Lombok, Indonesia

Hello Everyone!

This morning, Friday 20 Feb 2026, we docked in the port of Lembar, Lombok, Indonesia. Lembar is a small coastal port town in West Lombok, Indonesia, best known as the island’s main ferry and cruise gateway. It's not really a tourist destination in and of itself, but often is used as a jumping off point to nearby destinations like Bali (we sail there tomorrow for an overnight stay) or the Gili Islands farther north. I found out that this is one of Viking's first stops here, and they've set up a number of shore excursions that explore the culture and history of the area. 

Port of Lembar

Although not yet considered a prime tourist destination, the port is large and modern. Lembar is Lombok’s principal seaport and maritime gateway and concentrates mainly on vehicle ferries and cargo ships, plus the occasional cruise ship. The town has a working class vibe focused on port logistics, agriculture, fishing, and local trade. They're working hard to attract more of the lucrative tourist trade, so were very welcoming and accomodating.

Port of Lembar as Seen from My Cabin

Balinese Music

As we disembarked this morning, we were greeted by a band of musicians (a gamelan) playing some traditional Indonesian and Balinese music. A gamelan is a traditional Indonesian musical ensemble comprised of tuned percussion instruments, especially bronze metallophones and gongs, played together as a unified orchestra. It’s not one instrument. It’s a complete, interlocking ensemble system with its own tuning, repertoire, and performance tradition. The scale sounded pentatonic to me, like playing only on the black keys of a piano. I learned though that it's not quite the same as pentatonic, because the tunings of, and intervals between, the notes do not strictly line up with Western scales. Pairs of strings or gongs are generally tuned so that one is slightly above the nominal pitch and the other is slightly below. That gives "shimmery" quality to the music which makes it sound exotic (or out of tune, depending on your perspective) to westerners. To an Indonesian musician, perfectly tuned strings sound dead and lifeless.

Click here to see a video of the gamelan music and a dancer.

Gamelan and Dancer Welcoming Us to Lombok

Sasak Village, Hindu Temples, and Islamic Mosques

My excursion today was especially fascinating and interesting. We loaded onto a motorcoach and headed out into the local area. The ride to our first stop, the Mayura Water Palace, took about 45 minutes, passing through the countryside on our way to the capital city of Mataram. 

I found Lembar (the port city), and the island of Lombok to be typical of lesser-developed third-world countries. If you've never had to opportunity to visit a place like this, it can be a bit overwhelming at first. With few exceptions, the city of Mataram wasn't very clean, and it was not unusual to see large piles of garbage and trash along the roads in both urban and rural settings. The buildings seemed to be haphazardly constructed, with no urban planning or building codes. Electrical utilities and communication lines were almost exclusively above ground and appeared to be quite ad hoc. There were numerous small businesses lining the streets, everything from modest tables filled with fruits, vegetables, clothing, etc. up to nicer permanent buildings with glass storefronts. Repair shops, clothing stores, gas stations, fast food outlets and more were all randomly mixed mixed together.

Traffic was quite heavy, and although people generally obeyed the lights, lane markings and rules for right of way were merely suggestions. Scooters were everywhere, as automobiles are expensive to buy and maintain here. It wasn't at all unusual to see people riding barefoot or in sandals, no helmet, two (and sometimes three!) up, or carrying infants and large packages. Pedestrian traffic mixed freely with motor vehicles and you really had to stay alert.

Our guide told us that an average monthly wage here is about 4.8 million Indonesian Rupiahs. Sounds like a lot until you convert it to U.S. Dollars - just $284.00.

Here are a few pictures I took through the bus window along the way to the palace:

Scooters Everywhere

A Typical Construction Site

An "Upscale" Furniture Store

Typical Roadside Business

Garbage Along the Road to Mataram

Construction methods tended largely toward manual labor. Bamboo is ubiquitous and is commonly used for temporary roof supports and scaffolding.

