MANGGARAI TIMUR REGENCY
After leaving Ngada Regency we got into Manggarai Timur Regency. we stopped to have lunch at Borong. However, we got into our car again and headed to Ruteng, at Manggarai Regency.
Borong
Since we left Bajawa the weather was not good at all. We stopped to have lunch at a simple but nice paddar restaurant. Close to Borong we found some people working on the ricefields. When the rice has a specific size it has to be picked up and replanted it with more space between them.
MANGGARAI REGENCY
We got to Ruteng at night, just in time to have a walk around the city. The next morning we would go to see the Cancar Spiderweb ricefields and the Todo traditional village.
Ruteng
Ruteng is a big city. As Bajawa, it is surrounded by mountains and the weather tend to be misty and rainy. We got to Ruteng at night so we couldn't see the market, apparently this one is bigger than in Ende. We did a walk around the city to see the church and went to have dinner at Cha cha restaurant.
The next morning, with the usual fog that surrounds the mountains at Ruteng we started again the road tour and headed to Labuan Bajo.
Cancar spiderweb ricefields
Close to Ruteng, there is a small town famous for its ricefields in the shape of a spiderweb. There is a hill where the views of the ricefields are very good. We kind of understand that we have to pay in order to get at the traditional villages, but to get in a hill to see the views of a ricefields? Anyway, we paid the entrance fee of 15.000 rp each and climbed the hill for 10-15min. As I said before, the weather was bad and we had to wait some time until the fog moved and led us see the spider ricefields.
Stef told us different reasons why this ricefields are made this way. Apparently, the irrigation of the ricefields are better with this shape; the center of the cobweb is in a lower position to make the water move better. Another reason, more aesthetic, is that the shape looks similar to the roofs of the traditional villages of Manggarai regency. Finally, another reason is the organisation of the properties.
Every cobweb belongs to a different clan and each triangular part to a different family. As you can see at the pictures, not all the spiderweb ricefield are cultivated at the same time. Each triangular portion is planted at different moment of the year. It is like this because when it is time for a part to be planted, all the members of the clan help the owner family. Flores people care a lot for their familiars and they are very helpful with each other.
Todo traditional village
There is a small path located close to Cancar town that leads you to Todo and Wae Rebo traditional villages. The road is very beautiful, it gets in the middle of the mountains and offers you nice views. The road is until Todo is good enough, but the people use to say that it is more rough and bumpy to get to Wae Rebo.
Todo traditional village was the center of Manggarai kingdom and the home of the royal clan. The entrance fee is 50.000 rp each, however, you will be welcomed by a citizen guide who will explain the history of their village. To have a walk around the village they will lend you a Sarung.
In the past, there used to be nine houses around the "compang", the center of the village where they do their rituals. Most of the houses were ruined years ago and nowadays the citizens are building them up. At the moment of our visit there were four houses and they were building the fifth.
We had been thinking about going to Wae Rebo traditional village as it is one of the main attractions at Flores It is located in the middle of the mountains. The path to get there is quite difficult, even for the experienced drivers. Usually, the bus or taxi will stop at Denge town, from where there is a hill trekking of at least 2h. In order to get to Wae Rebo you need a guide and spend one night at the same village or at the close town. Moreover, there are plenty of tourists who go to this village so if you chose to spend the night in the village it will be quite crowded. For the night there is a fee of 325.000 rp and 20.000 rp for the ceremony. Because of the time, the fact that it is usually a crowded place, the prices and that there are other nice villages we decided not to go.
If you want to continue reading about the trip click to Manggarai Barat regency. To know a little bit more about Flores and the accommodations we stayed at click at Flores the exotic island.
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