19.09.2008Остров Lombok, Indonesia
Island Lombok - one of the best resort islands of Indonesia! It is the small island located near to Bali and island Sumbawa, island of amazing contrasts and contradictions. Today we will in detail tell about it.
Lombok often compare with its well-known for the neighbour – island Bali. About Lombok say, that it is Bali without its culture and beauty that is not absolutely fair since landscapes of Lombok with its jungle and thickets, coral islands and long pure beaches are not less fine.
Geography
Lombok, one of Lesser Sunda Isles, is located to the east of Bali. The island area - 5435 sq.km. from the southeast on the northwest makes Extent about 80 km. In the central part of Lombok there is its highest top – mountain Gunung Rindzhani in height of 3726 metres above sea level – a volcanic cone with kraternym lake in the middle. A relief mountainous in the north, hollow terrasirovannyj in the south. The capital Mataram is at the western coast of island, the population of a city about 250 thousand persons.
Religion
While to Bali the basic religion - induizm, the truth, in the unique form - hindudarma, showing the mix induizma, the Buddhism and local beliefs which does not meet more anywhere, Lombok is occupied by Moslems (however, and Islam is presented not in very rigid form), and local inhabitants - sasak - differ from balinijtsev not only language, way, culture, but also purely outwardly.
Climate
Climate on Lombok more chilly and zharche, than to Bali. Between these close islands (2,5 hours on a catamaran) lay the deep ocean hollow dividing Asia and Avstralineziju.
Time of a rainy season for different islands does not coincide. The mid-annual temperature makes from 26 °s to 28 °s.
This that place where transition from the western Indonesia to east part begins, to its flora and fauna, changes become more appreciable, than further you move ahead on the East. Northern part of island is hilly and covered by greens of high trees and bushes. The south - the fruitless, droughty earth, savanna. Droughty seasons here all become more long, therefore corn and sago replace rice as the basic component for preparation of the majority of dishes. Lombok - is known as the virgin island ideally approaching for travel and rest where you will find white sandy, silent beaches, mountains, untouched villages, vegetation of tropics and rich culture of Indonesia.
History
For the first time the attention of the world has been involved in unknown island Lombok in second half of 19 centuries when Alfred Russel Uollis, «the father of geography of animals», has informed on sharp differences between animals and the plants occupying Bali and Lombok. To Bali flora and fauna same as in the west of the Indonesian archipelago and in the next Malaysia, on Lombok animal and the flora is unequivocally connected with Australia and New Zealand.
Lombok substantially managed to avoid rough influence of the West, and its multilingual population continues to conduct traditionally slow way of life. Today Lombok hardly it is possible to name a mass resort, and this one of its main differences from the next Bali. Here less than tourist sights, but it is less and tourists – so, here it is possible to feel closer to the nature. The island has a unique charm, “you not without reason speak can see Bali on island Lombok, but not on the contrary”.
In a southern part of Lombok well-known resort Kuta (beach Putri Nual) - one of the most picturesque and untouched coast of Indonesia is bred. From Kuta to Tanzhang An on 5 kilometres the cleanest white sandy beaches were stretched. To the west there are beaches for fans of surfing and surfing. To the north from Bangsala begins the most beautiful and popular islands Lomboks from beaches - Senggigi. Coral reeves grow much directly from coast.
In the central part of island there are 17-metre falls Otakokok surrounded with magnificent tropical vegetation. It is possible to admire a tremendous show - a sunset between two known volcanoes - Balinezijsky Agungom and Rindzhani in the evening. Known resorts - Sendzhizhi and Dzhili Meno.