Pulau Roti Off The Beaten Path Tips by theo1006

Japanese caves at Bebalain

Also near Bebalain hamlet on the south coast one can visit the caves the Japanese army dug here in defense of a possible attack from the direction of Australia. When we indicated we wanted to see them, villagers were eager to lead the way with little oil lamps. The caves are dug in rocky soil and surprisingly clean, we could not ascertain their extent.

Directions: Bebalain hamlet, Bandu village, Lobalain district, near the south coast.

The Zacharias cemetery

As said elsewhere, Rote used to be governed by 18 raja's, each with their own domain. Not much seems to remain to show for most of them. Apart from the Ba'a and Ti'i palaces we were shown the cemetery of the Zacharias dynasty of the Lole tribe in Bebalain hamlet. Pak Adie, our guide, did not know the exact location, so he chartered colleagues from the village primary school to point out the cemetery. The few tombs are seriously dilapidated, the names unreadable, so you have to take the word of the villagers that the raja's Daniel Zacharias and Paulus Zacharias are buried here. However, there is also a recent grave of a toddler who died at the age of two. Most of the descendents now live on Java and even in the Netherlands.

Next to the cemetery is a traditional house (rumah adat) said to have belonged to the raja's bodyguard.

Directions: Bebalain hamlet, Bandu village, Lobalain district, near the south coast.