This is Lombok.

---

I should post this story before my trip to Sibolga september 7th to 14th 2011 ago. Trans TV crew and I came to Lombok island in West Nusa Tenggara provence for filming a village in Central Lombok that is far from health facilities.

We arrived in Mataram at 1 p.m. Fitri Faroziati (a Reporter) and I met Ari Diatmika (@infolombok twitter account administrator) and mr. Parhan, chief village Wajageseng at Kopang District for pre-interview about the condition of the village that we were going to go after this.


It's so tired after two hours drive through the rice fields from Mataram to Central Lombok. Especially when we entering village Wajageseng. The roads looks like Swiss cheese with so many holes in there. Where we arrived at mr. Parhan's house we were served local white wine. Wow, this is a new stuff for me. Thankfully this wine doesn't contain any alcohol. It taste like coconut water mixed by sugar. I gurantee you directly to contract wry face when drinking it. Afterwards we walk directly to the site. Apparently is not to far! From the main village's road with houses that have been permanent residents, only about 500 meters walk through the garden of bamboo and palm trees.

I'm confused call this village, either enter the village or hamlet as a small number of communities. To be sure, this community is in desperate need of health facilities. The houses here are still booths with roofs of bamboo tassel. Here there are only a middle-aged people and young children. There is a lot of young men and women works in Mataram or become migrant workers in Middle east.

To make a living, people here digging land that contain pumice stone. The price of one sack of pumice stone is 2000 rupiah. Can you imagine the sweat of hard work from the morning and only get twenty thousand rupiah (two dollars) if collected then sacks? Their dental health fair less well maintained. The price of brush and toothpaste are more than 2000 rupiah. Well, this people brush their teeth with pumice stone's dush. Rub-rubbing dush into the tooth and rinse. Can you imagine a rough dust injure the gums?

We stayed about four days to filming drg. Carissa Kaunang (dentist) who came with us from Jakarta. Icha (her nickname) providing information about dental health and a good brushing. Certainly needs more effort to divert the habit of brushing the dust of pumice stone into the toothpaste. Thankfully, Icha and her collage ar planning to donate toothbrush and toothpaste every three months for this community

***

I personally never tired to came to West Nusa Tenggara (NTB). This is my third time to came here but this is my first time stay in Lombok island. My previous two visits to the island of Sumbawa definitely. So, I don't let this opportunity slip by.

Behind the Jayakarta hotel where I was staying there was a fishing village. And there they were selling grilled fish and smoked fish to the visitor who is bored of the beach hotel food. I am lucky, then there is teenagers who was training horses. Imagine practicing horse in Sengigi beachside at sunset! Truly photographic experience which I will not miss.

For me personally, Lombok was incredibly beautiful paradise for tourists. But for residents who live far away
from tourist sites, the shadow of heaven is very far from the minds of those who have to work hard every day for some food.

---

Photos

Children
Children in Wajageseng Village, Central Lombok district.

white wine
Local White wine.

mom
A local woman carrying 5 meters bamboo.

stone
Pumice stone

carissa
drg. Carissa (dentist), film crew, mr. Parhan and his wife.

House
Fisherman's house at Senggigi beach, Lombok.

boy
Local boy to bath his horse after riding.

gili
Thank's God we're in Gili Trawangan.