Up and out early this morning as we have a private tour at 8am – no sense trying to fit the gym in when we need to be outside that early, so we just grab some breakfast then head out to meet Andy our guide for today.  We find Andy easily enough in the parking area and are off in no time.  Our first stop today is a traditional weaving village called Manggis Songket.  Andy explains that there are a few traditional weaving villages around the island where the women do all the work. Most of the men are rice farmers, so they don’t work year long, but the women do. 

At the village, Andy turns us over to another guide, Mar, who walks us through the village cracking us up the whole way talking about how the men just sit around doing nothing, they’re lazy.  The women are strong and do all the work.  She’s a pistol, Mar is!  We are introduced to a few women who are doing the traditional weaving with bamboo sticks as guides and tons of different, intricate designs and thread.  It’s an amazing talent to do this all day and create the beautiful tapestries they do.  I felt uncomfortable taking pictures, even though I know it’s a tourist spot and they expect it, but this is their home and, I don’t know, just felt weird.  Anyhow, we watch them weaving and even try to spin some thread from a cotton ball – no way could we do it – even Mar couldn’t, but the woman who gave us a demonstration made it look so simple. Ha!

Of course we ended in their store, and while we normally wouldn’t buy anything because we really don’t have room for wall hangings and don’t need table runners, we did find one scarf/table runner that was pretty and fairly reasonable in price (as in not $100’s of USD!!!).  Figuring we might as well contribute to their society, we sucked it up and bought it hoping the first sale would give them luck for the rest of the day (as more and more ship people started to arrive). 

Back in the car we head off on an hour plus drive to the center of the island and the Benang Stokel waterfalls. Along the way, Andy explains his name, Lalu Andy – which is actually a traditional first name or title.  Something to do with royalty I think he said. The women have the first name Baiq.  But he says it is only honorific, we can just call him Andy.  He also gives us an overview of the island, which is 93% Muslim and relies on tourism and rice fields.  We get a lesson in rice planting, how the snails destroy the roots and farmers plant small trees in rows to make soil strong and stop erosion.  Mice are the worst pests and most destructive. But they don’t eat them here like they do in Thailand! 

We regal each other with different stories – about travel, about people, about living on the island – until we get to the waterfalls where we are handed off to Ata, our guide for this part of our adventure. Ata is adorable, young and, we find out, in college, taking courses to become a full time guide and he graduates tomorrow.  Off we go, chatting while we navigate up the roadway and then into the forest toward the first waterfall – Benang Stokel. 

This is a triple waterfall and gorgeous, with a shimmering pool at the bottom. Turns out Ata is also a great photographer, snapping pictures of us all along the way.

Now it is off to Benang Kelambu, the waterfall named because it looks like curtains – Andy has raved over this one during our drive here.  It is a 1km hike to get there – and I mean hike.  Up tons of very unforgiving stairs.  At one point, the walk does even out on a plateau where there are gorgeous views out across the island.  But otherwise – it is grueling.

Ata is highly impressed with us though – he keeps us sweet and telling us he wants to be like us when he gets old!  How can you not love this guy?  Anyhow, we trudge our way out to Kelambu, in the heat up and down the steps, not feeling very sweet at this point!  Once there, the waterfall is spectacular and does look like curtains falling down through the gorgeous lush foliage. Ata takes charge of my phone for a photo session, making sure to capture us walking toward Kelambu and then at the viewing platform.

Deciding to take a break here, Ed orders a coffee which he deems crunchy!   We sit for a while, snapping more picture of the falls and the surrounding pools, as more and more visitors start to pile in.  It’s getting pretty crowded so we decide to make our way back, up the huge staircase with views back to the waterfall. 

Unfortunately, the heat and the stairs do us in.  No way can we make it back to the parking lot trekking.  The tour description said “soft” trekking.  Their definition of soft and ours is definitely different!  Yes, it was all on “paved” paths but rocky and stairs galore. Fortunately there are motorbike drivers we can hire to bring us back to the main lot and Andy.  All we have to say is thank heavens.  Because even the motorbike ride was wild!  And it took at least 10 minutes on the bikes – Ed and I each with our own driver (I had Ata) – on this hard packed sand and mud trail up and down through the mountain forest.  We got the whole experience, that’s for sure – but boy did it beat us up!

Back at the lot we said goodbye to Ata, then began a hunt for Andy.  No one could find him.  His car was there, but he wasn’t.  The tour coordinator lady kept calling him and searching for him.  It took about 10 minutes to finally locate him, and then it turns out he lost his keys! Another 15 minutes ensued with us and 4 others searching the grounds, retracing his steps, looking under cars that may not have been parked there when he walked through the lot.  It was sort of nerve wracking, although he said he could call another driver to come pick us up.

