LOMBOK, INDONESIA (Port No. 17, 3/6/12)

∙ GEOGRAPHY 101
        ∙ Land Mass/ Continent: An island in south-central Indonesia (in Maritime Southeast Asia)
          ∙ Estimated Population: 3.16 million Indonesians!
          ∙ Distance From Home (San Diego, CA): 8,619 miles
          ∙ The Water That Got Us Here: Indian Ocean, Java Sea, Lombok Straight
∙ ITS PLACE IN HISTORY/INTERESTING FACTS
          ∙ Local time: 
          ∙ The "Sasak" people -- the predominant inhabitants of this land -- were invaded by the Japanese during WWII; communists were killed en masse during a failed coup attempt in 1965; crop failures led to famine in 1966 and food shortages in 1973; and they were hit hard by Indonesia’s economic and political crises of the late 1990s
          ∙ In 2000, riots broke out Lombok’s capital, provoked by radical Islamic agitators, and tourism slumped
          ∙ In 2002 and 2005, Bali terrorist bombings (killing more than 220 people) and progress of the SARS outbreak in Asia also dramatically impacted tourism in Lombok
          ∙ In 2007-2008, most countries lifted their Travel Warnings, and tourism has since recovered and, in fact, increased
          ∙ The water supply in Lombok is stressed, and in May 2011, a $93 million project began to construct the Pandanduri dam
          ∙ A large majority of the population live in poverty; a family’s income may be as low as $1/day from fishing or farming
          ∙ The population is predominantly (app. 85%) Muslim, but a small (app. 15%) Hindu culture remains
          ∙ Only 25 miles separate Lombok from the Isle of Bali; it is commonly referred to as “Bali’s sister island”
          ∙ One key difference between Bali and Lombok is the presence of a malaria risk on the island of Lombok, which does not exist in the resort areas of Bali; a malaria prophylactic is recommended for our stop here
          ∙ Rice is their primary staple
          ∙ School is compulsory, but not free since there are no income taxes (people work or go to school 6 days/week)
          ∙ Since there are no income taxes, medicine is not free, either; the average lifespan is only 62-65 due to the high diabetes rate from the rice-saturated diet and the lack of affordable, quality medical care
          ∙ According to our guide, the government is highly corrupt and subject to bribery - "money talks"
          ∙ Indonesia is a smoker-friendly place, because a pack of cigarettes is only app. $1/pack; one can smoke anywhere that isn't air-conditioned
          ∙ Men can have multiple wives here, but his family must pay a dowry to each wife's family, based on her family's station in life; girls marry as young as 14, and boys at 17; a man can get a divorce by text message or by simply telling the village Chief
          ∙ The new Lombok International Airport opened in 2011

SUNRISE AT LEMBAR, LOMBOK, INDONESIA

LOMBOK VILLAGE BOYS

∙ THINGS TO DO/SEE/EXPERIENCE
         ∙ Beaches, mountains, temples and palaces, e.g., The Water Palace, Senggigi Beach, its own Kuta Beach (not to be confused with Bali's famed Kuta Beach)