Sesaot,another fascinating forest in Lombok

      

Welcome Gate

             Although Lombok is wellknown for it's beautifull beaches,but it's also had a lot of fascinating forest which is mostly located in the northern side of the island,because it's nearby the Rinjani Mountain, the biggest mountain in Lombok that had many spring that fertilized the land and had genuine and fresh air.One of the forest is Sesaot forest located in Sesaot Village,in Narmada district part of West Lombok Regent.
                 If we want to get to the place from Mataram,it's only 18 Kilometres away from Mataram City (approximately) and it's only need for about 45 minutes to get to the location.Generally,the forest is divided into 3 main area,primary forestry,secondary forestry,and the agroforestry.With the 5.999,2 wide coverage area,Sesaot forest is the perfect place for people who likes outdoor activity such as outbounding,camping,fishing,and swiming along the cool water of the river.

               The forest had for about 56 spring that came directly from under Rinjani mountain flow through the river,the river called Aik nyet (Cool Water) before it channels through the dam to watered local farmers ricefield.Walking among the trees could be a fun activity during holiday or weekend for student or office worker to relieve the stress from daily routine activity,by seeing the view,get some fresh air,and a little bit playing on the water,it could refresh your mind,body and soul before you get to your normal activity in weekdays.

             
       

Sesaot Swiming Pool and Playground for family

           We can also enjoying Lombok traditional food such as Sate Bulayak, Pelecing Kangkung and the famous Taliwang chicken grill while we watch the view around us sell by local people.Unfortunately until now there is no public transportation that we can use to get to the place but don't worry,we still can use rent car or motorcycle,The price is about 600.000 IDR for 10 hours for the car,and 50.000 IDR for a day for motorcycle. If you don't want to camp in the forest and just want to stay in your hotel there's plenty of hotel in Mataram city that would provide your need. So don't forget to bring your camera to documentation the fascinating view of the forest that also known as the lung of the island get refresh.
                   There are two places that we can visit to enjoy the forrest,first is the Sesaot swiming pool that located right behind the welcome gate,in this area you can bring your kids to swim on the river or the swimming pool,there are also a flying fox to test your adrenalin.The second spot is aiknyet (cold water) bathingplace which located 2 km from the first (Sesaot swimming pool),in aiknyet the atmosphere of deep forrest is truly feel,high trees and sound of the river and also the bathing place is so refreshing.

Aiknyet bathing place

       To get to the bathingplace from the parking spot, it's also a struggle,we need to walk go deep in to the forrest,up and down the stairs.If you feel hungry or thirsty,don't worry,along the way to the bathingplace there's lot of local people selling food and drink,you also could get a rest on "berugak" (sasak's gazebo) after that you can enjoy the view,relaxing,taking the meal,or taking a bath on cold water of the river.For every spot in Sesaot forrest (Swimming pool and aiknyet bathing place) the ticket price for every person is 3000 IDR ,and the parking tariff is  2000 IDR for motorcycle and 5000 IDR for car.

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Benang Setokel,waterfall hidden inside the forest

The Waterfall that hidden inside the forest

            Lombok had many beautiful waterfall,the waterfall usually hidden deep down inside the forest,and it's mostly located in the north side of the island,one of the waterfall which located on the central Lombok region is Benang Setokel waterfall.There are several ways to get to the location of the waterfall,from Mataram, (The Capital of West Nusa Tenggara) it takes approximately 45 minutes and the distance approximately 30 km,but if we take the trip from Praya (The Capital of Central Lombok region) it would take 25 minutes heading to the North from Praya.

The stairs and forest that we have to go through before get to the waterfall

         The ticket to get in to the waterfall location is 1000 IDR for each person.For parking, it cost 1000 IDR for motorcycle and 2000 IDR for cars, before we can see the waterfall we have to walk from the parking area to the waterfall through the stunning green forest.Climbing and downing the stairs.It might a little bit exausthing, but it's all get paid after we get into the location. The Location usually get more crowded during the weekend or holiday season. Local tourist usually take all their family member.

The Local tourist enjoying playing water in the waterfall

       There are also legend and myth that locals still believe about the waterfall, they believe that in a certain moment of the year, Dewi Anjani ( A myth creature that represented by the form of beautiful princess which is believe stay in Mount Rinjani) would go down from the Mountain and take a shower under the waterfall to cleaning her hair,so local people believe that if they had a problem with their hair like hair loss or dandruff and they take shower under the waterfall,it would cure their hair problem.

