Tambolaka is a small city on Sumba that is the gateway to western side of the island. We flew directly from Bali to here and will fly out from here tomorrow. There is another airport on the eastern side at Waingapu.
Our driver takes us from Waikabubak to Tambolaka in the morning, arriving around 11am. We book into our hotel then it’s to lunch at the Sumba Hospitality School about 20km out of town. It’s a Belgium foundation that runs a school on the island to train locals for the hospitality industry. There are about 60 students chosen from around 900 applicants so competition is tough. They target school leavers and up to 23 years of age and they say they give preference to those from underprivileged backgrounds. The course runs for a year and the students board onsite. Teachers are interns from Belgium universities. They also have English teachers providing the necessary skills of English. Classes are supplemented with a 5- month internship with a hotel in Bali.
We signed up for lunch, which gives the students an opportunity to apply their new skills on real customers. Students can specialise in one of five disciplines, from room cleaning to table service.
The rest of the afternoon for me is walking around the town taking photos. Foreigners are a bit of a novelty for the locals, especially around the markets. They love you taking their photo, asking you then thanking you. I say thank you to them.
angusmccoll 