Indonesia 2012, Lombok

Lombok 2012-7-10

Installing underground power cable in Nusa Dua

Harbour in Serangan island

Boarding the speedboat to Lombok

We had our breakfast very early, and left Swiss-belhotel Segara in Nusa Dua, Bali at 7 am. We passed many sites where large resort and hotel were being constructed. Workers were starting to come in truck loaded, on the motorbikes and on foot on the road. The red colour power cables were lying on the side of the road next to a trench where it would be buried. Rocks dug out from the trench showed that the ground was mainly coral rocks. Two metre square concrete castings were sitting on the roadside waiting to be installed underground, I didn’t know its function or purpose. The traffic polices were on duty along the major road and intersections. We passed a mangrove forest and soon arrived in front of the terminal of Blue Water Express in Serangan Island which was now connected to the mainland by a causeway.  There was a harbour with many large and small yachts and boats in the water. And it was a major terminal for speedboat service to Gili Island in Lombok. When we arrived, there were already many passengers waiting in the terminal. The lady who was organizing our trip was there too, and we left our damaged suitcase in her care, and would pick it up on our way back to Jakarta. We waited for about 15 minutes, and were told to start boarding.  The speedboat had seating capacity of 20 passengers plus 3 crews, and was equipped with four 250 HP Suzuki outboard motor. Didi later told me that each motor would cost over US $20,000.

Arriving at Gili Trawangan

Boarding the speedboat to return to Bali

Serangan Island was at the southern side of Bali and the speedboat was cruising along the eastern coast of Bali. We saw the majestic Mount Agung. The sea was not bad, and the wave was probably about one metre high. It was my first trip on a speed boat, and I was impressed of the strong impact banging at the bottom of hull the boat as it hit the water after being thrown up high by a wave. We first landed at Pemenang on the west coast of Lombok mainland to discharge some passengers. Our destination was Gili Islands which were a chain of three islands on the north-west of Lombok. The islands were stretching on a straight line, and 10 minutes later, we landed in the eastern shore of the western most island , the Gili Trawangan. There was one permanent pier but our boat moored on the beach. The opening of the cabin in the speedboat was at its stern. The boat first tried to land with its stern to make it easier to unload its passengers, but it found it difficult, and it turned around and landed on its bow. We were crab-walked along the narrow space outside of the windows of the boat from its stern to its bow, and then waded a little in the water to land on the dried sandy beach.

A girl on a busy beach

The locals were watching a soup opera

All our luggage were stored in the hull of the boat, and they were hauled up piece by piece through the small opening on the deck and carried by the porter to the beach. They were then loaded into a horse cart and taken away to our hotel. We carried only some important items in our backpack or other bags. I was not aware or didn’t find the detail of all these programs for the remaining of the day, and didn’t pack and carried all the necessary items properly. There were many tourists coming and going by speedboats. While we were waiting, I noticed that a big crowd were formed outside the small security office on the beach. I took a peek and saw two strongly built white tourists being interrogated by a local officer. There seemed to have some serious fight between them and one was threaten to kill the other after they left the island. The locals were amused to watch them spoke broken Indonesian like watching a soup opera. A young and beautiful girl lay prostrate alone on the beach in this high traffic area wearing only a tiny bikini. I wondered why she chose this spot rather than enjoying the quietness in some other area of the beach. 

The road on Gili Trawangan

There were many construction materials lying everywhere on the beach. And many horse carts were waiting for hiring. Some of them were for transporting cargo, and they were practically an open box on wheels.  A dirt road of about 7 metre wide ran along the shore with restaurants on the beach side, and guest houses and stores on the other side.  There were many tall trees to provide shade along the road and on the beach. The restaurants were mostly simple with tables and chairs on the ground. The guest houses were also looked simple and not luxury. Most of the stores were gearing for the tourists but they also served the need of the native living in the island. There was no fresh water in the island, and they were thinking of building a pipeline to bring water from Lombok mainland. Many people serving the tourist industries looked from Bali. And most people walking on the street were tourists.

Guest houses in Gili Meno

We met our tour guide and he took us to a stall down the road where we collected snorkeling equipment. We then turned back to the landing beach to board a simple glass bottom boat for our exploration of the islands. The island in the middle was called Gili Meno, and the other one on the east closest to the mainland was Gili Air. It carried this name because only in this island where fresh water was found. “Air” meant water in Indonesian. Two young female tourists asked our guide to give them a free ride to Gili Meno to find their group. It was only less than 20 minutes to cross the strait to arrive on the beautiful beach at Gili Meno. The guide said that there were fewer facilities in this island. We saw some primitive guest houses with straw roof, and some modern guest houses on the shore of this island. The beach was much cleaner as there were no commercial activities on the shore.

