On one of the sea days enroute to Lombok I awoke in the morning from a dream. I immediately told Ian I had dreamt that there was a tornado off the side of the ship but in my dream the Captain said that everything would be ok and we should not worry. Later in the afternoon the concierge from the Diamond Lounge came to me and asked if I had seen the waterspout off the side of the ship. He shared the image – I got some major goosebumps.
Lombok is an island lying due east of Bali in Indonesia. The population is estimated to be approximately 3.9 million people. It size is 4,739 km sq. The population is pretty much split between Muslim 90% and Hindi 10%. Interesting Bali is the opposite split with Hindi 90% and Muslim 10%. It felt like stepping back into time and yet way into the future where we no longer have the space we take for granted now. Lots of pollution in the way of garbage, sadly and noticeably along the shore lines. People are very friendly. We took a tour in Lombok with some friends. We saw many rice fields and people working. Young men carrying sacks of rice that weigh 220 lbs and they throw them over their backs. When we arrived in Lombok it was overwhelming! There were 1000 of people there selling wares and trying to arrange tours. We had prebooked a private tour with some friends and I wondered how we were ever going to find the operator but we did! People were celebrating Ramadan and they do not eat or drink during the day. They eat in the evening at 6:30pm. Our driver wasn’t a great conversationalist however he was very accommodating and a great driver. We went to a weaving store and we were allowed to try our hand at creating some beautiful material. Some local children enjoyed playing with our friends drone. Then we went to a traditional village – people still live there. The chiefs position is hereditary and has been handed down over hundreds (perhaps thousands) of years. Very exotic place – lush – beautiful sunrises and sunsets. Sadly, lots of garbage – everywhere.
