Batu Beriga

We were received in Batu Beriga with a warm welcome and a lunch at the village chief's house.

 

The traditional lunch was not vegan friendly, but our hosts certainly were friendly.

 

After lunch there was a dancing and singing competition with awards and prizes. All teams were in brightly colored traditional outfits.

 

And of course they love to take photos with Ali :)

  

Once the competition was over the rave started. All the kids from the village came out to dance!

  

And dance we did.

 

This is our host family. The village was so small there were no accommodations. So they gave us a bedroom and allowed us to stay in their house. They also fed us breakfast and dinner and since they spoke no English we had lots of fun communicating with each other.

 

With a full moon the night was over and we went to rest.

  

The madness started right away, kids out first thing in the morning with more energy than we had after two cups of white Kopi, our latest addiction.

 

We went for a tour and were provided lunch. There was a tour of the jungle and honey making activities but there is more to come about the bees on a separate post.

   

The dancing competition continued on the second night. It was quite a colorful treat.

 

But the colors didn't stop. The next morning was a mass wedding involving a small parade and 36 couples.

  

Here is the bride and groom in traditional attire. After the wedding we headed back to the boat with the biggest goodbye yet. The crowds were so big we had to be escorted by the police to the beach to make our way to the boats. I cannot describe how amazing the Indonesians are and what great hosts they are.