Religious lessons for the Hindu community of Balinese origin, at the temple of Lingsar.
Ritual stick fight dance demonstration, to the rhythm of traditional music, at the temple of Lingsar.
drying of the coffee beans in the Karang Bayan village
garden and pool of the Holiday Inn, near Sengiggi beach
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The temple of Lingsar, built in 1714, is one of the main places of worship in Lombok. It is also a symbol of religious tolerance, as both Hindus and Muslims gather there, which furthermore shows how influent the Balinese are in the western part of the island. Its name comes from the Sanskrit and means "clear revelation", for it is said that the first king of Lombok changed into a holy spring after meditating. We arrived there during the school holidays, and interrupted these young Hindus in the middle of their religious lessons. After having watched them laugh at our strange faces, we watched traditional Sasak dances accompanied by local music instruments, followed by demonstrations of the fighting techniques of these people. Claire and I were then invited to sprinkle ourselves with the holy waters like all those who come to Lingsar. In discovering the island, we had the confirmation that the majority (75%) of the inhabitants of Lombok are peasants. We saw various kinds of crop, such as rice of course, but also coffee, the harvest of which is then spread out to be dried by the sun in the middle of the village. The houses, some of which are centuries old, are made of stone, clay, and also buffalo dung, which should remind everyone to remain humble. They are a far cry from the new palaces of tourism, essentially located near the beach of Sengiggi. That is where we visited the Holiday Inn, had lunch and indulged ourselves in the lovely swimming pool. We then went to what is called an Art Market, but which was more to us a sign of the excesses of the growing tourism industry. Nevertheless, such programs as the financing by UNICEF of traditional craft, such as in the pottery village of Banyumulek, are quite reassuring, and show that there is a will to develop and promote this beautiful island in an intelligent and successful way. And for me, this was still just the beginning of the discovery of Lombok, as I did not resist in coming back with some other friends to see more of this combination of tradition and holiday resorts.
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Lombok 