I have always liked to go to visit churches, pagodas, mosques when travelling. I like sitting there and observe the people who come to pay to a God, a profet, a teacher. Those are peaceful places where I think it is possible to some extent to connect and feel the presence of the belief and faith people have. Last October I was in Larantuka, on the island of Flores (Indonesia), to conduct a study on community disaster preparedness. Larantuka is a nice district town on the sea. Next to the guesthouse where I stayed with the team there was a small church which during the day was closed. One evening, I was coming back after a sunset walk and saw lights inside the church. The door was open and I entered. I sat at the end of the church and watched as people of different ages who entered the church and prayed. They sat on small chairs or prayed on their knees. When they finished praying the went next to the statues of Jesus and the other saints and touched the feet for a brief moment, with closed eyes as to say goodbye to them. I liked the emptiness of the church which did not have banches. The reflection of the curved ceiling on the shiny floor gave me the impression of a tunnel. I found it really peaceful to sit there in silence and watch.