The tourist enjoying the view of the waterfall

           With two ways of water falling from 30 meters heights the Benang Setokel waterfall would give an asthonishing wiew among the freshness of a green forest and it would refresh your mind,body and soul before you came back to your home,so if you a kind of person who like a little bit adventure,the trip to the waterfall would suits you.






               

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Nipah Beach,beautiful beach view from the hill

        Not too far from Senggigi beach,iconic beach tourism destination in Lombok, still in Senggigi resort area,there is Nipah beach if we go a little bit further to the north,before we reach to bangsal harbor,the harbor that provides boats that take us to three gili's (small islands) we would past through Nipah beach that has beautiful view from the hill.
            It is a bay-shaped beach that in the north and the south it's bounded by cape Serambanan and cape Serombong.

           The North Lombok regency provides place for the tourist if they want to enjoy the view of the hill and rocks and coconut tree that surrounded the beach, beside enjoying the view and taking picture and surely breath of the freas air of the sea,there are also lots of the locals that selling souvenirs like hat,keychain,snack,corn grill and many others.To get to the beach it's not hard because the roadway is already good so we don't have to worry to brought our car.

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Ampenan Beach, memory from an old harbor

The Face of Ampenan District

         If you're kind of people who like  a trip to a classic old town, Ampenan might be suit you, we could see and tracking a little bit about Lombok histrory,old buildings and houses were still preserve in good way as an heritage from Dutch while they were colonizing in Indonesia untill it ends at 1945 when Indonesia get independence.
       In the 60's and 70's Ampenan had importent role as an harbor that connecting people from Lombok to Bali before the harbor was moved to Lembar in West Lombok Regency at the late of 70's.

The Gate to Ampenan Beach

   As a trade center, Ampenan became the place where people from various ethnic such as Arabic, Chinese, Malay, Javanese, and also local people meet to do their trading activity,and it still going on until now. The Mataram city goverment try to do the restoration to the town so it wouldn't be  forgotten as time goes by.

People enjoying the afternoon in cozy place

            Nowdays,the location of ex-harbor is became as a recreation place,place where the whole family could enjoy  ecspecially before the dawn to see the sunset. From the edge side of  the beach,we can see the ocean wiew,the hills and also the local fisherman while they're fishing on their boat.
           The beach became one alternative for people in Mataram to having relaxations ecspecially on the weekend before they comeback doing their activity on the weekdays.

The Youth Enjoying The Sunset

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Nyongkolan,celebration and united of two family in wedding

Photograph by : Wahid Kurniadi

             In Sasak tribe traditional wedding ceremony,there is a phase that called 'nyongkolan', after the couple were pronounce as husband and wife, at the same day the couple went in a procession from the groom's  house to the bride's house,people who accompanying the couple were the groom's family,the neghbours and friends and also a group of local music such as gendang beleq and kecimol,these phase is also some kind an anouncement to the people along the way that these two people (the couple) were alreday becoming husband and wife.
              The couple were treated like king and queen for a day,they were walking along with gendang beleq or kecimol accompaniment until they reach to the bride's house using sasak traditional clothes,but today this tradition is already a little bit changing and had some modification,people no longer playing traditional sasak song using traditional music instrument,but the playing modern music like dangdut music or even pop music while the youth in the parade dancing along the way.

Photograph by : Wahid Kurniadi

           This procession usually held during the weekend,so if we take a ride along the villages in Lombok in the weekend we would find the procession in few places,we would find crowd of people who watching it and it could caused traficc jam for few kilometres.
     For some people this procession is sacred,they believe if the procession didn't held after the wedding,something bad is gonna happen to the couple in their marriage life,so they have to do it even on the poured rain.

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Pink Beach,coloured sand beach under the sun

Photograph by : Wahid Kurniadi

            One of many beautiful beaches that shouldn't be miss to visit when you came to Lombok is pink beach,actuall name of the beach is Tangsi,Tangsi itself mean barrack,because during the world war II, this location becoming barrack for Japanese soldiers, they're build caves for defense,as a proof we can fine the cannons and caves as their herritance.People called pink because the colour of the sand on the beach.It coloured pink from the colour from the coral flake that mix with the sand,it would be more clearly to see if we see it on a bright daylight under the sun. Located on the east side of the island,on Sekaroh village,Jerowaru district,on East Lombok Regency, it takes 2 hours trip by land from Mataram city ( capital of West Nusa Tenggara Province ).
              There are two ways to get to the beach,first, we can get there by land, but unfortunately the infastructure isn't very good,after we get to the cliff up on the beach,we have to walk for about 25 meters down the cliff to get to the beach,all the hard way down is payed when we see the view on the beach.

