In Bali you can sleep through the late morning undisturbed. In Lombok,
you get a rude awakening in the wee hours of the morning from the numerous
alarm clocks blaring out the sermons. Whereas in Bali it is predominately
Hinduism, Islam prevails in Lombok and if you were to cross Lombok to Flores,
Christianity flourishes there. Three different religions separated by a
stretch of water.
Anyway, I arrived at Lembar port in the afternon. Took a bemo to Sweta
followed by another to Ampenan, a quiet little town by the beach. As you
walk along the streets you dont look out for cars but dokars, a carriage
pulled by a pony. A ride within the town cost 500rps.
Remember we used to have round iceballs with some red beans in the center
and drizzled over with red syrup?. Well, you could still get these in Lombok.
And how about bargaining over a gold necklace while squatting.
After 2 nights in Lombok, I returned the same way to Bali to another beach
town Candidasa and what a good timing it was. The next day was the Balinese
New Year. A Balinese year consist of about 250 days or more. |
