A nice write up read of the island of Lombok, read in the Harian Jogja.
Sunday, 03.18.2012 ,
The Thousand Island Mosque, thus the nickname the island of Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara province. Full of natural beauty of the sea. Lombok Island has the East Lombok, Central Lombok, West Lombok and the government city of Mataram. The largest natural beach has become a magnet for tourism.
About the beaches, the beauty of Gili Trawangan is indisputable. It is smaller than the three Gili islands or islands in the northwest of Lombok Gili Air, Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan own.
Gili Trawangan is famous for its beautiful coral reefs, white sand, and surf-friendly for lovers of water sports like surfing, snorkeling and diving.
It has a length of 3 kilometers and a width of 2 kilometers, Gili Trawangan is inhabited by around 800 inhabitants. Activities on this winsome island happens throughout the day. In fact, according to tour guide Tour Maruta, Iskandar, the island of Gili Trawangan never sleeps.
To maintain comfort and support for local tourism, the city government has banned public transport permits. "There are no motor vehicles, because it is not allowed by local rules. Common means of transportation are bicycles and cidomo," Iskandar said last week while visiting the Jogja Daily. Cidomo a simple horse-drawn carriage which are common in Lombok.
The second is the tourist center of Senggigi, located in a valley overlooking the sea .The curved beach is famous for its white sand and clarity of the sea water .
Senggigi beach, has a simple beauty. In contrast to Gili Trawangan, it is the tourists sunbathing field, Senggigi Beach still has the charm of silence. But many tourists enjoy the nightlife in the cafes along Jalan Senggigi rather than sunbathing on the beach.
Senggigi offers many places of entertainment, some hotels also pamper their guests with a dish of acoustic music. For those who love karaoke, a large selection of restaurants offer live music .
Kuta beach, Kuta village with its white sand beaches is located on the southern side of the island of Lombok. Surrounded by rows of hills, views of Kuta Beach seem idyllic. When the weather is sunny, the summit of Rinjani to the far north can also be seen.
Not far away from here is Sukarara Village, to be precise about 20 kilometers from the city of Mataram. It is the center for weaving Sasak cloth , songket and ikat.
A visit to Lombok is incomplete without stopping in in Taman Narmada, where washing with water from a local well is believed to make you young again. Iskandar said the fountain of youth is said to originate from the mountains. "Here also the kings of ancient times bathed," he said.
Parks with a concept that many ancient buildings have steps of the valley and overlooking an artificial lake. Fountain of youth travelers can be obtained from building a small house next to the swimming baths. Inside the small house there is a caretaker who will perform Hindu rituals keagaamaan before giving it water to drink.
Taman Narmada itself, according to the local tour guide Junadi, is a historic place in Bagun by Anak Agung Gede Ngurah, one of the Balinese Kings in 1805. In this park, tourists can see a miniature of Mount Rinjani and Segara Anak which was at its peak. "The park was once believed to be the resting place during the rituals is usually performed by the King and his family on Mount Rinjani," said Junadi.
At the exit Narmada Park, tourists are treated to a small market that offers a range of pearl jewelry, traditional fabrics , and some other souvenirs.
Thousand Island Mosque
The roads on the island of Lombok seem to be inseparable from mosques . Every village has a mosque in Lombok. In fact, in one village there were more than three mosques.
One of the oldest mosque, the Masjid Al-Ra'isiyah or better known as the Mosque Bengak is located in the city of Mataram, in Kampung Sekarbela, Village Coral Pule, District Sekarbela, Mataram. The mosque is the famous because of the relics of Islam leader Abdul Razak, who lived around the 17th century AD .
Most mosques seem to be sturdy and luxurious large in size and majestic. Many of them seem to be still under construction. "The duration of construction of the new mosque could be an average of 8-12 years, depending on public funds collected at harvest time or from home workers," explained Nining, Maruta tour director.
According to records, there are at least 5478 mosques built on the island's population of 2.6 million. Understandably, although still strong in the Balinese culture , almost 93% of the population is Moslem. On every one to two kilometers, stands a magnificent mosque.
On the island of Lombok, residents seem to compete in their respective communities with building mosques.The budget to build a mosque, is collected from residents voluntarily. They are not concerned if the mosques are established adjacent to each other.
(slightly edited by pak Kesas)
wo 21 maa 2012 - 23:24