And now, I reflect.




Kicked off the new year with a mini reunion with some of my elementary school friends (YES again! :D). As usual, had a lot of fun catching up and meeting up those that I haven't met since graduation.
There were a lot of people who weren't there, still.
And to know that I actually don't remember all of them, especially those that did not graduate all the way until the end of 6th Grade.
It would have been a lot better if I didn't have to leave much earlier, for a few reasons.
Like I couldn't drive on my own far away from home yet. Not without an official license.
Like my mum and brother were with me too. And it wouldn't be nice to keep them waiting.
Like my family would be leaving for a trip to Lombok island the next morning.




Which is rich in my own reflection. Although not all of them could be expressed due to my own limited capability.




More than just an eye-opening experience, the trip also gave me a lot of hindsight about my own country and its government, both in the past and the present.



The island is full of beautiful coastal tourism spots, with white sands and clear waters with relatively weak waves. Not the mention the bluish-greenish waters of Gili Islands off the Western coast of Lombok, which is abundant in coral reefs.



Snorkeling also confirmed my impressions towards the majestic quality of vast seas and oceans:
It is able to inject both fear and awe right into my nervous system.
Not to mention the cute schools of colorful fish swaying in the water bodies.
                                 
                                                                                          Achievement Unlocked: Snorkelling
                                 



In the heart of Lombok, however, lies a lush tropical rainforests which is virtually untouched by urban living environments except for a path created to navigate along the hilly terrain.

After walking along the path for a while, we arrived at a waterfall.
At the first-look, I thought "how bad can that be? I don't see why people are screaming just by standing under it."

After trying it out on my own, however, I came to a conclusion myself.
There is a reason why people meditate under the waterfall.
It takes a ridiculously high effort just to stand still around the edges of the waterfall, not to mention sitting still right under it.
Not with the icy cold water.
Not with the vision-blurring mist.
Not with the G-force of the falling water which felt like continuous, infinite slaps on your shoulder and back.
(The sunburns I got the day before during snorkeling did not help at all)

If there is one thing I took away home from there, though, is the fact that the biggest storm is no distraction if only we could just literally calm down and face it.
Only then we might actually realise that hey, the storm might not be that vicious after all. Or that we are not as weak as we thought we are.

Despite what I experienced, I was able to sit still (if only for a few minutes. Heh.) under the waterfall.
The water is quite enjoyable and rejuvenating.
I didn't even hesitate sipping some of the fresh spring waters right from the forests.
And man, did it feel heavenly.

With the rainforests, there exists animals.
I spotted a lot of wild cattle, wild dogs, chickens, as well as monkeys.
A gang of them waited at certain spots along the edges of the forests, knowing that some people would come with bananas and peanuts to give to them.
And no matter how new you seem to be to them, if you just reach out your palms with food in your hand, they would take it, sheepishly sometimes.
They would even catch it if you toss it to them, or look for anything that remains inside the packet.
Clever bastards.


But polite nonetheless. Never did once they mischievously grab anything other than what we gave.



And of course, the food.
A dish called plecing kangkung consisting of boiled kangkung vegetable and beansprouts topped off with chili-tomato paste was my absolute favourite.
It's spicy and yet refreshing at the same time.
AND YET HOW COULD I FORGET TO TAKE A PHOTO OF IT!
Oh and I got over my small fear of insects in general.
I played with a bee!




Anyway,
After experiencing this place on my own, I was really, really surprised on why I have never heard of this place before at all as a domestic tourist spots for the Indonesians.
It's not that it's expensive. I would say it's comparable to a holiday in Singapore, if not cheaper.
In fact, this place seems to be booming with tourists anywhere from around the world, from Australians to Koreans and to Europeans (I managed to speak to a family from Belgium who was really shocked that there are Indonesians who have not been to Lombok before this), except the Indonesians themselves.
I hardly spot any other domestic tourists, except for the locals themselves.
Which got me thinking about what is the problem?

Is it the lack of awareness?
Probably. I hardly see the island being promoted in tour packages.
But then again, I read about domestic in-flight travel journals highlighting domestic tourist spots.
The government, finally too, seems to be pumping capitals to improve the facilities like the airports and roads (which is really smooth, unlike some of those in the Capital, full of holes and uneven).

Is it the impression that domestic tourists have of the locals?
Could be! After all, this country is quite well-known for its people who can be quite rowdy at times, especially during demonstrations or riots.
I totally don't believe that though. At least not in the people of Lombok.
They are very, very welcoming and receptive towards tourists.
Very helpful and polite too.
This is probably one of the rare place I found in the country where people of different races and religions live together in peace.
They are not even bothered by any tensions found outside of Lombok.

From what I heard too, during Suharto's reign, this place was already invested in a lot of agricultural produces as well as its natural tourist destinations.
Sigh, somehow this makes me wonder what it was actually like during his reign.
I was still very young when the 1998 incident happened and he fell.


It's like what an utopian Indonesia would seem like.
Beautiful beaches,
Green rainforests,
Vast seas,
Massive farmlands,
Misty mountain peaks,
Fresh foods,
Harmonious people,
Amazing place.



P.S. Pictures from the trip would be added next time when my Internet is not as bitchy. Haha.
EDIT: Pictures are finally added!

12:42
Up, up, and away!

It's that time of the year again.