Bamboo for Sale

Bamboo as Support Structure
During Construction

The Sasak people are the indigenous ethnic group of Lombok and the island’s clear majority population. Mostly (~85%) Muslim, they have a distinct language, history, and religious culture that sets them apart from neighboring Balinese and Javanese peoples. There are mosques everywhere in the city. Our visit coincided with the first few days of Ramadan, and nearly every mosque we passed was packed during prayer times.

Crowds at a Mosque During Ramadan Prayer Time

Mayura Water Palace

We soon arrived at the Mayura Water Palace (Taman Mayura). It was built in the mid-18th century (around 1744) by the Balinese rulers of Lombok (Karangasem dynasty). No longer used as a palace or temple, it remains one of Lombok’s most important historical sites — a royal court complex from the Balinese period of rule over western Lombok. It’s modest in size but rich in cultural meaning.

We arrived to more gamelan music and a Balinese dancer in beautiful ceremonial dress. 

Afterward, we enjoyed some coffee, tea and a small snack of local delicacies. I'm not sure exactly what I ate, but I can tell you it tasted marvelous! 

The Cutest Little Banana I've Ever Seen

"Stuff Wrapped in Leaves"

Sweet Fruit Filling Steamed in Leaves

Next, we walked through a ceremonial gate and across a pathway over the water to the Bale Kambang (BAH-lee comm-BONG, or "floating pavilion") in the middle of a rectangular, man-made pond. Historically the Bale Kambang at Mayura was used for royal court sessions, judicial hearings, ceremonial meetings, and diplomatic audiences. Placing the court in the “cosmic center” of the lake symbolized divine authority, balance, and royal legitimacy.

In Balinese–Hindu court architecture, the surrounding water represents the cosmic ocean, the central pavilion represents Mount Meru (the axis of the sacred world), and the raised causeway represents the connection between realms. So the structure is not just decorative - it's considered a cosmic diagram in architectural form.

Gateway to the Bale Kambang

Causeway Across the Lake

The Bale Kambang

Islamic Center NTB

Next, we took a bus ride across town to the Islamic Center NTB. The acronym NTB refers to Nusa Tenggara Barat (West Nusa Tenggara), the Indonesian province in which Mataram and Lombok are located. It signifies that the complex is officially the provincial Islamic center, not just a city mosque, and serves the broader Muslim community of West Nusa Tenggara. It is one of the largest mosques in the western islands.

Islamic Center Mosque

Washing Station Outside the Mosque

This big black cube in the courtyard of Islamic Center is a replica of the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Islam’s holiest site. 

Smaller Scale Replica of the Kaaba in Mecca

Inside the Islamic Center Mosque

Outside the mosque, I found the saddest little stray cat. She was skin & bones, missing one eye, and very weak and tired. But she loved it when I petted her and rubbed her cheek. She's definitely had a hard life on the streets...

Patuh Art Shop, Sukarara Village

Our last stop was the traditional weaving village of Sukarara. There we watched women weaving beautiful patterns into long pieces of cloth by hand. Some of the patterns can take several weeks to one month to complete. They used centuries old methods on complex, hand operated looms. We were told that mothers passed the skill of weaving onto their daughters, starting at a young age. It takes years to master the craft, and village women are expected to be proficient before they are married.

Hand Weaving

Hand Weaving

Hand Weaving

Return to the Ship

After a long day of touring, we headed back to the ship. We took mainly back roads and saw a lot of rice paddies along the way. Rice is a major product here, and the vast majority of the farms are small, family-owned plots of land. All the work is done by hand and is very labor intensive. Families tend to be large here because the farmers want many children to help with the farm work.

Burning Rice Stalks after Harvest

Rice drying after Harvest

Rice Paddies

When we returned to the ship, we were greeted by a large portion of the crew who'd formed a gauntlet for us to walk through. They were playing upbeat music and dancing to the beat, and we were offered cool drinks upon our return. It was all very festive and fun.

Welcome Home from the Viking Crew

After getting showered and changed, a friend and I had a wonderful dinner. Then it was off to bed to get ready for another day of sightseeing. We departed late tonight for Bali, Indonesia, just 50 nautical miles away. We'll dock there in the morning and head out on some new adventures!

All the best,

Jim