Garuda Indonesia Colours Magazine April 2018 | Page 116

Travel | Kei Kecil
The next morning, when the tide was out,
this sloping beach had transformed into a
vast field spreading more than 500m towards
the sea. We explored the area barefoot to feel
the texture of sand mixed with water. The
hot sun quickly dried the splashes of white
sandy mud that stuck to our skin, until the
very fine grains of sand felt like flour.
1
After walking several hundred metres from
the beginning of the beach towards the sea,
the water still only reached our knees. There
we saw small silver fish that jumped on the
surface of the water before diving back in and
swimming further away.
1 Portrait of Patok, a 11-year-old boy who started
fishing with his father.
We walked to the east, towards a coral cliff to
look for petroglyphs, commonly called stone
wall paintings. The paintings found on one
of the cliff faces, including images such as the
palm of a hand, people, animals and boats,
are said to originate from prehistoric times
The friendliness shown by the people of Kei Kecil, whether
towards local residents or newcomers, as well as the sense
of safety and comfort, makes travelling in this region easy.
Palm trees along Madwaer
beach, Tual, Kei Kecil.
This deserted beach is the
perfect place to unwind.
and are similar in form to those found at
sacred Aboriginal sites in Australia.
The friendliness shown by the people of Kei
Kecil, whether towards local residents or
newcomers, as well as the sense of safety and
comfort, makes travelling in this region easy.
Most of the newcomers here are Javanese,
Bugis, Makassarese and Butonese peoples
who have settled here as traders.
The characteristics of openness and
helpfulness between the different peoples
have kept Kei Kecil far from conflict.
Houses of worship from different religions
can be found all over.
A pilgrimage site that is well known to
Catholics is Masbait Hill, located in Ohoi or
Kelanit village, about 10 minutes by road
from Langgur. At this site there is a statue of
Christ standing on a tall pedestal. The hill
offers a view out to sea with its shades of
blue, scattered islands and Langgur city in
the distance.
Trying to explore Kei Kecil in only a few days
made it feel like time was rushing by. I still
have many other places to see and enjoy in
this eastern Indonesian paradise.
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