ER
THE tourist attraction in Alor, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), is not only just marine tourism. However, in the regency which is famous for its dugong mammal called ‘Mawar’ it has a unique history and culture especially in the Takpala Village.
Takpala Village is a traditional village in Lembur Barat Village, Alor Tengah Utara District, Alor Regency, East Nusa Tenggara. The location of the village on the hill is inhabited by around 13 Abui family heads.
Currently Takpala has become a tourism asset that is considered a cultural preservation and is protected in the regional regulations of Alor Regency.
Not surprisingly, Takpala is now one of the mandatory destinations when visiting Alor. The unique impression of the Abui with traditional clothing woven with traditional hand tools. The clothes they use to welcome tourists who come to their villages while dancing lego-lego.
For fashion, dancers usually use Alor’s sarong and woven cloth. Whereas the male dancer’s head uses a head covering made of cloth, and the hair of the female dancer is left loose. Aside from being a dancing attribute, dancers are equipped with anklets that produce sounds following the dancers’ footsteps.
Tourists can also use or rent custom clothing complete with head and anklet accessories. It is an attraction itself, which attracts tourists to take pictures with a very natural setting, including Lopo houses made of bamboo and pyramid-shaped reeds.
To rent clothes, the people there have not imposed a standard tariff. “Just be sincere. But usually there are those who give Rp.50,000 or more,” said Sonny, who works at the Alor Regency Tourism Office.
The Abui people are very friendly and unpretentious towards tourists, it’s no wonder that many tourists always want to return to this oldest traditional village. We can also see the daily activities of the Abui.
To get to the Takpala Village, tourists can use a motorized vehicle with a distance of 11 kilometers from Kalabahi the capital of Alor Regency or approximately 30 minutes to get there. So if you go to Alor, don’t forget to visit Takpala Village. [traveltext.id]
