-- Lombok, from Lembar to Labuhan Lombok
The road tracklog
From Lembar to Labuhan Lombok
from 01/08 to 07/08/2009
Lombok
Histoire :
-- Until the 17th century Lombok was controlled by small Sasaks kingdoms,
Montagnard.
-- Beginning of the 17th century the Balinese kingdom took the
control of the west of Lombok and Macassars of Sulawesi the east part.
-- End of the 19th century the Dutch intervened in the island where the
Rajah, men, women and children with white clothing threw themselves in front
of the Dutch army which massacred them –perang poepoetan– Then the Dutch
dominated the 500000 inhabitants of Lombok with only 250 soldiers.
-- After
Independence, the island knew many economic difficulties due to the dryness,
the famine in 1973.
-- In 1980 tourism started to develop in Senggigi and Kuta
with foreign investors.
-- In 2008 the international airport in Praya was open.
-- In 2012 the objective of NTB T.O. is to reach a million visitors.
Population :
The
population is approximately three million inhabitants of which 90% are of Sasaks, 10% Balineses and some Javanese, Chinese and Arabs.
Religion :
Sasaks are Muslim
by incorporating beliefs animists –adat– the common law regulate the everyday
life.
The day before by buying a ferry ticket I made registered the hour of the ferry that I wanted to take, 06:00 am. At the time of the departure of the ferry of 05:00 am I installed my truck on the boarding area and I presented myself at official with the ticket. There was no difficulty although more than one hundred of trucks were on standby.
Il est 5:00
Padangbai
01/08/2009
On the sea the ferry pilot spent time reading a newspaper.
Balai Kota
Ferry to Lombok
01/08/2009
Skirting the coasts, volcanoes were omnipresent.
Volcano
on the sea
01/08/2009
In Lembar at unloading police was more finicky that elsewhere. It asked to visit my truck while walking an odd apparatus to detect “the non identifiable objects” then it wanted to see the originals of my documents. The chief of station conspicuous that I started to be annoyed asked his subordinate to cease his investigations.
Jetty
Lembar, Lombok
01/08/2009
Mataram is the capital of the island of Lombok with more than 350000 inhabitants. I stopped in West Nusa Tenggara Tourist Office to have information. I met Mr. U. Supriyadi who accommodated me very cordially; whereas I presented myself he told me that I could bivouac on the carpark of the Office. After the obliged visit of my truck I left at discovered city. There are few sights. The museum was closed, indeed it was 02:00 pm. Mayura Water Palace, built in 1744 and destroyed at the time of a battle in 1894, is composed of a counterpart of Bale Kambang –Floating Pavilion–- in the middle of an artificial lake.
Mayura Water Palace
Mataram
01/08/2009
On the other side of the street Pura Meru is a blade copy of Balinese temples only the main temple has thatched roofs. I cycled back to my truck around 05:00 pm.
Pura Meru
Mataram
01/08/2009
Around Mataram
The August 02 was a long day of strolling by bicycle in the surrounding countryside of Mataram to explore the temples of the time of the domination of kings of Bali. Pura Lingsar, built in 1714, is a temple devoted to two religions, Hindu and Wektu Telu –indigenous religion syncretism of Islam and Animisme–.
Pura Lingsar
Mataram
02/08/2009
Pura Lingsar
Mataram
02/08/2009
Pura Suranadi dating back to the 18th century has a sacred spring.
Pura Suranadi
Mataram
02/08/2009
Pura Suranadi
Mataram
02/08/2009
Taman Narmada, built in 1808, is a reversed representation of Gunung Rinjani, cone reversed with terraces. There was a contest of fishing at the time of my passage. However Pura Kalasa was closed.
Narmada Water Palace
Mataram
02/08/2009
Narmada Water Palace
Mataram
02/08/2009
Gunung Pengsong, hill surrounded by rice fields on seashore, has a temple in its summit, closed, from where the eye-bird’s view was stunning.
Gunung Pensong
Mataram
02/08/2009
Paysage
Narmada Water Palace
Mataram
02/08/2009
Thus it was a sporting-cultural day. After more than seven hours by bicycle, I returned dead beat back to the bivouac by the coastal trail leading to Ampenan
Senggigi
The following day before leaving in excursion by bicycle I took some pictures of which that of Mr. Ucup Supriyadi presenting the poster of the NTB Tourist Office. Dr. Lalu Gita Ariadi made a Letter of Introduction -LOI- written that I could present if necessary.
Mr. Ucup Supriyadi
Mataram
03/08/2009
Architecture of public buildings regains the shape of traditional fisherman houses which resembles that of Bassora in Chatt-el-Arab in the south of Iraq.
Lombok's architecture
Mataram
03/08/2009
On the way towards Senggigi I looked for a truck access to the sea. The Senggigi Bay is splendid; alas there is very little access because it is occupied by hotels of the international chains, Holiday Inn, Sheraton, Novotel, Oberoi, etc Before Kelui close to Nusa Bunga I found an access to a beach with some straw huts and ... a well; I decided to come there to have rest for three days.
The bay
Senggigi
03/08/2009
The beach
Senggigi
03/08/2009
Nusa Bunga
Before leaving the T.O. we took last pictures and last visit of my truck by T.O.'s employees.
Last photo
NTB Tourist office
04/08/2009
A bivouac was under coconut palms at a deserted beach, only I!
The bivouac
Nusa Bunga
04/08/2009
In the early morning
Nusa Bunga
05/08/2009
The well
Nusa Bunga
07/08/2009
August 07th I headed towards Labuan Lombok, Lombok where I arrived around 11:00 am to embark on a ferry sailing at 11:30 to Poto Tano, Sumbawa.
Final report of my trip in Lombok
The statistical report of the stay in the west Lombok is three days of visits of sights then three days of servicing my truck, cleaning my home, preparing the publishing of this page and having rest at Nusa Bunga. The initial program had envisaged a trek at Mt Rinjani, 3726 meters of altitude. As of my arrival in Jakarta I had contacted Rinjani Trek Club which very quickly answered me that the Indonesian authorities had prohibited its access following the eruption of April 29th, 2009 of the Mt Barujari, active volcanic cone within the caldera. I was very disappointed and I planed again the continuation of the trip. Into a final report of the journey in Indonesia I will put in prospect the envisaged plan with the lived reality.
Caldera of Mt Rinjani
within
Mt Barujari
The Lombok Times
The welcome of the population was always cordial
and attentive. Several times during the trip by bicycle I stopped to consult a
map, at once someone came to indicate me the direction to be followed and I
was even accompanied by two young women in motorbike to go to Gunung Pengsong.
It is true that in this country with an incalculable number of motorbikes, to
see a foreigner by bike is a curiosity; three words in English and the
contact is established: Where are you going? Where do you come from? What is
your name? …
I thank West Nusa Tenggara Tourist Office for its welcome and its
benevolent hospitality.
