Bees Attack

October 21, 2013

It was an easy over night sail from Belitung to Bangka, where us 4 were taken into locals' homes to stay for two nights and eat delicious home made meals - all for free.  I am telling you - Indonesians are the nicest people!!!  However it is clearly still a 3rd world country as became quite apparent on our free day tour.  Nothing says  bad idea like taking a group of tourists to see how honey is made locally, while only providing 4 small mesh nets.  

The government here also timed a local dancing/singing competition to coincide with our stop and a mass wedding!  Apparently the government does one mass wedding every year for couples who can't afford a wedding.  The males still have to give a dowry to their bride's family though.

This is the home Omar and I stayed in.  They liked to watch us eat and point at our non-flat noses. We had a pretty good miscommunication when I crossed my fingers for good luck, but they thought I was trying to tell them Omar and I have lots of sex.  (We found this out the following day through a translator.  It made for lots of laugh all around!  And now I know crossing your fingers ins't an international sign.)

Here was the start of the ill fated tour to see the bee hives . . .  note the distinct lack of bee protection netting.

The bees stay on the outside of the hives.  A professor from the states had visited 4 months ago to try and implement bee boxes, but the local jungle bees were having none of that. 

This is what the hive looked like once they smoked and cut the bee hive down.  Not a vegan friendly process.

A stinger to the nose and two to the hand.  A small price to pay in comparison to the bees losing their home.

Turns out Omar should be counting his lucky stars - people normally pay $5 for bee sting therapy!!!

To avenge himself - Omar ate honey from the spoils.

We ate lunch at a local organic restaurant in the middle of a rice field, where the local chief apologized for the bee mishap.  Omar was not the only one stung.

We made it home from our tour in just enough time to finish watching the dance competition.

The Tropicbird crew was asked to jump on stage and give a short speech about our time in Bangka. 

Here is the first few brides out of many getting their makeup done for the mass wedding.

I helped decorate the hard boiled egg tree - it's to bless the newly weds with lots of babies.

Bangka Island only sees tourists when Sail Indonesia yatchs stop - once a year.  We took more photos, held more babies, and had a giant mob where ever we went.  

The start of the mass wedding procession.  These are the brides and grooms.

Which egg tree is mine?

Some brides wore very western style dresses.

Some brides wore traditional bridal clothes.

Here is the mob watching us eat.  No pressure, no pressure!

And another mob watching us leave . . . we literally had a military police escort to walk 100 feet.  Everyone was trying to hug us and grab us and take photos with us.  

I wouldn't be a celebrity for all the money in the world.