The boat from local fisherman that ready to take you to the beach and back

              Second way to the beach is by using boat from local fisherman from Tanjung Luar village, it's only take fifteen minutes (approxmately) we can rent them and they will wait for us until we finished playing on the beach,cause the wave is too calm, the beach isn't suitable for surfing,but it's ok for swimming,diving and snorkling, unfortunately in the beach we can't find much people sailing for food,so it would be better if we bring our own food if we want to go to the beach.

Children playing on the beach

       In the world, there are seven places that had same characteristics with pink beach in Lombok,two of them were in Indonesia, beside the one in West Nusa Tenggara,there are also another beach in Komodo island in East Nusa Tenggara province that had same characteristic.

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Pusuk forest,home for the monkeys

The gate to the North Lombok Regency before entering the forrest

       Beside had many beatiful beaches Lombok also had wide area of forest, mostly in the north side of the island,located in North Lombok Regency,pusuk is one of the forest that might attractive for the tourist to came by.

      From Mataram city, the location is only 30 kilometers away ( approximately),we already can feel the atmosphre of coolnes from a forest since we entering the North Lombok Regent,if we going further, take the roadway deeper in to the forrest we're gonna find groups of monkeys along the way.

a group of monkeys in Pusuk

   These monkeys make group according to the bloodline,one group usually had a family connection to the other member of the group. Even the monkeys look tame and you can feed them,but it would be better not try to touch them because we never know that they might be angry and might be bites and scratch you. The local people who stays in the forest never bother them,they just let the monkeys proliferate naturally. Beside the monkeys, you can also enjoy the wiew of wide forest that covered the hill.

wide forest covered the hill

The monkeys try to find the food

          If you take the road along the way, it will lead you to Tanjung, the capital of North Lombok Regent, the forrest wouldn't be along the way because pusuk to Tanjung is still far and it take for about 45 minutes to get there,but don't worry, along the way you still can see the beautiful view of forest and wide ricefield. If you're kind of people who kind a like this kind of tourism beside going to the beach,this could be one option that you can choose on your vacation.

Enjoying the wiew of the forest

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Ogoh - ogoh Parade,purifing the soul by destroying evil spirit

      Once a year,one day before the "Nyepi" (Silent day,hindhu's New Year) the hindhu people in Lombok,mostly in Cakranegara,one district in Mataram city, held the ogoh - ogoh ( a kind of scary statue) parade, the parade usually held from the afternoon until dusk,hindhu people from every "Banjar" gathering to start the parade that usually take route in the main street of Cakranegara.The Ogoh - ogoh were made from bamboo trunk,cartoon paper,and coloured by paint,it symbolizing the evil spirit that always try to attempting human being in life to do bad thing.                                                                                                             

         That's why ogoh - ogoh always performed in a shape of scary and creepy creature.Every "Banjar" made their own ogoh - ogoh, the people accompanying ogoh - ogoh in a procession,usually by the youth,in the end of the carnival the ogoh - ogoh would be burn,it representing (and hopefully) the evil spirit would be destroy as well and it would be a good time to start the new year with new and pure soul. After the parade,people ecspecially Hindhu people went home preparing for the silent day on the next day.

 Eventhough the majority of people in Lombok were moeslim but it doesn't bother at all, the moeslim people respect it and try take it as a "unity in diversity",The moeslim and hindu people were still live in harmony.

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Gendang Beleq,the rhythm and harmony of Lombok

Photograph by : Wahid Kurniadi

         In Sasak tribe community,there's a traditional art that combining traditional music instruments, this music is used to encourage the warrior from ancient kingdom in Lombok island when they going for war,but as the time goes by,the function of the music become change,these days the music is playing for special occasion like wedding ceremony (merariq),or when a baby get first haircut (aqiqah) or any other big celebration.

         The name "Gendang Beleq" mean big gendang, gendang is a traditional music instrument,a kind of drum, made from big tree trunk that had been holed in the middle, and covered by ox or cow skin in the left and right side, so when people hit the left  and right side it could make a rhythm.Playing in group of men from 13 to 17 people,there are few components from this tradisonal music such as :

• Two Gendang Beleq, called gendang mame ( male gendang) and gendang nine ( female gendang ) as a dynamic of music
• One Gendang Kodeq ( Small Gendang )
• Two reong, reong mame ( male reong ) and reong nine ( female reong ) as the melody of the music
• One perembak beleq as rhytmic
• Eight perembak kodeq or used to called copek as rhytmic
• One petuk as rhytmic
• One Big Gong as rhytmic
• One Penyelak Gong as rhytmic
• One Oncer Gong as rhytmic
• Two red or yellow flag called lelontek

  

  Photograph by : Wahid Kurniadi

                                                         These group of men were walking like parade while they were playing the music,they were also dancing during the music playing.The filosofi of the music is representing unity,wisdom,patient,beauty, and heroism which sacred by the Sasak tribe community,so by playing the music,those good point would stay remain in the tribe.

