About Lombok

Lombok (population 2,950,105 in 2005) is an island in West Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia. It is part of the chain of the Lesser Sunda Islands, with the Lombok Strait separating it from Bali to the west and the Alas Strait between it and Sumbawa to the east. It is roughly circular, with a "tail" to the southwest, about 70km across and a total area of about 4,725 km² (1,825 sq mi). The provincial capital and largest city on the island is Mataram.

History
The Dutch first visited Lombok in 1674 and settled the eastern most part of the island, leaving the western half to be ruled by a Hindu dynasty from Bali. The Sasaks chafed under Balinese rule, and a revolt in 1891 ended in 1894 with the annexation of the entire island to the Netherlands East Indies.

Geography & Demographics
The Lombok Strait marks the passage of the biogeographical division between the fauna of the Indomalayan ecozone and the distinctly different fauna of Australasia that is known as the Wallace Line, for Alfred Russel Wallace, who first remarked upon the distinction between these two major biomes.

The island's topography is dominated by the centrally-located stratovolcano Mount Rinjani, which rises to 3,726 m (12,224 ft), making it the third-highest in Indonesia. The most recent eruption of Rinjani was in May-June, 2009, which was a small oozing eruption of 'Gunung Baru' (New Mountain). The volcano, and its crater lake, 'Segara Anak' (child of the sea), are protected by a National Park established in 1997. The southern part of the island is a fertile plain where corn, rice, coffee, tobacco and cotton are grown.

The island's inhabitants are 85% Sasak whose origins are thought to have migrated from Java in the first millennium BC. Other residents include 10-15% Balinese, with the small remainder being Chinese, Arab, Javanese and Sumbawanese. Since the Sasak population typically practice Islam, the landscape is punctuated with mosques and minarets. Islamic traditions and holidays influence the Island's daily activities.

Economy & Politics
Proximity to Bali is Lombok’s blessing, and its curse. While only 25 miles separate the two islands, they are in fact worlds apart. "Indeed, overzealous tourism officials notwithstanding, Lombok is not “an unspoiled Bali,” or “Bali’s sister island.” Lombok is not Bali at all, and that is precisely its charm." Lombok has retained a more natural, uncrowded and undeveloped environment, which attract travelers who come to enjoy its relaxed pace and the opportunity to explore the island's unspoiled but spectacular natural beauty.

The most-developed center of tourism is Senggigi, spread in a 30-kilometer strip along the coastal road north of Mataram, while backpackers congregate in the Gili Islands off the west coast. Other popular tourist destinations include Kuta (distinctly different from Kuta, Bali) where surfing is considered some of the best in the world by leading surfing magazines. The Kuta area is also famous for its beautiful, untouched beaches.

While the area may be considered economically depressed by First World standards, the island is fertile, has sufficient rainfall in most areas for agriculture, and possesses a variety of climate zones. Consequently, food in abundant quantity and variety is available inexpensively at local farmer's markets. A family of 4 can eat rice, vegetables, and fruit for as little as US$0.50. Even though a family income may be as small as US$1.00 per day from fishing or farming, many families are able to live a happy and productive live on astonishingly small incomes.

Tourism
Following the fall of Suharto regime in 1998, Indonesia experienced a period of domestic unrest. At the same time terrorism in Indonesia further aggravated domestic unrest across the archipelago. In early 2000, religious and ethnic violence (ostensibly provoked by Jemaah Islamiyah Islamist agitators) flared up in the Ampenan area of Mataram and the southern area of Senggigi. Many foreign embassies issued Travel Warnings advising of the potential danger of traveling to Indonesia.

This period of unrest dramatically impacted tourism to Lombok. Tourism has been slow to return to Lombok, provoked in part by a worldwide reluctance to travel because of global tensions. Only since 2008, when most countries lifted their Travel Warnings has tourism recovered to the pre-2000 levels.

Both the local government and many residents recognize that tourism and services related to tourism can potentially be a major source of income to the Island. The island's natural beauty and the customary hospitality of its residents make it an obvious tourist destination.

Lombok now appears to be on the verge of a tourist boom. With the commercialization of Bali over the past few years, and with it the accompanying traffic and reduction in open, natural spaces, many tourists are discovering the charm of 'Undiscovered' Lombok. With this new interest comes the development of a number of posh boutique resorts on the island serving quality food and drinks, but just a stones throw away from rural, unspoiled countryside - much as Bali was decades ago.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Scroll down now right to the bottom for a day-by-day account of my 3D4N break at Lombok, Indonesia!

