Lombok and its coast
With all big events done, we are now nearing the end of our 3 month tour around Indonesia. We have just spent the last 5 days in the coastal village of Senggigi on Lombok, just chilling between our beautiful beach accommodation and the spa in the hills. The village, although the original tourist hub on Lombok is very low key and beautifully lacking the mad tourist crowd and traffic which blight Bali. A visit to Old Town Ampenan, Mayura Water Palace, Meru Temple and Batu Bolong temple was interesting. Facing directly east here, at sunset Agung volcano on Bali mysteriously appears on the horizon. Time to move on today, heading for Kuta on the South coast of Lombok for our last week.
From our base at Kuta, today we had a 4:30 am start, destination Tanjung Luar, one of the largest shark and ray fishing ports in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. We arrived in darkness and watched the port come alive with the sunrise. Truck loads of ladies with plastic bowls ready to receive the catch, men ready to handle the weighty fish. Boat after boat landed, an enormous amount of fish, squid and prawns were manoeuvred from boat to land to market stalls to trucks. The highlight was watching the process of unloading the sharks, various types including hammerheads. Hoisted up from the depth of the hull, thrown overboard, dragged to the beach and then hooks into the flesh, roped to bamboo poles and carried into the open warehouse, some so huge it took 4 men to carry them. Fins and tails lopped off by a machete and then measured, a lucrative business. The whole place was incredible, raw, lively, loud, colourful, the stench almost unbearable, a real village in action and not for the squeamish. Unfortunately we weren’t allowed to take photos of the shark landings but here are some photos of the rest of the port.
Fisherman houses Tanjung Luar
Our week in Kuta, Lombok has been a very lazy one for us. Kuta town is a small surfer/traveller type of village on the South coast of Lombok with a chilled vibe but still plenty of choice in restaurants and a couple of cool bars. The perfect place for us to wind down after 3 months exploring this fabulous country. The main attraction in the area is the beautiful uncrowded beaches so we spent a fair bit of time beach hopping. Tomorrow we fly back to Java, 2 nights back in Jakarta before our long flight home. It has been a trip of variety and amazing experiences.
21 Comments
Eha Carr
Thank you for taking us along on this fabulous holiday – I absolutely cannot believe months have passed . . . it seems like just a succession of exciting days. What a memory for you! Was very impressed by the Meru Temple pillars and the Mayura Water Palace . . . and then came upon the fishing catch being brought home for the hungry locals at Tanjung Luar . . . and knew I had arrived in the real Indonesia < SO enjoyed! You do plan well! Enjoy your last days in the Islands . . . and a safe trip home to British autumn and 'real' life with all its problems . . .
Phil & Michaela
Thank you Eha, its has been a fantastic trip and we feel that we have seen many aspects of this wonderful country 😊
Lynette d'Arty-Cross
Gorgeous, gorgeous photos. I’ve enjoyed reading about your visit – amazing that three months have passed. Safe travels home. Cheers.
Phil & Michaela
Thank you Lynette, its has been a very relaxed end to very varied and active trip to this amazing and varied country 😊
restlessjo
Good to see you having such a miserable time. I’d settle for a sunset or two. Fab photos! xx
Phil & Michaela
Cheers Jo 😁
Toonsarah
You’ve found some great spots in which to chill at the end of this trip 😀 It’s always fun to be adopted by a local cat! The fishing village looks amazing if very smelly, and the beaches look wonderful.
Phil & Michaela
The stench was only just bearable but worth it for the overall experience, Sarah. The only shame was that we weren’t allowed photos of the huge sharks being brought in, seeing that was a pretty unique experience!
Toonsarah
Do you know why that wasn’t permitted?
Phil & Michaela
Yep. Visitors like us have posted videos and photos on line which has lead to a backlash of environmental arguments and animal welfare people saying it should be outlawed. The Indonesian Government felt this wasn’t good for the country’s reputation so took sanctions against individuals caught on camera, which subsequently deprived the local community of income. But the Government didn’t outlaw it, so the remaining local shark fishermen carry on, but avoid being captured on film for fear of further reprisals. We heard stories of them spotting tourists filming and throwing their phone or camera in the sea. So we opted to avoid making them angry!
Toonsarah
Very wise it seems!
Steven Berger
What a great trip with so many exciting places. Thanks for taking us along.
Stay safe,
Steve
Phil & Michaela
Cheers Steve, it’s certainly been very varied!
Marie
That was some trip! We stayed at Sengiggi Beach in 2002 – bit I’ve very little memory of the village.
Enjoy your final week…..
Phil & Michaela
Enjoyed Lombok, was good!
Anonymous
Another totally amazing adventure. Thank you for sharing your journey. Safe travels home!
Phil & Michaela
Cheers! You’ve landed as “anonymous” but thank you anyway 😄
grandmisadventures
another great adventure in the books, and you couldn’t ask for a better way of celebrating your book 🙂
WanderingCanadians
It’s amazing that you got to spend three months exploring Indonesia. Not sure I could have handled the smell from the fishing port. And I’m okay with the whole no photography of the shark landings! Safe travels home.
Alison
The beach looks beautiful. The colours from the early morning photos are gorgeous. Sounds positively gruesome down at the port watching the catch come in! Safe flight home, not long before you’re planning your next trip I imagine
Phil & Michaela
Thanks Alison, and yes plans are starting for our next trip 😀