Long name! The island of Lombok is separated from Bali by the Lombok Straight. It has a population of 3 million! The Dutch first visited the island in the 1600's but settled mostly on the eastern half leaving the rest to be ruled by the dynastic Hindus from Bali. Mount Rinjani is the third highest volcano in the Indonesian Islands, rising up 12,224 feet. It last erupted in 1994. Lombok advertises itself as the "unspoiled Bali" trying to draw more tourism.
We were anchored in Lembar Harbor, 12 miles south of the main city of Mataram. We learned later that the mayor and governor were on the pier to greet the ship. When we arrived there was so much confusion and noise (or was that music?) that we missed all that and headed toward the parking lot. I guess only 3 large cruise ships arrive each year, so it was a big deal. We joined 2 other couples in a small van for a few hours of touring. The van had air but it took it about 20 minutes to cool down, at which time we would stop to see something, then start all over again. The day was HOT. I guess it was only about 85, but extremely high humidity.
On our way to our first stop, a town known for it's weaving, we passed by many lush rice fields. Everything was green. Except for the garbage which was every where. The rivers were polluted, as were the small channels next to the road. People were washing in that dirty water, we passed by a farmer washing his cow in a channel! There was garbage piled high in some yards, it just seemed to be the norm. We noticed a lot floating in the harbor as we approached the pier also. Pretty sad for such a beautiful country.
We stopped at a weaving shop. They had 2 looms set up outside to watch, many beautiful pieces of fabric inside. The fabric being made there was cotton, but a bit coarser than quilting cotton we find at home. They also sold some batiks which were beautiful. Next stop was a temple which was built in the 1070's. It didn't seem to be kept up very well. We were asked for a donation for the temple on our way in, which we did. We were asked for a donation for the guide on the way out. Guess they should have asked for it all up front. Kind of left a bad taste in all of us. The guide tried to explain the different offerings which were near the altar. It was so hot, it was hard to concentrate on what he was saying. Felt good to get back in the van...after 20 minutes.
Our next stop was a market in a small town. I don't think they saw very many tourists there. We were all quite popular. I bought some batik fabric, then we bought cold drinks. It was an interesting market. We headed on to a village known for it's pottery. The store/factory we stopped at had a huge showroom, if that's what you could call it. More like the back room of a store or a warehouse. They had some beautiful pieces at very reasonable prices, but how do you bring home a huge pot? We purchased 2 small pieces. While they were being wrapped, the girl offered us the 2 larger pieces for so little that we took those too. Hope they make it home!
Our guide and driver decided to take the "scenic" route on our way back to the ship. We traveled down very narrow and VERY bumpy roads to a small town. They said they had never taken tourists there before. We were swarmed by about 15 small children, very cute. The were shy at first but then all wanted to be in our pictures. One boy was carrying a small chicken on a string. We kept asking him to hold it up for the pictures. We felt like we should give them something but how much to whom? We ended up giving a bit of money to 2 of the women and left.
Back at the port by about 2:00, it started to pour. There were some shade tents set up for vendors so we got under those for a while, hoping the rain would stop. The tourism office was set up under one and were giving out ponchos, so we took those and went to visit the vendor booths. There were some nice wood carvings and a lot of fabric. I bought a bag that was quilted with batiks which fit all the rest of our purchases. We stood on the pier in the pouring rain waiting for the tender, we were soaked by the time we got on one. The shower when we returned to our cabin felt great. I had to dry everything out.
Tomorrow is Komodo Island, home of the endangered Komodo Dragons. We've been warned not to carry any food, especially meat. Any female on her period is asked not to get off the ship. Don't think that's much of an issue with these passengers! Apparently the dragons are very dangerous and able to eat an animal as large as a human without chewing. Do we really want to do this?
Get a jump start on your taxes. Find a tax professional in your neighborhood today.
No comments:
Post a Comment