Lombok

We arrived in Lombok to join the fleet of 70 boats now coming together from all points as we head west.
The anchorage is large and can accommodate many boats but unfortunately for the monohulls was very rolly and there were many complaints of sleepless nights.
The anchorage is at a small resort with a bar which the yachties immediately adopted to spend time socializing. Once again $3 beers and $3 meals.
There is a small village nearby with a market and ATM and the loveliest thing was the transportation using horse drawn buggies.
The first activity was the bus tour and we were taken to a handicraft village, followed by a weaving village and happily for me the poetry village turned out to be a distribution point for the pottery from all over the island where it is shipped to Java for sale.
The island is by far the most beautiful we have seen, lush and green, a sharp contrast to the desolate Komodo group of islands. It is volcanic with the largest volcano being 3800 metres, the second largest in Indonesia creating a microclimate, hence the lushness.
Once again the weavings were lovely and far more colourful than the ikat weavings of the eastern islands. We bought a gorgeous table runner for our cockpit table.
The pottery was a large variety of rich brown hand built earthenware. It was mostly made from coiling the clay on a wheel turned by hand or slabs. I had read of a village where the New Zealand government had sent a potter to develop their wares for the commercial market which I had hoped to visit. Unfortunately due to our full schedule I was unable to get there but was delighted to find the pottery at the centre. They are using the rich brown clay which they enhance by weaving rattan to decorate the edges of the pots. A brilliant combination which uses local traditions—stunning!!!
With consideration for the space on the boat I bought a small bowl and some coasters.
The last stop on the tour was the mall in the nearby town which was reminiscent of malls all over the world with a decent size supermarket where we were able to stock up yet again. Ken celebrated with a quarter pounder at MacDonalds, the first we had seem since Darwin..
Although the trip gave us an overview of this lovely island many of us were frustrated by the restrictions imposed on us by travelling in this large bus. It was like watching a documentary as we were whisked along with no opportunities for stopping to photograph or experience at close hand what we were seeing. We have been so spoilt in the direct way we usually are able to feel in touch with the places we travel.
The following day was the cooking class and we were shown a sate minced beef dish where they made a spicy hamburger mix which was squished on a bamboo skewer. It was tasty but as is a lot of Indonesian food was left to cool and eat at room temperature. It would have been better hot!! This was followed by a black rice dish which tasted like rice pudding cooked in coconut milk—which it was.
The following day we hired a car and driver with Lyn and Ian from Cloud Nine and returned to the pottery centre. I had fretted all night over the pots I had not bought and was only consoled by going back and buying several more.
We were taken to a remarkable woodworking shop where they were painstakingly making wonderful solid mahogany furniture. It was all hand carved and inlaid with small pieces of nautilus shell. It was then varnished and the varnish scraped off the shell pieces with tiny hand tools. The labour involved was amazing and along with Ian and Lyn we bought a bowl for the equivalent of $30 which must have taken many hours to make.
We then went back to the mall where Lyn and I had a haircut--$3—and shopped again at the supermarket and the local veg market. This was a lovely day as we were able to request stops wherever we wanted.
Atlantia had arrived by the time we got back and we walked over to a fancy resort nearby where you can eat dinner and swim in their pool---luxury!!! The food was mediocre but the pool and the wonderful gardens and setting made up for it.
Each day as we came ashore local vendors had set up by the dingy dock and had a profitable few days selling their wares. Ken had wanted a Kris knife which is a traditional ceremonial knife carried at all important ceremonies. It is made from Damascus steel and the blade is wavy and the handle and wooden sheath can be quite intricate. After mentioning that he was interested in buying one he was inundated with many. They are no longer being made so are handed down through families and can be anything from $100 to several thousand dollars. He purchased a lovely one.
We were once again treated to an evening of entertainment and a gala dinner and were formally welcomed by the Regent of the area.
Next day we made up a party of 9 yachties and hired a boat and driver to visit the nearby Gili Islands to snorkel. There are three islands all of which have tourist resorts and it is very apparent we are nearing the tourist Mecca of Bali.
As has been the case elsewhere there are lots of reef fish but the coral is dead. Many of these areas have been bombed for either the fish or the sand—to make the inferior salty concrete they use everywhere. They say they are trying to stop it but we saw a lot of evidence that it is still heavily practiced.
The highlight was the hawksbill turtles which were plentiful and obviously used to snorkellers.
Lunch was at a beachside palalpa and was followed by a walk around one of the islands.
A lot of the rally boats had moved over to this anchorage as the swell in Lombok was so uncomfortable.
We had considered going for a few days but unfortunately the island lunch made me ill and for the next 2 days I laid in bed feeling very sorry for myself.
As our passage to our next stop, Lovina Beach at the west end of Bali was able to be done in two day passages we were able to do it as I recovered.
The first day was the passage between Lombok and Bali which generates strong winds so we had a fast passage anchoring at the east end of Bali on a black sand beach beside a perfect volcano. The next day took us along the northern coast and we motored and arrived at Lavina Beach in the afternoon.