Balinese make up 10-15% of the population and the Sesak people make up the rest. Sesak's practice a relaxed kind of Islam, mixing Hindu-Buddhist beliefs and pray 5 times a day. I guess you could call them moderates. Certainly in the west and south of Lombok its all very relaxed. They don't impose their religous beliefs on you, theyre just just happy to have you there.
Unlike Bali's Hindus' there aren't a lot of ceremonies in daily life apart from the praying. Call to pray is a fascinating part of daily life, but we've deliberately positioned ourselves away from the nearest mosque as the morning call blares out at 5am! We're health nuts, not insomniacs.
The main events on the religious calendar center around the holy month of Ramadan usually in Sep or Oct – a great time for visiting as its even more quiet and peaceful.
One common misconception is that the people in Lombok aren't friendly or open to foreigners. Perhaps some misplaced notion they're Islamic radicals or rural simpletons we're not sure. Most likely PR from Bali’s business interests who also false claim Bali doesn’t have dengue or malaria (which it does) or that the rabies epidemic is under control (which it isn’t). Have a look at the photos, come down and meet the people.
Whilst we agree the Balinese are generally some of the nicest people around, the people of Selong Belanak are equally wonderful. Have a look at the photos, come down and meet the people. They’re simple farming and fishing folk, namely rice and tobacco. They don’t have a lot but judging by their smiles they don’t need a lot, something maybe we can learn from them. Barefoot football with bamboo goal posts is a favorite past-time.
They haven’t seen a lot of foreigners so sometimes you feel like the piped piper with 20 school kids wanting to shake your hand, but it’s all in good fun. Bust out your best Bahasa Indonesia and you’ll be sure to win many friends.
Heading back towards to Kuta Lombok the vibe noticeably changes with more English spoken and more people wanting to sell you things you don’t need or want. You can definitely see analogies with Kuta Bali, as a sign of things to come. You might stay in Kuta Lombok, because for now you have to, but the smiles on the dials of the people in Selong will keep drawing you back.
Balinese make up 10-15% of the population and the Sesak people make up the rest. Sesak's practice a relaxed kind of Islam, mixing Hindu-Buddhist beliefs and pray 5 times a day. I guess you could call them moderates. Certainly in the west and south of Lombok its all very relaxed. They don't impose their religous beliefs on you, theyre just just happy to have you there.
Unlike Bali's Hindus' there aren't a lot of ceremonies in daily life apart from the praying. Call to pray is a fascinating part of daily life, but we've deliberately positioned ourselves away from the nearest mosque as the morning call blares out at 5am! We're health nuts, not insomniacs.
The main events on the religious calendar center around the holy month of Ramadan usually in Sep or Oct – a great time for visiting as its even more quiet and peaceful.
That's us, the tourists.
They're rural people living a simple farming / fishing life, genuinely happy and inquisitive. Relatively poor even by Indonesian standards the government and inturn the people now recognize tourism as a means to a better life and are extremely receptive to the ‘white coconuts'. Why farm coconuts when you can farm white coconuts ! A lot more profitable and fun.
Where once there might have been trepidation and caution there now is excitement and acceptance. It's a sign of the times and proof the world really is getting smaller. Quickly!
“Its easy to make a buck. Its a lot tougher to make a difference” – Tom Brokaw
People make’th the place its long been said. The prettiest beaches, the tallest mountains, the clearest waters all mean nothing if the people themselves arent friendly and don’t want you there. The more you travel, the more you realise this simple truth.
As it stands Selong Belanak is a beautiful, friendly, undeveloped beach area. But it might not always be that way, unless we make it so. In Jabon Hills where we are, overlooking Selong, the local community is super friendly and really behind what we’re doing. We want that not just to continue but to strengthen over time which is why Giving Back is such an important part of the concept.
As leaders of the first wave of tourist development in the area we have a social and environmental responsibility to to do the right thing. That is to improve the standard of living for our local community and teaching them why/how to protect the environment. We want Avantara to be first mover partly because we want to set an example for other projects, as the area develops over the next 5 years.
“Instead of counting your days, make your days count” - Confucius
The community projects we have in mind arent expensive or overly ambituous. We’re focusing on agri-economics such as (a) land stablization and carbon sequestation using Vetiver Grass (b) bamboo reforestation and farming (c) organic farming (d) plant nurseries (e) rubbish collection and recycling (f) children education and (g) basic health and nutrition. The only thing better than a genuine smile, is knowing you helped put it there. We’ll be looking for fresh ideas, sponsorship and volunteers along the way.