The road in Gili Air

Horse cart in Gili Air

We cruised along the north-west coast of Gili Meno to see some coral, fish and turtles through the glass bottom of the boat, and then proceed to land at the south-eastern tip of Gili Air. There were many tall tamarind trees near the beach where we landed. From there we hired 3 horse carts to take us to a restaurant at the northern tip of the island. The dirt road was well shaded, bumpy and was wide enough to pass two carts. Neat simple fences made of bamboos and small woods lined on both sides of the road. Coconuts were the major trees seen on the island. The soil was probably too dry and we didn’t see any vegetable gardens and other crops. Simple houses scattered individually along the road but we didn’t see any village. It took us 20 minutes to reach the restaurant. Along the road, we saw some hardy tourists walking rather than taking the cart. We paid the equivalent of US$2 for each of us to ride the cart, and the driver was complaining that we should have paid more. Each cart could take about 4 passengers, and in high season, a cart driver could make $30 a day. The income was split equally in 3 ways:  the driver, the feed and care of the horse, and the owner of the horse and cart. In less than a year, the owner could easily recapture the cost of buying a horse. I commented that the income was very good for the driver, but he complained that the cost of living was very high on the island. Everything must be brought in by boat from Lombok mainland, and the price for everything was the same for the tourist and the local. The guide said that for the same fee that we were paying, that would take us for a very long ride in Lombok mainland.

Beautiful beach in front of the restaurant

The restaurant was part of a large bungalow guest house complex. All buildings were built of natural materials. The beach in front of the restaurant was beautiful, and I wonder why our boat didn’t land here to save us from riding in the cart. The only explanation was probably to support the horse cart business. We were quickly seated, and a glass of cold freshly blended young coconut with its water was waiting for us on the table. It was for the first time that I had this drink, and it was very delicious. For sure that I would try to make it when I had the chance. The vegetable soup and freshly baked bread were also delicious.We arrived in the restaurant at 2:15 pm and were on the road again at 3:30. The horse cart driver took us on a different road to give us a tour of the island. We came by the road passing the middle of the island, and left by the road along the shore passing many restaurants on the beach. The scene was similar to what we had seen in Gili Trawangan.

Snorkeling near the shore of Gili Meno

We boarded our boat, and went north along the east coast of Gili Air about 1 km and arrived at a spot popular for snorkeling. We played for half an hour and boarded our boat again to return to Gili Trawangan. All boats landed at the eastern shore of the island for a protection against the rough sea, but our hotel Queen Villas and all other big hotels and resorts were at the western shore, and therefore, we must ride the uncomfortable carts again to go to the other side of the island. We got there just in time to watch the sunset on the beach in front of the hotel. We saw Gunung Agung across the strait in Bali. But it was mostly hidden behind clouds, and showing only its cone shape peak. I was disappointed that the colour of the sunset was not as magnificent as that we saw in other places.

The roof of the reception hall of  Queen Villas

The roof on top of the reception hall of the hotel was made of some natural materials, and it had the shape of the crown of a queen with 6 pointy spires on its base and another one in the middle. It had a long, curvedly shape swimming pool. The blue tiles in the pool made the water had the colour of marine blue. With the shortage of fresh water in this island, it must be a great challenge to maintain the quality of the water.

Gunung Agung in sunset

After we had settled in the hotel, we hired horse carts again to go for dinner. We took Jalan Gili Trawangan going south. The road went around the island. We arrived in a village which was filled with expensive sea food restaurants on both sides of the road. The cost of a warm water lobster, for example, was $55/kg, that was many times more than the cold water lobster sold in Canada. On top of that we must add 21% to cover the service charge and tax. And the way of cooking was only the simple grilling. We all ordered something less expensive and the waitresses seem were not interested in serving us. We ended up calling its manager and complained. All the restaurants were own by foreigners, and only the staff were local. We strolled along the road in the village and spent some times in a travel information booth. Vera inquired about the choices for travelling in Lombok mainland, and found out that one option was to visit the water falls. We went back to the hotel in complete darkness by cart. The tiny battery power light on the cart didn't help much. I was surprised to see in a few occasions some tourists walking on the narrow dirt road to or from the restaurant village.

Lombok 2012-7-11

Gunung Agung

We got up early to have breakfast in the hotel restaurant on the beach. The beach was composed of fine coral sands. It was beautiful and clean. The majestic Gunung Agung was clearly visible without any dense cloud cover. It was guided by a few other volcanoes on its sides. The deep marine blue water was broken by the white breaking waves at a distant, and some white boats sprinkled the canvas of a magnificent painting.

