thericechronicles: Impressions of Lombok (Part 2)

Friday, January 3, 2014

Impressions of Lombok (Part 2)

Hello Wonderful People,

Here is: Impressions of Lombok part 2. A traditional Lombok market is madness. Crowded stalls, overflowing with people, produce or fish or meat, or all four, narrow passageways, intense smells, some great, some not so, lots of noise and people clamouring loudly. Was interesting to see that the market was mainly filled with women, buying and selling. Men were seen on the edges. Many women had traditional muslim head gear. After going through the market I am grateful for Superstore or Safeway. Orderly, climate controlled, clean, with elevator music to keep everyone mellow. Yet, on the other hand the Lombok market was not just a place to buy food but also a place to socialize and hang out. Hmm. Not bad.

While the women shopped and sold the men at the market hung around the edges, looking rather uninterested. A scene repeated daily around the world. Men and women are basically the same all over the globe.

Crowded conditions.

This is not Safeway.

Produce was amazing though.

Spices.

An old woman selling her meagre wares.

Fish of course was sold as well.

Lots happening.

Parking lot.

Men wisely staying out of the way.

Wow.

Off to market.

Lombok snack shop. Roasting fish.

Fried corn and fish.

Enjoying the snack.

Now on to other adventures:

The Gili islands: Gili Air, Gili Meno, and Gili Trawangan are three tiny, flat, islands; basically sandbars with dense vegetation and great sandy beaches, located off the northwest coast of Lombok. I took a ride on a motorized outrigger to the islands on a lovely sunny day. Too bad the sea was not as lovely. It was choppy and the boat ride was like a roller coaster ride, up and down, and then sometimes up, up, up, up, till you reach the top of a massive wave, hanging there for several seconds admiring the view, and then crash, down you go; hurtling fast into the watery abyss on the other side. Totally great! Not good for those easily seasick, but thankfully I'm not prone to going green in the gills that easy so it was fun. Yet, in hindsight I should have worn a lifejacket, but unfortunately there were only Asian sizes so I had to rely on our captain and prayer. The captain was a cool customer. He sat cross legged the whole time while guiding the boat, a cigarette dangling nonchalantly from his lower lip. I thought he was going to fall asleep, he looked so calm. Even when the motor died on us for a bit while on the roller coaster he actually stood up, yawned, and got the motor going again in no time.

We alighted first at Gili Trawangan, which is also know as Gili Party Island. Lots of establishments along the beach serving drinks to the white, rapidly turning pink (due to the sun and alcohol) travellers from the northern climes of Europe and North America. Yet it was charming. No cars, just bikes and horse drawn carts called Lombok Ferraris, ferried people around. The snorkelling was amazing. Best I have ever experienced. Water was clear, warm, teeming with multi-colored fish. The coral was incredible as well.

After snorkelling the ride back was even crazier then the ride to. The waves were higher! It was a little disconcerting not seeing another boat out in this madness, but Captain No Worries In The World, just sat there with his legs crossed, puffing a cigarette, with his eyes half closed. No problem. He did get me to put my stuff in a green garbage bag, cause the spray from hitting the waves pretty well swamped everyone. Great times! And this went on for a good hour.

Later at night while I tried to sleep on my comfy bed I could feel my body being sucked up a wave and then come crashing down. Now that was a little disconcerting! Still the Gili islands were great.

It took five strong men to push my rented boat into the water.

Almost ready for take off.

The seas? Kind of choppy. The volcano in the background is Bali.

Still smiling. Captain "No Worry I Have Everything Under Control," at his post.

Beautiful views from the boat.

Gili Tarwangan.

Lombok Ferrai.

I kind of like Gili island philosophy.

Getting a coconut snack.

The mighty Indian Ocean.

A closer look at Bali.

A major attraction of Lombok are the Benang Stokel and Benang Kelambu waterfalls which are a short distance from each other. Lombok is still heavily forested and I will pray and hope it stays that way cause getting to the falls one must wander through an amazing jungle. With tourism being a major source of revenue and eco-tourism being a big part of that, things look promising for the jungle of Lombok to remain unscathed forever.

Welcome to Waterfall? Do they have a name? Besides Waterfall I mean?

Benang Stokel waterfall. I think. Found the name in a magazine.

Top part of the waterfall.

Interested observer. Note spiked hair. God can be so funny. Was a permanent feature on all the monkeys I saw on Lombok.

Off to the next waterfall. We had to cross this bridge that would fail every safety protocol and standard for public use in Canada. No handrails, 25 feet up, don't look down! Just move forward slowly.

Benang Kelambu Waterfall. Amazing.

Benang Kelumbo

The falls kick up so much spray that there is a constant mini fog.

Seeing the rice paddies of Lombok and the people that were working in them I felt if I was in a living National Geographic magazine. Timeless. Rice is by far and away the most important crop in Southeast Asia. Much of it is produced the old fashioned way, by hand and beast. It was indeed amazing to witness.

Straight from National Geographic:

Flattening the rice paddy.

Threshing the rice.

Timeless.

Before I came to Hong Kong the only place I had seen a real banana tree was at the Calgary zoo green house. Woo hoo! Well since coming to HK seeing banana tress is pretty common for me now. On Lombok I saw not only banana trees, but a real coffee plant, an avocado tree, and jack fruit. Not even sure what a jack fruit is or what they taste like, but the fruits were immense. Yet, my favourite was seeing a real cocoa plant. Love chocolate. Favourite candy of all time.