From the moment we arrived on Lombok, Henry and I were struck by the difference in this culture from the culture of its neighboring island of Bali. We promised ourselves an outing to see the lifestyle of the natives here.  Though most drivers prefer to take visitors to see the crafts markets closer to Mataram in the south, Henry and I insisted on driving north to see the traditional village we had been told about, Segenter. The round trip  drive over mountain roads with wonderful mountain vistas, beautiful farmland, and stunning seascape views took four hours, giving us a chance to observe the people, their villages, their modes of transportation, and the rural life on the northern end of the island. Segenter, a small, typical, traditional styled Lombok settlement is a self-sufficient community. Its people farm cotton, rice and tobacco which they sell at the market. All of the staple food is produced on the surrounding agricultural land. The buildings here all have thatched roofs, using local materials. There are rows of simple houses on the upper level, with rest platforms built in the area between the houses. We were told that the elder members of the family live in a house on one row, with their married children living in the house opposite. The rest platforms, which  stand between the two rows of houses, serve the community as an outdoor “living room” or gathering place. We were entertained by the soft sound of wooden bells, hand carved and strung by rope around the necks of the tethered goats, which graze in this village. While we were there, children played in the common areas, and a boy tried to fly his pink kite. We saw woman, fresh from bathing, drying her face on her batik sarong. A little girl cared for her baby brother, batik sarong tied as a support for his weight. Chickens and roosters had free reign of the village grounds. The peaceful ambience gave us a chance to see the beautiful care and craft literally woven into their architecture. Henry and I were both sensitive to being there, and made a point of being unobtrusive and not staying too long. After all, we had a long drive to return to our lush resort before dark.

PHOTOS: Left Column: 1. A ceremonial platform. 2. A village boy flying his kite. 3. View of a village house. 4. Mother goat and her kid. Note the  hand carved wooden bell at her neck. Center, Top: View of a village house with stored wood. Center, Bottom: A storage house used for grain. Right Column: 1. View of a village street, with parallel houses and a resting platform in the center. 2. A child with her brother. 3. Overview of the village. 4. Woman fresh from the bath using a sarong to dry her face.

JOURDAN ARPELLE-ZIEGLER                                        BACK TO MAP  PAGE