User:Youngmat

4 decades ago I went to Bali. When I revisited it 10 years ago, I got a shock: I hardly recognized it - instead of a tropical idyll I found paved roads, running water, electricity, pollution, prostitution … Since that time I have become an avid Sumba traveller. A lot of things are similar to Bali as it was then. But Sumba is also different: the landscape is rather hilly, sometimes extremely dry, and a bit brittle. For me the people seem more comprehensible, perhaps due to their predominantly Christian religion. The life of the people in Sumba is more difficult than in Java and Bali. Especially the northern part of Sumba is extremely dry. The soil is exhausted by deforestation and erosion. Sumba is one of the poorest regions in Indonesia. What they plant is usually not enough for their own food. About half the population has no access to clean water. Malaria is widespread. There are hardly any doctors. Little more than a quarter of the children get a basic education. It may be, that the Indonesian government cares less about the areas where the inhabitants are not predominantly Muslim. If you cannot manage without WiFi, your social network, and other achievements of the western world, you should wait a little bit before you make a trip to Sumba. Tourists, travellers, and backpackers cannot be stopped - they will come. Sumba will not remain a lonely planet. Tourism could offer the people of Sumba a source of income. Hopefully the majority of the income from tourism will remain on the island, and for those who need it. This website and guidebook aims to contribute to it. I have no economic interests. There is much to be discovered in Sumba: lots of culture, traditional lifestyle, friendly, and hospitable people, bizarre landscapes, untouched nature, and many beautiful beaches.