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Geography
Alor is the largest island in the Alor archipelago located at the
eastern-most end of the chain of islands that runs through southern Indonesia,
lying just north of the island of Timor. Pantar island is located just west of
Alor. Other islands in the Alor archipelago include Kepa, Buaya, Ternate, Pura
and Tereweng. Politically the Alor archipelago forms its own Kabupaten or
district, in the province of Nusa Tenggara Timur. The interior of the islands
Alor and Pantar is quite mountainous. However peaks are not as high as other
nearby islands, such as Flores.
Kalabahi is the only town on the island of Alor, and is therefore the main
centre for transport to, from and within the Alor archipelago. There are two
main ways of getting to Alor from other parts of Indonesia. There are regular
flights from Kupang to Kalabahi. These flights are run by Merpati airlines.
Pelni passenger ships also service Kalabahi each week.
There are four main forms of public transport in the Alor archipelago.
There are numerous routes between the islands, and from one part of an island
to another by boat. Within Kalabahi and to nearby locations there are bemos,
and more recently larger buses. It is possible to travel to places further a
field from Kalabahi, but still on the island of Alor, by bus, ojek (motorbike
with rider), or by 'panser' (WWII Japanese jeeps).
Transport to Alor during the wet season is sometimes disrupted due to high
winds and large waves.
The islands Pantar and Alor are connected by a regular (usually daily)
motor boat service. The journey takes about half a day. One service connects
Kalabahi and west Pantar (Baranusa), the other Kalabahi and east Pantar (Kabir).
In the rainy season, services are often disrupted due to bad weather
conditions. Baranusa and Kabir are also connected by a small ferry, in order
to avoid having to cross the mountain ridge that separates both parts of the
island. There are only one or two cars or trucks on Pantar, and transport is
mainly by boat, motorbike, by foot, or (in flat areas) by bicycle and wooden
hand cart. There is one bank on the island (in Baranusa, west Pantar), and
there are several secondary schools, as well as a few small shops, but there
is no post office, no hospital, and no hotel or restaurant. In Baranusa there
is a small lodge. Markets are held regularly in Kabir and Baranusa.
Local Attractions
Some of the best snorkelling and diving can be found in the Alor
archipelago. Due to unpredictable and often very strong currents it is best to
snorkel or dive with someone who knows the area well.
Alor is a very photogenic location, with crystal clear water containing
beautiful coral reefs, spectacular mountains, with equally spectacular vistas
from the top, and colourful locals.
Aside from the two languages Alorese and Kalabahi Malay, which are both
Austronesian languages, all of the languages spoken on the island of Alor are
Papuan languages otherwise known as non-Austronesian languages. There are at
least 15 languages spoken on Alor, with some estimates going as high as 50
languages.
The actual number is most likely to be 15 - 30. All of these are endangered
languages, with some having as few as 500 speakers, and many children no
longer learning a local language, but being brought up learning Indonesian as
their first language.
The Ethnologue for Nusa Tenggara Timor in Indonesia has more cultural
information. |
