Taking it to the streets

While traveling around Flores isn't hard persay, it surely isn't comfortable or pleasent either. What it lacks in comfort, it makes up as a memory you're soon not to forget. To get from town to town you stand on the street and wait to flag down a colorful Bemo travling in your direction and jump in. Usually fitting only 10 people properly it's common for these to balloon to well over 25 people during your ride. All the chairs are quick to be snatched up before huge bags of rice, or any other bulk food fills in any and all free space to add additional seats. When that's not enough younger people hop out and climb onto the roof of the minivan sitting on top of more rice, building materials and traveler's bags. These bemos are hot, dusty and play horrible pop music way too loud for hours as you make your way through colorful Flores.

When Cassie and I arrived in Ende, Flores we only had a day or two to visit the city. To be honest there wasn't really much to see, so one afternoon we sat on the side of the street and photographed life as it passed us by. Bemo's, motorbikes, pedestrians, and even more Bemo's. While sitting there we remarked many times on how much fun this was to just let the photos come to us.