Day 4 - 16 July - "All Good Things Will Come to an End"

This day was the last of our stay at Nirvana Roemah Air. We finished packing up and were waiting for the local guide to pick us up. Our flight back home was in the evening so we booked another day tour with him. To 'kill' time, we had our last shot at fishing. Lo and behold, we were in for a surprise. Out of a sudden, Grimlock sprang up to his feet and went for his rod. The fishing line went straight and was taut. Hurray, Grimlock got a fish!

Grimlock got into quite a fight with the fish which lasted about eight minutes. The rod went a-bending. I could see it was quite tiring on Grimlock's part. I was hopeful it was a BIG fish, hee hee :) - part of the action was captured on video here:



I stopped recording when the line suddenly was no longer taut. We thought we lost the fish. Grimlock continued to wind in the fishing line and look...

Grimlock got his first fish!

We had no net with us so Grimlock lifted the fish out of the waters.

Quite a nice-looking fish - silvery with light blue lines on the body.

It was not that big a fish so we decided to release it back to the sea. I later checked with my brother who is a fishing enthusiast. He told us it belongs to the snapper family. He was the one who gave us a 'crash' course on fishing prior to the trip, as well as assembled and loaned us the fishing gear.

It was also time to bid Nirvana Roemah Air a fond goodbye. It was low tide again so when we were about 100m away from the mainland building, we had to disembark from the perahu fishing boat, rolled up our burmudas/pants and got down into the water (slightly below our knee caps).

The entrance to Nirvana Roemah Air. The guy in the photo was the staff who attended to us during our stay; very hospitable chap.

The first stop of our day tour was a visit to a pottery village. Either I ate something wrong for breakfast or it was the traveling, the first thing I did upon arrival was to head for the toilet. I felt better after throwing up. Reminder to self: Must buy travel/motion-sickness pills the next time round.

When I finally settled down, one of the villagers gave me (aka her one-time apprentice) a demo on clay sculpting (see video clip below). She had a few figurines for me to pick on for the piece I wanted to make. There wasn't a cat. No surprise then the cat came to mind so I requested for this. I did part of the initial modeling but ended up I was quite contented to have her finish the piece for me (I also couldn't follow her instructions in Bahasa Indonesia).

Well, the Mouse did give the final touches to the cat figurine. The figurine looks more like a piglet instead. I'm glad most of the sculpting was not my doing, hahaha. I find it bears some resemblance of Skoda which Grimlock disagrees on.

I bought coasters as souvenirs for my colleagues, and this placemat for our home. The image is the reptile that we saw while on the gondola ride - it symbolises happiness.

After the visit to the pottery village, we took lunch at a restaurant which the local guide strongly recommended of. The outdoor area is made up of pavilions like this one - we took our lunch here.

A water pot beside each pavilion for patrons to wash their hands. You need to put out the small stick at the bottom and the water will flow out.

Clockwise (from top left-hand corner): Chilli kangkong (vegetable), four-dish lunch with rice, ayam taliwang (chicken), tauhu goreng (fried beancurd) with a dip, coconut juice with honey (very nice!) and grilled fish.

Then the guide brought us to the Monkeys' Mountain. He bought groundnuts for us to feed the monkeys. Monkeys are very smart creatures. In one of the photos, you'll see the leader of the pack - he picks his groundnuts and won't eat those that are spoilt. The guide handed out a mineral water bottle, with some special conoction that he wouldn't tell me, and the Alpha took it from his hand and gulped down the content.

After the Monkeys' Mountain, we headed for the Senggigi region, the main tourist strip of Lombok. The drive took close to 1.5hour and the road was quite winding. I was feeling nauseous again and this time, I might have eaten too much for lunch too. I kept falling asleep during the traveling - I'd have managed better if the guide left me to snooze (normally this is what I do during such traveling) but he kept trying to "help" me stay awake by making small talk (uurrgggghhh). We made a few stopovers to take in the views along the way:

After getting off at Senggigi, I went straight for the toilet - 'merlioned' again :( We were only given 30minutes to look around. By now, I had enough of the sea, beaches and the place is too touristy for my liking, so we settled down in a bar for drinks and a light snack. After Senggigi, it was time for us to head for the airport. This wrapped up our Lombok vacation.

