Ep. 33 - Lombok, Indonesia
This little island changed the world. The lesser known neighboring island to Bali; Lombok, Indonesia is the home to a volcano that altered the course of history. Join us for episode 33 as we discover this astounding jewel that has an incredible past and is worthy of any adventurers bucket list.
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Transcription:
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Hello hello! You’re listening to episode 33 of The Friday Take Five, which is the best five minute podcast for history and adventure lovers. I’m Mark Moran, the host of the show, and I do my best to help you relive awesome travel memories, or to give you the inspiration to book your next adventure. Every episode, we discover a new destination and a new story. Without further ado, let’s jump in… And discover destination 33.
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Our 33rd adventure is taking us back to Asia, because hey, it’s been a while, and frankly, there’s so much beauty and history that we have yet to explore from this awesome part of the world. This episode takes us to South Eastern Asia and the Emerald of the equator: Indonesia. Those in the travel space probably know all there is to know about Bali. Voted time and time again as one of the best travel destinations in the world. Boasting astounding natural beauty, volcanos, and rice fields that will bring peace to any anxious mind, Bali has become a hub for digital nomads and folks looking to explore incredible beauty on the cheap. Though Bali is definitely on my travel bucket list, this episode actually takes a look at Bali’s lesser known neighbor to the East, Lombok, Indonesia.
Lombok, though today not nearly as widely known to the world as Bali, interestingly had a massive impact on the course of history. Lombok is the home to the Samalas, now Rinjani Tua, volcanic complex, which is essentially a supermassive volcano on the island. Back in ye olden times, i.e. 1257, the volcano erupted killing an estimated 15-20,000 individuals and dramatically altering climate stability around the world with the resulting “volcanic winter” that was induced. Crop failures and famines were noted as far as Europe and scientists in 2013 actually even linked the event to having triggered a centuries long mini ice age throughout the world.
The next few hundred years of Lombok’s story aren’t quite as well documented in the historical record. The period of time was primarily an era of infighting between different factions across the island. However, by the turn of the 17th century, the neighboring Balinese people were rearing to take advantage of the disunity between the Sasak people, who are the native people of Lombok.
The Balinese took the western part of the island, and the Makassarase took the Eastern part of the island. Eventually, the Balinese claimed the entire the island for themselves, but wait! There’s more infighting. Different factions of the Balinese occupiers fought for control. Power was consolidated, but trouble was still brewing on the Eastern part of the island. The Sasak people rebelled against the Balinese, calling for help from an ally - The Dutch. Maybe you’ve heard of them? Haha.
The Sasak reached out to the governor of the Dutch East Indies, which were Dutch colonial holdings, and essentially invited the governor to come and rule Lombok rather than having the Balinese rule.
The Dutch eventually ended up taking control of both Lombok, as well as Bali.
During WW2, ownership changed again from the Dutch to the Japanese, back to the Dutch, before Lombok began to find its own identity as part of Indonesia.
That search for an identity has unfortunately been a pretty dark period of time in the last 100 years or so, with coup attempts and political and ethnic persecution both being common threads of the era immediately following the second world war.
However Finally, by the 1980s, Lombok began to be seen for what it could be. Tourism has begun to accelerate, though definitely not to the extent as it has for Bali.
There’s a ton of beauty waiting to be explored inLombok, and it’s so much quieter than its neighbor.
When I make it there, I’ve got three top things on my list that I’m making sure to experience. First of course is the world changing Samalas, now Rinjani, volcanic complex, to experience the geological wonder in all its glory. Second, I’m making sure to snorkel in the Gili Islands Archipelago, which is a set of tiny islands just off the coast of the larger Lombok island. I love snorkeling wherever I can, and this will not be an exception. Finally, we’ll most definitely be taking a waterfall tour across Lombok to take in some of the incredibly impressive waterfalls across the island.
I can’t wait to make it to this storied place of incredible natural beauty. If you’re not already googling Lombok, now is your cue to do so… Hope to see you there!
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Hey there! Thanks for listening to another episode of The Friday Take Five. If you haven’t already, be sure to give us a 5 star rating on podcasting platforms, and share this episode with a friend. Have your own stories about Lombok, feedback or recommendations on places or stories for us to cover? We’d love to hear it so follow us and DM us on socials @FridayTakeFive or email us at thefridaytakefive@gmail.com. Stay curious, stay adventuring, and have a great weekend!
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