the globe says
Indonesia
Fly from Bali to Waingapu or Tambolaka — one hour and half a century away.
Village homestays under peaked clan houses; simple losmen in the towns.
An island where the Marapu ancestor religion never left: megalithic tomb-dragging ceremonies, ikat weaving that takes years per cloth, and Pasola — ritual mounted spear combat between villages.
If it is Pasola season, go with a local contact and stand where they tell you. Otherwise, visit a weaving village and watch a year of work on a backstrap loom.
February to March for Pasola; May to October otherwise
Terima kasih — thank you; Bahasa carries you between Sumba's many tongues.
Islands of Imagination — Indonesian textile cultures; Sumba's ikat is the masterwork.
Nihiwatu's famous wave breaks on this coast — but the west's waterfall caves cost nothing.
Pasola is real combat with real injuries and real spiritual stakes — you are a guest at someone's sacrament, not a spectator at a show.