Sunday, July 27, 2008

Mataram, Lombok

Mataram is a launching point to the east. We enjoyed it very much because it offered the first opportunity to eat street food like we loved so much in Vietnam. It's not directly on the coast so very few tourists stay there for long because there are so many beautiful beaches nearby. We befriended a local who introduced us to a few traditional dishes to order at an open aired restaurant across the street from our guesthouse. We encountered a few people who spoke English but most of the locals gave us a gazing stare followed by a smile as we passed them on the sidewalk. We enjoyed sitting on the balcony of our guesthouse planning our next adventure.

One evening we discovered a street stall that made Teran Bulan, a very unhealthily but delicious dessert. It's made in a large baking pan over a propane tank. The pastry is made of two layers of thick cake with chocolate sprinkles, condensed mile, shredded cheese and two enormous clumps of butter in between. We were unsure about the combination at first but the flavors melted in our mouths the moment it hit our tongues. Butter was dripping off our fingers. We felt guilty after eating so unhealthy, but damn, it was good!

We took a short ride to Sengigi Beach were we rented a mask and snorkel. It's unbelievable how much diversity is just a few feet off shore. We saw a Lion Fish and a foot long clam in a small rock maybe 20 feet out. We were the only tourists on the beach that day and we joked around with the "pineapple ladies" as they walked by with baskets of fruit on their heads.

A walk through the local farmer's market had a very different feel than those in Vietnam. This island is predominately Muslim. Women dress with head coverings and men wear a traditional sarongs tied at their waist. Everyone was very friendly and offered us free samples of their fruits and vegetables.

We knew that cock fighting was a past-time of Indonesians and we couldn't pass up the opportunity of witnessing one first hand. Our local friend told us of one that was getting started in about an hour so we jumped on the first horse drawn buggy that we found. We were dropped off at a small narrow alleyway that lead back to a neighborhood. The yard was fenced off on all sides. As soon as we rounded the corner and came through the entrance, every head in the place turned to look at us. We were the only foreigners and I was the only woman in the entire place. (Except for an 80 year old woman who's home we were at.) All eyes were on us! We tried to blend in as much as possible so we bet on the first round. Kevin and Alex threw in a collective $3.70. We were standing on a wooden bench and I could see the roosters as the men tied the razor blades to their feet. As soon as the fighting began, everyone huddled around so we couldn't see a thing. I don't know how they determine who the winner is because both of the chickens died. Of course we lost the bet, but hey, it was a 50/50 shot! It was a very intense 5 minutes. As soon as the fighting was over Kevin looked up at us and said "Well, should we get outta here?" I think we were all on the same page, after all, it was 11 a.m. on a Wednesday morning.

We met an Australian couple who just returned from a boat trip through the eastern Indonesian islands and we quickly signed up for the adventure. We knew that the accommodations may be a little rough but the idea of sailing through the islands sounded just like what we were looking for!!

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