To sum it up all, I enjoyed myself thoroughly. It had been quite a while since I last travelled to a rural place for a vacation. The main experience was akin to going back to the basics, not just referring to going off certain modern conveniences for the few short days, but more of a re-weighing and refocusing of priorities and motivations. The people depend on agriculture and fishing for their livelihood. The area is rich in produce such as rice, maize, cashew nuts, bananas and even gold. They may not have much materialistically or they 'make-do' with what they have - but they are no less happy, and maybe even derive a different sense of contentment or satisfaction altogether.

I'm thankful to Grimlock for the thoughts, time and efforts in making this vacation possible.

Day 3 - 15 July - Under the Sea

Thank God that our beauty sleep was not disrupted by some prayer calls in the early morning, hahaha... However, it was still an early "rise and shine" for us. MightyMouse started off her day by walking around the villa and she happily snapped away with her camera:

This day was the key highlight of our stay. We headed to two nearby islands for our first-go at snorkeling. The villa staff arranged for our trip - we paid Rp$500,000 (S$72.64), inclusive of rentals of the boat, lifejackets and snorkeling 'fins', as well as lunch. For hygiene purpose :), we brought along our own snorkeling goggles and mouthpiece for the trip. The boat (perahu fishing boat) is the same one that the villa staff used to ferry guests to-and-fro the main building and the villas.

The shores of the first island that we went to - just look at how clear and inviting the waters are:

It took me quite a while to get used to the snorkeling gear and getting a grip of the breathing technique. The water is so very salty. Grimlock adapted quickly. It is a pity I don't have photos to show what I saw under the sea. Lovely corals and all those beautiful marine fish. My maiden snorkeling expedition will remain as an unforgetable experience for a long time to come. No wonder why some people get hooked on to snorkeling. This may set the direction for our future vacations :)

We were taken to another island for lunch and then more snorkeling. This is a private island awaiting further development into a tourist area. In the meantime, the island is taken care of by the locals. Scenic and peaceful surroundings - I'll let the photos speak for themselves. The snorkeling was so-so; not as many corals (these were mostly "dead") and marine fish in sight.

We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. When we got back to the villa, it was more sunset for us...

Day 2 - 14 July (Part II) - Looking Beyond

Grimlock took up a Honeymoon package (yah, I know we've been married for five good years but this is what the resort termed the package as) for our stay at Nirvana Roemah Air, inclusive of two-night stay (we extended by one more night), daily breakfast, one romantic dinner at a nearby island and a day tour. On day 2 (14 July), a local guide picked us up for the day tour of the town area.

The first stop was to take a ride down part of the Meningting river on a gondola (bamboo raft). We had some glimpses of the Sasak people who have set up their homes (ie villages) by the river. There are those who depend on the river for their livelihood, others who take their baths and draw water from it, some who use the river as a form of transportation, and many whose livestock flourish because of it.

The pollution was quite bad. With the lack of a proper refuse disposal system in place, the river and its bank are being used as dumping grounds. This trip was altogether an eye-opener for an urbanite like me.

This group was transporting back some grass that they just harvested for their cattle:


See the reptile that is perching on the bamboo? This species can be widely seen here.

After the gondola ride, we were taken to a restaurant for lunch. The very word lombok means "chili pepper" in Bahasa Indonesia. The dishes you see below aren't quite as spicy as one might expect, except for the chilli condiment in the Gado-Gado dish ('shiok' is the word to describe - my nose cleared up after eating it).

The bottled tea that Grimlock had. The bottle design speaks of nostalgia...


Gado-gado vegetable salad (simple but quite nice):


A well-known local dish, ayam taliwang - chicken coated with a rich red sauce flavored with galangal, turmeric and tomato. The meat is quite tasty - just too bad that kampung chicken is being used so the meat is very little and chewy.


Another popular local dish, grilled fish. Very little or simple seasoning is being used, yet the dish is actually quite nice (one can taste the freshness of the fish meat).

After lunch, we proceeded to another village known for textiles weaving using traditional looms to produce traditional Ikat and Songket fabrics. This is a traditional handicraft of the Sasak, the pre-dominant cultural group in Lombok (85% Sasak - Muslims). The girls start to learn how to weave from about the age of eight. Once a marriage proposal has been made, the girl would have to make three pieces of textile - one for her mother-in-law, one for her husband and one for herself.

