Life is what you make of it, and we managed to truly make the most out of this years ‘charm of Mentawai’ festival. We had some wonderful company, made great new friends and managed to have a lot of fun during our week on Sipora…
What follows is an account of our trip, with as much information as possible should you wish to trace our steps for yourself.
It all began with a boat ride. We took the Gambolo ferry from Bungus to Sipora on the evening of the 17th April, arriving early in the morning on the 18th. One thing that I would like to highlight is that this ferry is not the most comfortable; my advice is to get a bed in the VIP room and try to sleep for as much of the journey as possible! Wear cool clothes, too; it gets very hot due to overcrowding. At sunrise you will be woken by the call to prayer – if that isn’t your thing, head outside to watch the sun come up and see the passing mangrove forests as the ferry slowly comes into port. – a ferry ticket plus bed in the VIP room came to 130,000 rupiah per person.
Arriving at the port in Tuapejat we were met by our friend Edo, who escorted us to a guesthouse which he assured us would not be far from the weeks events. Our trip had been planned at the last minute, so we were expecting accommodation to be a bit of a problem. As it happened, we struck gold.
Telescope homestay (not to be confused with Telescope surf spot..), situated in the center of Mappadegat – a very small town situated a 10minute drive from Tuapejat, is by no means a five star resort, but instead provides basic rooms with shared bathrooms for 150,000 rupiah per room per night. There are warungs situated nearby, which serve breakfast through to dinner, everyday. The homestay was about a three minute leisurely stroll to the newly erected main stage, where all of the weeks major events would take place, as well as an even shorter distance to the pristine coastline with it’s crystal blue waters and clean sandy beaches. That alone made it perfect for our stay.
What we could never have guessed, and what turned out to be the highlight of our entire visit, was who would be occupying the remaining rooms of the homestay…
Our constant companions for the week were four Mentawai
Sikerei, or shaman, and a few members of their family. We had previously assumed that the sikerei would be a presence at the festival, but couldn’t believe our luck when we found ourselves living with them for the week.
The sikerei are incredibly interesting. They are traditional medicine men, who have the ability to be possessed by the spirits of nature and who use herbs, chant and dance as their methods of healing. However, all of this certainly doesn’t mean that they are a dour, serious bunch – they are best described as mischievous and love nothing more than a practical joke, as we learned during our week with them.
The weeks events took place mainly in the evening, which came as a relief due to the immense heat of the island on a number of days, and left us with free time in the day to explore the local area, and take advantage of our close proximity to the clear blue waters.
We became frien
ds with Alvin, a man, originally from Ireland, who visits Sipora every year during the down season of his job in New Zealand. Alvin is a great character and knows everything about the local community at Mappadegat. Towards the end of the week, Alvin offered to take us out on his small boat to see the area from on top of the waves and it was amazing.
We got a chance to see some of the major surf and dive spots, as well as the unbelievably beautiful natural landscape, ranging from craggy cliff faced islands to dense mangrove forests. We returned during a beautiful sunset, just in time for the evenings festivities on the beach.
During the week we saw traditional dance and musical performances, and, of course displays from the Sikerei, including the infamous tattooing process. It was a very local affair, with the majority of visitors being from the surrounding towns and villages. The atmosphere was friendly and welcoming; it was a true taste of mentawai culture.
If you find yourself in Mappadeget, call in on our friends Tom and Karen who run the local foundation, right next to the beach, where locals come to learn English, swimming and surfing; they will be grateful, too, for any time you can spend with their students, even if it’s just five minutes.
We returned to Padang on the night of the 22nd – faster than we had expected due to our companions work commitments. We were all sorry to leave, but the most wrenching of goodbyes came with our farewell to the Sikerei. Having stayed in such close proximity, under such unusual circumstances for the week, we all felt very sad to part. Bayu and Aman Lepon exchanged promises to meet again and open invitations to our respective homes.
We returned to Bungus on the Ambu-Ambu ferry, arriving on the morning of the 23rd. The Ambu-Ambu was great. Much less crowded than the Gambolo, and with air conditioning and a TV in the VIP room – I would recommend a blanket/jumper if you find yourself aboard!
Now that the festival is over, until next year, if you want to head to Sipora to enjoy the world famous surf spots and beautiful beaches, we can get you there. Alternatively, if you want to experience traditional Mentawai culture, why not join us on a trip to Siberut to visit our friends in the jungle?
We can’t wait to return to Mentawai…
Jen is an English girl who found herself in Sumatra one day and never went back. A wife, mother, traveler and book worm, she has lived in Padang long enough to speak the language and unearth plenty of useful hints and tips for the weary traveler…