  

  Photograph by Wahid Kurniadi

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Narmada Park,Relaxation place for the King

"Bale Loji " The King's house

           Build in the late of 17th century and finished in the early of 18th century,the garden is used to be the place where the king Anak Agung Gde Ngurah Karangasem of Karangasem kingdom in Bali and his wife take a rest in dry season after they left the king's palace in Cakranegara (Castle Carving Kawi) during the Karangasem kingdom domination in Lombok,There are two groups of buildings in the garden,the group which is classify as sacred,it's located in the east side of the garden,it's a group of temple ( the group called pura kelasa,where the king doing his pray ritual) and there's also a spring of youth called "kelabutan".

The garden view from the top

            In the west side of the garden there are group of building which is profane like "Bale Loji" Home for the King and Queen,where they can stay during the summer time, and "Bale Terang", a building with a storage underneath and had two bedroom upstairs separated by an open space so the King could feel the cool breezes while looking across the tample, The construction of the park it's self representing the replica of Mount Rinjani and Segara Anak Lake which had a sacred served and important purpose for the King who has no longer able to do the annual pilgrimage to Rinjani.there's also lake and pool that connected the east and west side of the garden,nowdays, the garden is become tourism object so that people from local and abroad could know little bit of Lombok history.
                 

"Telaga Ageng" the lake where the king doing praying ritual

The Pool and Lake view from the top

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The Art of "Peresean", fight between local knight of Lombok

Photograph by : Wahid Kurniadi              

  

               If in modern sport there's boxing,in tradisional Lombok society there's "peresean",word "peresean" in Indonesia mean playing perisai or playing shield because the two peoples who fight are using shield which is made from rattan and covered by ox or buffalo skin,to attack each other,they using stick made from rattan too,in the past,this sport are used to train the knight and warrior (in sasak languange we called "pepadu') from Lombok to strengthen themself. But nowdays peresean are use by people to called for rain in dry season,the more blood fall from two pepadu who fight,the more rain will fall to make ricefield of farmers fertile,thats what people believe.It also held for spesial occasion or event like when a high functionary came,or wellcoming the tourist.

Photograph by : Wahid Kurniadi

        The component of peresean are two fighters (called "pepadu") and two referees (called "pekembar") the referee who stand in the middle of the arena called "pekembar tengaq" and the referee who stand on the edge of the arena called "pekembar tengaq",during the fight the audience will also listening to the tradisonal music played using tradisonal music instrument such as gong,suling,and kanjar to encorage the fighter,everytime one fighter could hit his enemy body ,it would be count as one point,the fight held for few round,the winner is the one get the highest point,the fight would also be stopped if there's one of  the fighter surrender or could not continue the fight,after the fight,the medical team directly taking care the wound of  the fighter by using special oil,even in the fight they hit each other,but after the fight,the two fighters embrace each other.

I

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Labuhan Haji,watching sunrise on the east of Lombok

a park for people to have a morning coffe and breakfast

                Located in east side of the island,Labuhan haji is the most wellknown beach for the local,on Sunday morning,people with their family,or the youth with their couple came to the beach to watch sunrise as a recreation after long weekdays.The beach called "Labuhan Haji" (Hajj Harbor) because based on it's history, Lombok moeslim people using this beach as a harbour to go to Mecca doing their Hajj ritual,not like these days that people already using an airplane.

"berugaq" ( sasak's gazebo) to enjoy eat and drink while watch sunrise

                 In the old days,this area use to be a trade area,not just as a harbor,but also for the fishermen to sell their fish, but after the chaos in 60's, this place is no longer as a trade a area and become more quiet,we also still can see the old buildings and houses among the fishermen's village,so the East Lombok regency goverment regent try to rebuild  it again so the beach could be as good as it was,and also for recreation area to the people during the weekend. It is not hard to get to the beach,it's only 7  kilometers (approximately) from Selong, the capital of East Lombok Regent,and it's only take fifteen minutes (approximately).

Sunrise on Labuhan Haji beach

we also can see the island of Sumbawa from the beach

People try to capture the sunrise moment while they playing on the beach

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