In a Keystone Cops kind of way, it turns out the parking lot attendant found the keys and was walking all over looking for the owner.  We were literally circling each other the entire time – the lot attendant was at the front of the lot while we were at the back and vice versa.  Funny now – but not at the time!

We happily hopped in the car and then started talking about lunch.  Andy said the restaurant here was the best, so we literally drove to the back of the parking lot where we had just been looking for the keys!  Super funny!  But, a good decision all around really.  Lovely shaded porch area, beautiful view overlooking the pool area (where we were just searching) and the lawn – oh and the horses, just meandering around the lawn!  The menu offerings are good basic Indonesian meals, which we happily order – Mie Goreng Ayam for both of us, Ed’s with an egg. Perfectly yummy and satisfying after our exciting morning.

Then we begin a 1 hour drive back into town, chatting and trading stories the entire way, as well as gasping in horror at the school kids riding atop the jitney van! Andy says it happens all the time, it’s terribly dangerous, but the kids need a ride to their school or sports games. Scary.  Arriving at our next destination, Pura Narmada, Andy explains the temple was built in 1727 by King Anak Agung Gede Ngurah Karang Asem, the last reigning king of Karangasem and Bali.  He built the temple as a mini replica of Mt. Renjani, the sacred Hindu Volcanic mountain and crater lake, Segara Anak, used for religious rituals.  As the King got older and could no longer climb up the mountain, this temple became his alternative place for worship as it replicated the sacred mountain and lake high above the community.

Once inside the temple grounds, we are handed over to a sweet guide who walks us all through the grounds – showing us around the lush, stepped gardens with the Balai Petirtaan off the side – the bath building that uses stream water directly from Segara Anak to cleanse your spirit and locals believe in its healing properties, often coming here to seek blessings for health and fortune.  

From our vantage point up on volcanic rock walls, we can see across the entire park – from the gardens mentioned above to the Royal Bathing pool, which is now a public pool for everyone to enjoy and then past that to the little lake where there appear to be boat rentals.  Simply gorgeous.

We traverse the walls and the stairs to the gardens, then up the other side of the stepped walls to the Krama Pura Miru temple for a quick little photo shoot before heading back, past lovely lily pad ponds to meet Andy.  On our way out, we have to pass through a market – of course!  But no one here is aggressive and while we typically don’t need anything – this time we do! Somehow I have managed to forget my “shipboard” purse, the little bag I carry with me at night to dinner.  So I’m in the market for a new one, which I find here in the market and bargain it down to less than $2 USD.  Perfect, even though it says Lombok on it (eek!), but it will definitely do the trick.

Andy collects the car and we head off for our last destination, what he calls Lombok’s Taj Mahal – actually the Islamic Center mosque in Mataram. Once again we are handed off to a local guide, Yudi, who is the sweetest thing.  He dressed us is in our required traditional Muslim attire – an Abaya for me, a sarong for Ed – and took us through most of the complex playing photographer the entire way. Relatively new, opened in 2016, the complex comprises of the huge mosque, the 6^th largest in SE Asia, as well as an educational center, banquet halls and entertainment areas.  We concentrate on the mosque area, which is massive – Yudi says it can hold up to 10,000 people.  Now that’s big!  The pictures definitely do not do it justice.

We wander about, snapping photos of the gorgeous domed ceiling. When Yudi sees I am trying to take a selfie with the ceiling, he takes my camera, lays down on the floor and takes a picture of me and the ceiling.  Just a doll.  More pictures inside, then out to the wide patio area with the huge gong that is rung for events and it’s back to the front to disrobe and the end of our tour.

Now it’s Find Andy Time.  Once again, he has disappeared.  Ok, he does get a pass, because he is always working during his disappearing acts.  Andy is actually the boss/owner of a travel company and he is coordinating and managing a whole bunch of other tours today – so he is always on the phone talking to one or another guide or client.  We so lucked out having him as our guide today – it has just been a perfect day. Corralling him at last, we hop back in the car and head back to the port and the ship, arriving with plenty of time to begin what will become our normal evening activities – gym, balcony, pre-dinner drinks in Rendezvous, although tonight is one of the other bands, who are very good – but oh so loud.  You can’t hear yourselves think – much less converse with the bartenders!  Another CF at the dining room, lines, lines, lines.  We end up in the same section again with Ketan and Ajit for a good dinner then we actually went to see the production show – Boogie nights – which we knew we have seen, but it’s been so long, it seems like new. Ok.  Not exactly new, but still.  A nice way to spend the evening and then end it with night caps on the balcony as we make our way to Celukan Bawang.