September 30
– October 5, 2014
Medana Bay
Marina (08-21.883’ S x 116-07.754’ E) is a great place to stay. It is situated on the NNW of Lombok Island
and has a friendly management that will arrange anything needed for cruisers. It offers secure moorings and alongside
berths for yachts at very reasonable prices.
Private taxis with A/C for touring the island are available and
affordable. All are newer model SUV’s
and comfortable. Most of the drivers
speak some English.
Lombok is a
big island with a dense population, most of which are Muslims. It has been called the “Island of a Thousand
Mosques”. It’s land mass is equal to or
greater than Bali and, from ancient times, has had an intimate relationship
with Bali and its Kings. It blends both
the modern and traditional ways of life.
Farming and rice plantations are an important part of the culture. The indigenous population are called Sasaks
and they speak a different language that the Bahasa Indonesian. Also, their religion is based upon Animism –
a worship of nature, ancestors, and spirits.
This is surprising given that the majority of the people are Muslims
with Hindus and Christians in the minority.
Somehow, they have held onto their beliefs as Lombok has developed into
a modern society.
We visited
one of the traditional Sasak villages with about 150 families living in
traditional thatched huts with dirt and cow dung floors. The interiors were simple but clean with just
the bare necessities for cooking on a type of earthen wood stove. Since there were no windows, the interior was
poorly lighted. The polishing of the
thatched hut floors with cow dung is steeped in a tradition that I don’t
understand and was not able to get a good explanation from the village
spokesman. When young couples wish to
marry, there is a kidnapping of the woman by her lover and they run off to
parts unknown. The bride-to-be’s family
will be angry and the couple have to wait until they are invited back into the
village. Since this is the way it is
done by everyone, it has to be more ritual than surprise. We were told that there are nine Sasak
villages with a total population of five thousand inhabitants. There are many more living a modern life
style outside of the traditional one.
Lombok is
very picturesque and has a little bit of everything: rice fields, mountains,
waterfalls, surfing, volcanoes, trekking, diving, sailing, etc. Gunung Rinjani (Mt. Rinjani) rises to 12,300
ft and is the second largest volcano in Indonesia. It is sacred to both Hindus and Sasaks and pilgrimages
are made to the top during certain ceremonial events. It takes three days to access the top and
return. There are guides, porters and
trekking companies that provide everything the hiker needs. There seems to be
an expat community working the various businesses that Western tourists
frequent. Kuta beach (same name as the
more famous one on Bali) has an active surfing scene and expat community. We had lunch at “Drop In”, one of the small
local eateries run by a Swiss couple. It
was reminiscent in style and food choices of places we might have eaten at in
the sixties.
There are an
incredible number of artisans selling their wares locally and internationally:
ikat, pottery, woodcarvings, jewelry, batik and anything else that will sell. On top of all this, it is the first time,
since entering Indonesia, that the big modern supermarkets appear. We have left the remote areas of Tanimbar,
Alor, Flores, Sumbawa and now enter back into the modern world with all its
attractions and decadence. The one thing
that hasn't changed is the incredible amount of rubbish and plastic that
litters everything including the sea.
This is a
world of the very wealthy, a healthy middle class and farmers. The horse cart that taxis people runs
alongside the motorized buses and motor scooters. Indonesia is a land of motor bikes. It is the principal means of transportation
and the riders are very skillful in maneuvering around. Amazingly, we have seen very few accidents in
the chaos that appears.
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