there. LIvestock and their dropping, were everywhere, as you would expect to see in a traditional village. It is not a hotel. We rented scooters (75000 and 100000 - the more expensive form PC corner, a nice cafe/restaurant) and rode into town. We went to PC Corner (great western-style cafe) and the market. We went to the harbour and ate seafood there in the evening. We rode out to a beautiful beach (Walakiri), which was about 30 minutes away and an easy ride. Check the tides if you want to swim, as it is not possible unless the tide is in. We engaged a car driver - sleepy Denny from the day before - and took a day trip to Tangeddu Waterfall. I would not ride a motorbike there as it is a long and difficult ride. The scenery (savannah, wild horses etc), was striking and different, reminding me of outback Australia. The driver was lovely, and the waterfall was possibly my favourite ever. It was stunning, actually. The walk in was about 45 minutes and required some basic fitness and agility - not possible for the very unfit, or those with mobility concerns. We swam in the fall (easiest entry to swim is actually up the top of the main fall) and watched some nutcase Indonesian cops jumping off the waterfall and playing with an (unloaded) pistol and taking selfies. On the way back was stopped in a traditional village on a hilltop. It was surreal. All in all, this was an excellent base for a great few days in a very interesting place.