Beautiful scenery seen along the coastal road

We left the hotel at 10:30 by carts and 15 minutes later we were back at the landing beach for boats in Gili Trawangan. We took a simple boat powered by one outboard motor to go to Lombok mainland. We left at 10:45 am and arrived at Pemenang half an hour later. We left the harbour and took the beautiful coastal road Jalan Raya Senggigi going south toward Mataram. It was smooth, well planned and maintained. Even the shoulder of the road was well leveled, clean, and free of any weeds and debris. At many turns, we had the glimpses of beautiful beaches and turquoise water. Coconut trees were always ready to welcome us as we wound through valleys.

Kebon Radja restaurant

The road then curved slightly inland, and after passing Jalan Pariwisata, it became Jalan Sadeh Sungkar, and then we turned into a side road going east after passing the bridge over a small creek Kokok Menining and arrived at a restaurant called Kebon Radja (king garden). It had beautiful garden dotted with many pavilions of different styles and sizes for dining. All of us sit along a long table, and many different foods were served in small dishes. It was like going to a restaurant in Padang.

The entrance to the old China town in Mataram

We left at 1:25 pm to visit a craft centre famous for its songket weaving in Sukara. W e saw a neat  Chinese cemetery on the south side of the side road after leaving Kebon Radja.  We then turn back on Jalan Sadeh Sungkar  and entered Mataram. The guide pointed to us the entrance to an old China town on an intersection, and told us that on the adjoining street, one side was all Chinese stores and the other side was Arabic. It probably reflected that in the past these two ethnic groups dominated the economy of the area. The streets were well shaded by big trees, and it looked clean and orderly without any major traffic jam. We turned into Jalan Yos Sudarso going east.  And in a short distant passing a major intersection, it became Jalan Langko.

Paddy field

We passed the busy business section of the city. After leaving the city, we turned south on Jalan Raya Kediri, and then east on Jalan Raya Praya. We had left town and was in the country again. Some paddy in the beautiful fields was newly planted and some were in various degree of ripeness. Those that were ready for harvest had turned into gold colour. The scene of paddy field in Indonesia was always interesting. They had been divided into many small fields delineated according to the elevation contour by narrow walks and dikes. And the scenery was enhanced by coconut and other trees, and the occasional huts or houses. The majestic mountain or volcano in the background, and white clouds in the blue sky all contribute to the beauty of the scenery.

A demo of weaving songket

It took us over an hour driving on Jalan Raya Praya and arrived at the craft centreat 2:20. It had a large empty courtyard and two large buildings arranged in L-shape. There were several primitive hand weaving machines made of wood and used by the local women to produce the famous songket. We were encouraged to try them. The other building was a museum and a store. But it was too dark to see any of the artifacts on display. The merchandises in the store were targeted for the wealthy tourists. They were good in quality as well as price, and none of us bought any manor purchase here.

A paddy field with no coconut tree

We left at 3:00 and went to visit a traditional village in Sasak. We passed lake Waduk Batujai. Its shore was choked with water hycines. Large bamboo pavilion had been built among the hycines and was probably used as a restaurant. We saw a mosque with a tall and special minaret. We then turned east to Jalan Raya Sengkol toward the airport, and saw a unique scene of a dried paddy field in harvest where there was not a single coconut tree. We then turn south into Jalan Raya Kula, and arrived at the traditional village in Rembitan.

Selling souvenirs

Spinning cotton

It was about one hour drive from the airport. The village was just a ghetto of primitive and crowd houses. There was a welcoming party awaiting our arrival. A girl gave each of us a small songket scarf as a souvenir. Some houses had been converted into simple small store selling souvenirs and songket weaving products. Simple table was often set in front of many houses selling the same souvenir items, but surprisingly, there was no sense of competition among the sellers. A small girl in particular that she appeared to help the sale at many of these stalls. There was no more room for expansion in the village, and younger generation would have to move out to set up their own home. The villagers were restricted to marry only member of the village. A mixture of cow dung was used to polish the inside floor and walls of a house. Although this practice was common in many other countries in Asia and Africa, but it was rare in Indonesia because of the availability of other better products.

Guest house near Kuta beach

We spent an hour in the village and then back to the road continuing going south to the beach near Kute on the southern coast of Lombok. The road became Jalan Raya Kuta. Soon we passed a village populated with in-expensive guest houses. We also started to see white tourists walking and on motorbikes on the road. We then turned into a side road, and the change in road condition was immediately noticeable. The road surface was no longer smooth and was filled with potholes. We passed an area of re-claimed coastal plain where a lot of mangrove seedlings were planted. Soon we were in a vast and empty  beach.

Peddlers in Kute beach

We got there at 5:15pm. Many of the souvenir peddlers had left and only a small group selling songket scarfs and T-shirts remained in one primitive hut. I bought a young coconut and drank its water, and then asked the peddler to cut it open. I disliked the meat was too thick and was not tender and didn’t touch it and left it on the bench. When I turned around, I saw a boy was scrapping the meat from the coconut and ate it. He felt shameful when he saw me watching him and turned his face away and stopped eating. Many strayed dogs on the beach were fighting for the coconut threw on the ground. They had developed the skill in scrapping the coconut meat with their teeth.

