Lombok: A little piece of heaven on earth

Known for its pretty waterfalls and gorgeous emerald jungles, the Lombok Island in Indonesia is blessed with beautiful beaches, lush green rainforest, and some exotic small Islands, writes Indrani Ghose

As the aircraft prepares us to land at Praya, the International Airport of Lombok, we see the silver crests of crashing waves hitting the island shores. The urge to sink into them got stronger. Cradled by the Indian Ocean in the south and by the Bali Sea in the north, Lombok and the nearby Gili Islands are blessed with an abundance of coral reefs and underwater sea life.

Rising like a phoenix after the devastating 2018 earthquake, the Lombok Island in Indonesia is a little island that offers a mix of hectic outdoor adventurous activities with a good dose of unique centuries-old significant cultural treasures. In spite of several changes in rulers, the Sasak tribe of Lombok managed to not just survive but flourish and preserve its heritage, traditions and practices. We soon stumbled into the rich culture of the people of Lombok. Ende Sasak village tells the most intriguing story. The village showcases all their daily life activities, living styles and houses. The towering rice granaries, overlooking all the houses of the village, are proof of importance given to storage of food for survival since ancient times!

Villages of Sasak tribes like Ende, Sade, Sukarara that have preserved their traditional practices are ideal places to get insightful glimpses of Lombok culture. The Peresean, traditional stick-fighting competition, is a treat for the eyes. With sticks made of Rattan wood and their armour made of thick and hard buffalo skin, the scene gets more dramatic as thak thak, the sound of vigorous attacks increases. Till a few decades back, these fights would end with bloodshed, thankfully that practice has been put to an end.

In Lombok, every female member has to compulsorily learn weaving. Little girls are initiated into this art right from childhood. So rigid is the tradition that girls remain unmarried if they don’t learn the art of weaving! Lombok is popular for Ikat and Songket handlooms. Pottery here has unique variations with shells, wicker, cane and wood. They are unusual combinations and make amazing pieces of art. Cukli art in pottery, from Banyumulek village, makes an excellent souvenir to add to your collection.

Myriad activities

When you are ready to delve into nature you need not go far. To the north is Mt Rinjani. For some serious adventure, hike this 3,726m tall mountain. Gunung Rinjani is the second-highest mountain in Indonesia, and holds spiritual significance for the local people. The National Park management uses the revenue from tourism activities and entry fees for conservation and maintenance of the Rinjani Trek, a project for ecotourism in Lombok.

After the trip to Benang Kelambu waterfalls, I was convinced that one can venture on their own to the nearby Benang Stokel and other nearby waterfalls. There are actually five of them! They make an ideal retreat to cool your sore limbs after the hike. These falls include the Sendang Gile and Tiu Kelep waterfalls, Mayang Putek waterfall, (the most unique one believed to have healing properties because of sulphur content) Jukut / Jeruk Manis (sweet orange) Waterfall and Tiu Tedja waterfall, the easiest one to reach among these. With divine beaches all around you, you will be super quenched in your hunt for sunrise and sunset photographs. We did a short hike to Merese Hill to catch a glimpse of the sinking sun. The water under its influence showed a different play of colours from yellow to golden and then finally deep purple to the darkest blue, almost nearing black! There are some hot photo spots like the pink beach in Tangsi in the east of Lombok and Batu Payung, a uniquely shaped rock in Tanjung Aan — favourite haunts of Instagrammers.

Stay & food

Fortunately, the stay was at good places with guides and gourmet meals. Budget stays would mean basic services. Mid-range offers better well-maintained facilities. But we made occasional stops at other restaurants too to taste the local cuisines that may never win culinary awards but are bursting with ethnic flavours.

Lombok’s most popular — Plecing Kangkung — I can go back to Lombok again and again for this uncomplicated dish! Made with the least effort, it is blanched water spinach, served cold, with a dollop of special chilli sauce as a topping and with vegetables like bean sprouts, string beans and grated coconut. Wholesome food! Other iconic Lombok dishes are Ayam Taliwang — grilled chicken served with sambal (chilli paste) and Sate Bulayak.