Went for an interesting ride today, not on a SOHC4 but a Yamaha 150cc single. It also had a near non-existent rear brake, a front number plate from Bali and no rear number plate, and I have no idea of the status of the registration -- a friend lent it to me with all these caveats. I'm on Sumba island, pretty remote eastern Indonesia, and today was the fourth democratic election since 1999. I'm here poking around, so today I rode about 70km south of Waingapu to Melolo, stopping by a few polling places on the way and avoiding goats and chickens and dogs that dart across the road, not to mention potholes (although it's better now than the last time I was here, in 2007). I stopped at Kampung Praiyawung, a traditional village of Sumbanese royalty where I spent some time before, and talked to a few people (and avoided buying ikat, although it was beautiful), as well as at the nearby polling station. On the way back I dodged more livestock and a cop on a smaller scooter -- I passed him and floored it because they won't even give chase if they know they can't catch you and I wasn't sure if he'd care about the rear plate. It was a beautiful ride marred only by a little bit of nerves concerning the rear brake, but I survived.
The huge monoliths are royal tombs -- the entire village has to drag them to their spot. And the woman in the photo lives in one of the houses in the background, and was showing me her inked finger -- proof she voted.
