I got off the van bus at the dusty intersection. There is not a sign saying Bajawa, but the driver is saying something and pointing. He wants me off the bus. I look around at the Indonesians on board and say "Bajawa?" a few times. They all nod their heads and repeat "Bajawa". But, there are only a couple of old buildings here, not a town. The driver was supposed to let me off at a place to stay that Billy told him to take me to. I get off the bus (careful of the chickens underfoot) and retrieve my bag. Now what?

Bajawa is a little town in Flores, Indonesia . It seems to be the halfway point when traveling from Moni to Labaunbajo. I will spend a few days here exploring the ancient hill tribes and hot springs.

But, first I have to find the place. There were a couple of guys with motorbikes when I got off the bus and they offered me a ride. I have learned not to take the first offer for transport if I don't know how far I have to go or what the asking price is. I think Bajawa must be down the road just a little ways, within walking distance. I start walking in the direction the bus driver pointed.

After 10 or so minutes, it was plain Bajawa was not close by. Maybe I should have taken one of the offers from the motorbike drivers. Then, one of them came riding past me with a local passenger. He asked if I wanted to ride and said he would be back in a few minutes, i assumed after dropping off his current passenger.

When he returned, I got onboard and off we went . Bajawa turned out to be several miles away. Why did the bus dump me so far away? He took me to a small hotel to stay, and it turned out to be a good one for a cheap price. I think I was the only foreigner in the place. Later as I walked around the small town, I only saw 4 other foreigners in the whole town. This is not a big tourist destination.

Bajawa is surrounded by forest and volcanoes, the latest one erupted in 2001. I walked around the small town and took a few photos of the friendly local people and watched some volleyball games in the center of town. Some other type of activity like a parade was going on, but I don't really know what it was for. It was a school parade of some sort, I think.

There are a coupe of Catholic Churches in this mostly Christian town and one what I think was a Muslim Temple.

Across from the small hotel where I am staying is the "Tourist Office'. I walked over to get some information on where to go and what to see in Bajawa, now that I found it.

It turned out the small building was not a tourist information center, like the sign said, at all. There were no brochures or maps to be given out. Instead, I was offered an expensive tour of the area in the personal car of the guy that ran the place. I declined and went to explore on my own.

NEXT; THE TRIBES OF BAJAWA!