February 22

February 22

We woke today to a gorgeous view of the ocean and sounds of the waves lapping at the beach. A quick mandi and we were ready to go for breakfast. We decided on a couple of fried eggs, s-s-u. I had to send mine back because they were too snotty. At that time I had a hankering for a few slices of crisp bacon, but I knew better than to ask. (Don’t even mention any hog products, in Muslim Indonesia…)

ocean view....waves lapping at the beach....Lombok.

Even though Lombok is still predominantly Muslim, I do see more pagodas here than in all of Java, which means that we are slowly entering the Buddhist and Hindu areas of Indonesia.

Maybe bacon in Bali? Funny how you get a hankering for something that is not available.

Bacon

After our breakfast, we mampir'ed down the road looking for a gajung, so we did not have to use the shower. I love showers, but gajung/baths are way better, the flood of water hitting your body, all at once, is a great way of waking up and to rinse the heat of the day off your body.
We were besieged by many guys who offers us transportation, sightseeing packages, food and drink of all kinds, and finally did find a gajung mandi. On our way back we organized a day tour of southern Lombok, and the driver will be here at 9 am in the morning. This will coat us 350.000 IR, which is about 35 USD, not bad for a whole day of touring in an air-conditioned car, with driver.

Swimming in the kali

After we got back to the hotel, Menno felt like a siesta and I choose for reading my book. It's a novel about an Indo family and the trials and tribulations they faced during the years before WW2, during the "colonial" days and the years thereafter when the family was expatriated to The Netherlands, had to make a new beginning and tried to survive the, often not so subtle, ignorant behavior of the Dutch who had never seen a "brown person" before. These Indos were called pindas (peanuts) or shitty Chinese.... (Poep Chinees...)  Even I, as a youth have heard these and many other slurs flung my way, which was ample reason then, for my brother Raymond and I to try to modify that behavior with our fists.

mangosteen

One of the barmen, a youngish lad, came and sat with me and we had a great conversation one third Dutch, one third English and one third Behasa.
Topics  ranging from food to Dutch soccer and life in America. (Canada is “America” as well.....)

durian

I found out that we are out of luck when it comes to finding fresh Mangosteen, Rambuttan, Mangoes, Nanka etc....but the season for Durian (Duren in behasa)  is just starting and soon that fruit will be abundant. Yet another recognizable scent, another flavor to remind me that even though a lot changes, nothing really changes....

Nanka-Jackfruit

Tomorrow another adventure when we go and visit a village where pottery is made, and a village where people still live  as they have for hundreds of years...

rambutan