The spookiest island I have ever visited is Satonda, the uninhabited caldera of an extinct volcano that rises out of the sea off the coast of Sumbawa in eastern Indonesia. Its not far from the massive stratovolcano of Tambora, which exploded in 2015 in the biggest eruption in recorded history. A mysterious vast stone shaped like a giant coffin lies at the centre of the island, covered in moss. According to local folklore in nearby islands, this stone is a gateway to the land of the dead. Pilgrims come to the island to leave offerings tied to a tree that overlooks the stone. When I visited in 1999, aboard a yacht called the Sri Noa Noa, dozens of small stones were hanging from the branches of the tree, as well as a headless, one-armed, naked Barbie doll, twisting in the wind. The island is infested with fruit bats, and as we sailed away at dusk, thick columns of tens of thousands of them began flying off to hunt, turning the sky black. As we looked back, we were sure we saw lights on the island, even though there was nobody there.
Posted on: Wed, 21 Jan 2015 20:45:15 +0000
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