A weaving demo by one of the villagers; she is considered to have attained an intermediate level of skills. The more complicated the designs, the greater the number of thread looms.

We bought two pieces of textiles (Rp35,000=S$5.07) - these will make lovely sofa throws :) for our home. The visit to the weaving village wrapped up the day tour.

The structures you see in the photo, taken from the mainland bulding, are the two floating villas of Nirvana Roemah Air. Ours is the one on the right.

We spent the rest of the day catching our first sunset at Lombok - we took in the view from right on the deck. And when the night finally descended, the skies were laced with stars; something one won't get to see back in Singapore, not unless if you get to a very remote, not well-lit area.

I browsed through the villa's guest comments book and saw that guests who stayed here previously came from all parts of the world - Australia, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany and a few others. I had the honour of being the first from Singapore to leave word in the book, which I did with much gladness.

We were supposed to go to one of the nearby islands for a candlelight dinner on the shores (also part of the Honeymoon package). There was some delay by the staff in getting the things ready and it was getting too dark (and we couldn't gauge the currents). I didn't feel safe taking a boat under such circumstances so we settled for dinner on the deck instead. Given the surroundings, the dinner was romantic nonetheless.

Day 2 - 14 July (Part I) - Living Daylights

At about 4.53am, the silence of the wee hours was broken with a prayer call. This went on for about 10-15 minutes, followed with a prayer call from another mosque which lasted about five minutes. Both of us already had problems getting into sleep earlier. After the last prayer call ended, we called it quits trying to get back to sleep. It was only slightly after 6am - fancy having to wake up so early even while on holiday. So I went around the villa to take a better look of the surroundings now that it was already quite bright...

Views of the deck:


Interior views of the villa:



A peep of what lies beneath from under the coffeetable:


Views of the sea all-around, from the front and side of the bed:

Grimlock wasted no time in assembling the fishing gear:

The surroundings on film:


And mentioned on the villa's website: Each floating villa is carefully designed and constructed in accordance with the concept of the ancient floating bamboo hut of the local fishermen, called “Bagan”. Each floating villa is anchored by four independent anchors; two on the front and another two at the back of the floating villa.

We could feel the villa move according to the rhythm of the wave and wind, and at times, heard the friction sound of the wood used to construct the villa. The water from the taps is drawn from a well on the mainland and then stored in a water tank below the villa. On one of the days during our stay, there was suddenly no electricity (fortunately it was daytime) and at times, it took a while for the water to flow out from the taps and at times, blackish water came out of the taps before the water turned clear. Such experiences and the missing conveniences (water heater, aircon and TV) kind of like evoked memories of my childhood where living conditions were basic back then.

Day 1 - 13 July - What Lies Ahead...

We arrived at Mataram's Selaparang Airport, Lombok's only airport at 7pm+. A local guide picked us up and packed us into a van for our place of stay, Nirvana Roemah Air which was a 1.5-hour drive away. The road got quite winding at one point and some parts of the road was also very narrow. The driver was quite skillful so the traveling was bearable.

When we finally arrived at Nirvana Roemah Air - reputed to be the first and only floating villas in Indonesia, it was pitch dark. Visitors have a choice of only two villas - one stands on stilts on the sea, while the other one is about 200m away from the beach, afloat on the sea water. Our accomodation was the one out on the sea. It was low tide by the time we arrived. We had to roll up our pants, changed our footware into slippers and treaded on feet out to deeper waters where a small boat was waiting to take us to our villa. I was quite amused by this mini "expedition" and wondered what would unfold during the course of our stay.

The villa is about 64 metres square in floor area; small yet cosy. We found out there was no TV nor VCD player (contrary to what we were told); no water heater; no Internet and no aircon. The villa is also quite dimly lit (fortunately, the deck was well-lit though). We had to keep our showers short because the water was rather cold and chilly winds came through the windows which had shuttered panes that cannot be closed.

We took dinner, did some unpacking and went to bed. The villa was swaying slightly from side-to-side with the sweeping waves below it and winds blowing away. It soon dawned upon me why the villa doesn't come with aircon. It took me a while before I fell asleep and I didn't sleep well that night.