Garuda Indonesia Colours Magazine September 2016 | Page 77

Explore | Flavours

© Will Meyrick and Herlia Adisasmita

Lying just east of Sumbawa,
about an hour by air from
thriving Bali, Sumba’s rugged
natural landscapes, beautiful
culture and simple homely
cuisine will leave you grateful
that it’s still something of
a traveller’s secret.
I arrived on the island of Sumba to
experience the food of a timeless culture and
t o experience the number-one hotel in the
world as rated by Travel + Leisure magazine.
Nihiwatu, on the edge of the Timor Sea, is an
outpost of luxury in an ancient land.
Established in 1989, the award-winning
resort (still the only one on the island) has
quietly grown into one of the most legendary
destinations for experienced surfers and
intrepid adventurers from around the globe.
Set against the wild beauty and rugged
nature of the island, the resort has become
a popular hideaway for luxury-seekers
with a conscience. The original owner
of Nihiwatu, American Claude Graves,
established the property together with the
Sumba Foundation (www.sumbafoundation.
org) with a vision to protect and preserve the
unique culture of Sumba and empower the
local communities to support themselves and
their families. The resort is proud to employ
over 90% local Sumbanese, a team with
a genuine spirit of hospitality.
Sumba is magnificent to look at, but the land
is dry, and the subsistence farming reflects
this scarcity of moisture in its soils. The
Sumbanese plant corn and cassava, and tend
to roaming herds of buffalo. They live closely
in their communities of high-topped, lowhanging thatched houses, sharing and
surviving much as they have done for
hundreds of years; still using the small stocky
ponies for transport, and feasting on buffalo
to celebrate the bounty of the seas and soils.
Despite royal families, a tradition of ancestor
worship, intricate, beautiful weavings and
riches counted in horses, the food of Sumba
is simple and hearty, highlighting the natural
flavour of each ingredient used. Dishes use

Since the colonial era Sumba has been
renowned for its stocky but hearty
sandalwood ponies.
A trip to the local markets is always my
favourite way of getting to know a new
destination and its people better.
The winding roads of wild Sumba.

Sumba is magnificent to look at,
but the land is dry, and the
subsistence farming reflects this
scarcity of moisture in its soils.

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