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WAIKABUBAK |
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| Surrounded by lush green meadows and forested hills, tiny WAIKABUBAK
consists of one dirt road and a few shops, plus several enclosed kampung
with slanting thatched roofs and megalithic stone graves , where life
proceeds according to the laws of the spirits. Tarung kampung, on a
hilltop just west of the main street, has some excellent megalithic
graves and is regarded as one of the most significant spiritual centres
on the island. The ratu (king) of Tarung is responsible for the annual
wula padu ceremony, which lasts for a month at the beginning of the
Merapu new year in November. The ceremony commemorates the visiting
spirits of important ancestors, who are honoured with the sacrifice of
many animals and entertained by singing and dancing. Kampung Praijiang ,
a five-tiered village on a hilltop surrounded by rice paddies, is
another fine kampung, several kilometres east of town. You can catch a
bemo to the bottom of the hill and will be asked for a Rp1500 fee.
Waikabubak enjoys an extended rainy season that lasts way into May, when
the countryside can be drenched by daily downpours and it can get chilly
at night. |
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