Inscription on top of Kelimutu
In Labhuanbajo quite a few people from the boat I came over with decided to pay a visit to Kelimutu and the three famous colored crater lakes. As Toby and Louise, an english couple, needed to be back in Labhuanbajo soon to catch a flight to Bali, we decided on hiring a car. This is quite an expensive way of travelling, as it cost us 500.000 Rp a day. But since there were four people sharing the car the cost dropped down considerably. The fourth person to join our car was Karsten, a german traveler.
Kids on the way to Moni
On the first day we drove until Bajawa, probably one of the most pleasant places I have been to. Sadly enough, we still had to drive on the next day. This was quite an uneventful journey, until the other car travelling with us was involved in a little roadrage accident. So we had to spend almost two hours waiting for the police. We spent this by sitting by the roadside playing cards, much to the amazement of the local children. This was probably the most exciting thing that has happened in this little village for years.
A water buffalo at work
We arrived in Moni, the starting point for all Kelimutu trips, short before sunset. We had a few beers and went to bed early, because we had to get up early at 4 am. The next morning we drove with our driver almost to the top. From the parking lot it was just another 20 minutes all the way to the top. When we got there all our hopes were disappointed. We couldn’t see anything but clouds. We waited around for one and a half hours and decided to have breakfast and then come back!
The Black Lake
The black crater lake
When people die it is said that their souls return to one of the lakes. This lake is set off a bit from the other two and apparently is reserved for the bad people of this world. That’s where the black color comes from. Considering that the color is bound to change, though, I don’t really know what to make of this.
The Brown Lake
The brown crater lake, or coca cola, as the locals say
The guides told us this lake is ‘coca-cola’. At first we could only see brown, but when the sun started to shine on it we could see what they meant. These guides told us as well, that the color of all the lakes can change fairly quickly due to minerals being dissolved into the lakes during wet season. This is the final resting place for adult souls.
The Turquoise Lake
The turquoise crater lake at Kelimutu
For me this was without a doubt the most impressive lake. The color is so vibrant and with streaks of yellow in it that it doesn’t actually look like water at all. This one is said to be for children. Kelimutu is sacred to the people living in the area and I could easily understand that. It’s a magical place!
On the drive down from Kelimutu I said my goodbyes to everybody else, as they were driving back to Labhuanbajo, and started strolling down the hill…
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boa das ist ja der wahnsinn, was du da gesehen hast…diese seen sind ja atemberaubend und kein wunder dass dich der see fuer kinder am meisten gefesselt hat, mich auch und ich weiss ja mittlerweile, dass es in wahrheit immer noch tausend mal schoener ist als auf dem bild…wahnsinn…das will ich auch sehen!!! toll…..