Lombok, Indonesia

Wednesday October 31, 2012

Monday, we were in Lombok in Indonesia, our first visit to South East Asia.  We were in the Princess Theater at 7:15am, waiting with roughly half the ship, our row to be called to board the tenders (lifeboats) to ferry us all to shore.  Our particular tour, to two temples and a craft market plus lunch, had twelve buses booked. 

After a short tender trip in a hot sun, we arrived at the pontoon dock and were swarmed by local vendors selling all sorts of items.  Often, a vendor had a briefcase sized container of “Rolex” watches.  All had a special price for us since we were the first customer of the day.  Right!  Then we were directed to our particular bus, #9.  We had a driver, Opie (hereafter known as Mr. Toots), a tour guide Orie and a ‘helper’.  Orie started into his presentation with an erratic microphone.  The mic worked on one word and then didn’t for a dozen or so.  This was somewhat irritating to the folks in the back of the bus, so Orie went to the middle of the bus while the helper added scotch tape to the mic input in a vain attempt to clear up the problem.

Orie launched into his spiel, which sounded very much like a canned party line.  He told us that Lombok has 80% farmers and only 2% unemployment.  We were told that there was no smog, that the air was clear and clean.  It was good that we were here before the monsoon season.  It usually only rains once a month or so in the dry season.  This is what he said.

Traffic is congested, like nothing we have ever seen.  Scooters outnumber other vehicles, and can carry an amazing amount of cargo, human and other.  Women ride sidesaddle at times. Scooters carry a baby, then papa, then a baby and then mama at the back.  It was market day, and the scooters often had a rider and dozens of dozens of eggs, or dozens of live chickens, or nets full of soccer balls, pails of ice cream and stacks of cones.  We could go on, but the idea should be planted by now.  The small trucks are packed with people, in the bed of one pickup (a UT here) we counted 19, and the cab was also packed.  Larger trucks often had a row of kids riding on a ledge up above the cab.  There are also little carts pulled by what look like Shetland ponies.

Now, they have traffic laws here.  Vehicles are to drive on the left side of the road.  Helmets are required on scooters.  There are stop signs and yield signs.  17 years of age is the minimum for a scooter license.  Those are the laws, here are the rules.  Well, the one rule.  Just survive.  We were passed on the left and the right, often at the same time, by multiple scooters.  Big vehicles didn’t often pass us.  Mr. Toots was very good with the horn button, often going as much as 30 seconds between toots.  Not often, but occasionally.  He would honk before a pass, during a pass, after a pass, and he would honk at vehicles coming at us 50 yards away.  No way could they hear above the hum of the hundreds of scooters in our immediate vicinity. 

Merging was automatic.  Want in? Get in.  Often without a single glance at oncoming traffic.  Stop signs may as well not be there.  Stoplights were somewhat obeyed.  At a stoplight, there would often be one timid scooterist who was lacking in the usual courage and did stop.  But, by the time the light changed there could be a dozen or more scooters out there.  Helmets seem  to be viewed optional, most didn’t bother. 

OK, back to the tour.  We drive about an hour on narrow two lane roads, Mr. Toots driving well, shifting smoothly, and braking softly.  Except once, he passed a truck and knocked off the left side mirror, but we are sure he never referred to it.  Helper hung out the window with a wrench and tried to remove it while we were enroute. 

We arrived at the first temple, and while we expected an ornate building, it was an open area with monuments and offering altars inside.  We entered via steps through a gate up and over the wall.  There were food offerings and a goat and a water buffalo tied to trees that we think we heard were going to be offered.  Luckily the tour left before any bloodletting.  On exiting the bus, we were again swarmed by vendors, wanting us to be their first customer of the day.  There were really fine looking inlaid and painted bowls and after the necessary bartering, we bought one.

Onward to the second temple.  It was entered in the same manner and had a large monument, much as the last one did.  It did however have a covered platform, surrounded by water, reached by a ‘sidewalk’ from the edge.  (Right next door was a large gasoline station.)  On the shore was on old man fishing with a long bamboo pole and a piece of monofilament tied to the end of it.  He line had a small bobber with another short piece of line attached and a hook.  Bait unknown.  The water was brown (the norm) but he was fishing where a pipe brought new water onto the lake.  Maybe it brought food, maybe it brought cooler water.  He knew what he was doing.  He caught a fish on almost each ‘cast’.  He kept all his fish, no ‘catch and release’ here!!  The fish were all the same size, about 3 inches each.  Co heard that he was catching them to take them home and grow them.  For personal use or to resell is unknown.  It is a great business plan if you can obtain your merchandise for free.

Off to the craft village, actually just a small collection of open showrooms, maybe a dozen or so.  Again, the swarm of vendors with the watches and bowls and most everything else.  Sunglasses, bracelets, necklaces, whatnot.  The heat was oppressive and we didn’t want to be in it anymore than necessary.  We did spot a key ring that could be altered to make the Christmas ornament that we always seek.  Once again, after lengthy negotiations we made a purchase.  Negotiations here include making a low offer, listening to protestations, receiving another offer, walking away and finally agreeing.  So different from walking into Nordstrom’s and paying the tag price. 

We had lunch at the Sheraton Hotel and we felt safe eating there.  Orie had told us that fried chicken in Lombok means the whole chicken, minus the feathers.  Head, feet, everything.  So we were a bit nervous.  What a great meal!  Rice, fried noodles, hot and sour soup, vegetables, chicken skewers, beef skewers, bread, more.  Fruit and sweets for dessert.  Coffee, water and sweet tea to drink. 

We wanted to mail a postcard, so went to the desk at the hotel.  This is a good time to mention the exchange rate, which is not rigid, but variable.  The official rate is 10,000 Indonesian Rupees to the Aussie dollar. We gave a $5 note and got 35,000 rupees in return for a postcard stamp.  Hopefully, the postcard will arrive safely.

While at the resort, we started to hear thunder and felt a few drops of rain.  Maybe a flash of lightning here and there.  We got on the bus to head to another craft village and the skies really opened up.  Luckily we are not in the monsoon season.  It rained so that the streetside drainage ditched could not handle it.  Where the runoff went underground instead of through the ditches, the lids on the pipes popped open and water gushed out.  Intersections were flooded, slowing traffic with axle high brown water.  Scooters would try to go through the puddles and flood out in the middle, stopping traffic while the drivers would go knee deep to push the bike to the side.

We were to return to the ship at 3:30, but still had a craft village to see.  (We only expected one.)  We knew we would be late, but Princess must wait for Princess tours.  This village was way down a narrow road, less than two lanes wide.  But, it was worth it.  Again, there were only a few open air shops, but there were three looms being operated with a generations old method of weaving cloth into marvelous sarongs.  The method is passed on generation to generation.  We saw old women, young women and even a child of 6-8 years old weaving at these looms.  It must be backbreaking as the weavers sit on a platform with their feet straight out and the loom held taut by the feet and by two poles, one at the waist and one at the small of the back.  The village is a co-op and had not had a bus visit for a month.  They were very happy to see us and we bought two at the asking price and did not hear much if any negotiating. 

This was a fun blog to write and we must say that our time on Lombok was one of the most fun outings we have ever had.  Don’t let us mislead you with the tone of the blog!

We are heading back to Australia for several more port visits and then down to New Zealand. 

Colleen & John