change of plans

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I've changed the trip to a mountain biking/surfing trip. I'm in the capital of Lombok (Mataram pop. 130,000) the last "city" I'll come across so I'm taking advantage of it before I head further east...further back in time. Arriving in Lombok was already a change. Goats at the harbor. Horse drawn carriages on the road.

Riding the bike from Kuta, Bali to Padangbai (harbor) took only 3 hours! It wasn't very pleasant, too many motorcycles and trucks. Once I got to Lombok the sounds of the many insects covered the little traffic noise! I'm really looking forward to getting on the more rural roads.

As I approached the harbor on Bali I stopped by a temple (Hindu) when I heard the gamelan. I went down to the black sand beach to listen and watch the people making offerings to the sea ... as far as I could understand. Very memorable.

Lombok's history is intertwined with that of Bali so there are still Balinese-like hindu temples but the mosques are much more prevalent. It reminded me of Batu Keras in West Java to be awoken a 4:30am by the prayer call.

Tomorrow I'll hopefully finish a little shopping and finalize booking my next stupid visa run and the day after leave early in the morning to beat the heat and head for the southern coast.

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