Kute beach

The beech was on the shore of a large circular bay with a small opening. The sand was soft and white. It was very large and far from the main road, and the condition of the side road was bad. There might not be many visitors and it was reasonably clean. There was a 20 metre high rock outcrop sticking out from shore into the bay, and from its top one could command a full view of the beautiful bay and its beach. It was close to sunset but the bay was facing south and we didn’t see any remarkable display of sunset colours. The boy wanted to show off to me, and rode his parent motorbike, but his parent asked him to stop. The price of the T-shirt seemed reasonable and many of us bought some before we left. We arrived in our hotel Santosa Villa in Senggigi after dark. And we had our dinner individually in the hotel restaurant close to the beach.

Today, we had travelled from Pemenang in the west coast, crossed the rich valley plain in Lombok to Kute Beach in the south.

Lombok 2012-7-12

Harvesting paddy

Installing PVC water pipi

This was our last breakfast in a big group for this trip. We would stay one more night here while Linli and John would fly to Jakarta to see Petrus, and Mei, Didi and Vera would go back to Padang. Vera had arranged that we would go to visit the waterfalls today. We left at 10:30 am, and travelled south on Jalan Raya Senggigi. In ten minutes later, we passed another neat Chinese cemetery before crossing the bridge over the small creek Kokok Menining . We turned east into Jalan Adi Sucipto, which eventually became Jalan Ahmad Yan where traffic polices had detained a large number of motorbikes on the roadside.  We then turned east into Jalan Sandu Baya. We were crossing the northern part of the plain not far from the foot of the mountains in the north. We passed a large fruit market east of Peresak Narmada.  And continued driving east on the good road Jalan Raya Mantang into the heartland of Lombok island. We started to see the beautiful terraced paddy fields. The planting of paddy was staggered in different fields, and therefore, we usually saw paddy at different stages of growth in the same area. In the field where paddy had been harvest, the dried straw was burnt to turn it into fertilizer.

Near the water falls

We continued going east on a smaller road Jalan Pemerak-Kotaraja as Jalan Raya Matang started to turned south-east west of Aiqdareq. We then turned north toward the foot of Gunung Rinjani, the highest peak in Lombok. The road became very bad with many potholes, and we were like riding a roller coaster. We saw work crew dug trench to install one foot diameter black PVC water pipe along the side of the road. The scenery of the terraced paddy fields got more beautiful as we gained elevation. We then reached the top of a ridge with a gorgeous view of the valley below. We descended into the valley and soon arrived at the parking lot of the entrance to the waterfalls.

We saw monkeys playing and feeding on the trees in the parking lot. Several guides gathered to welcome us, and then lead us to a trail descending to the waterfalls. We saw a tall wild fig tree, with many fruits hanging on its trunk and scattering on the ground. A group of teenage students came out off the woods from another trail. They all held a bamboo stick. They squated orderly on a flat ground in front of the waterfalls and started eating their lunch wrapped in wax paper and banana leaves. The waterfalls was only about 15 metre high and the volume was not large. So it was not a significant one at all and I wondered the merit of all the hardship we had to endure in the bumpy car to get here.

The beach in China town in Ampenan, Mataram

China town in Ampenan, Mataram

Since there was nothing special to do there, we left in one hour after we arrived in the parking lot. It took us over an hour and half to get back to town. We were hungry but found no interesting place to  eat from the road, and decided to try our luck in the old China town in Ampenan area in Mataram. We found one ran by a Cantonese family. The decor was simple and was like that I was familiar with in Padang when I was small. The dishes was not fancy but liked those cooked at home, and we like them. The owner told us that they would deliver the foods to our hotel if ordered. We strolled on the street after lunch. The façade was very much like that found in China town in Padang. The large warehouses along the street showed that China town was once a distribution centre of goods coming in and going out of Lombok. There was not many people on the street or sitting in front of their houses. We saw a Taoist’s temple. The caretaker told us that he was a hindu. On its wall, I saw the photos of hundreds of Chinese temples still exist in Indonesia. It would be a nice project to visit and study them. At the end of the street  was  a small park next to a black sand beach. There were not many visitors, and It was much cleaner and orderly than the beach in Muara in Padang.

Sunset in Singgeti beach

We returned to our hotel at Senggiti and rested, and went to strolled on beach as the sun started to set. It was almost empty and only some children playing with the small one man kayaks. A man was fishing with a rod on the shore, and I caught his silhouette backing on the bright gorgeous sunset. It was really very beautiful.

Trip around Gili islands

Trip to waterfalls

Trip to Kute beach

More photos can be seen by searching "lku99999, photo" in Google.