Mataram

We'd woke to the sound of prayer. It was four in the morning and we hadn't been without the sound of prayer since arriving off the ferry the night before. Lembar, a small port town on the south west coast of the island of Lombok, is home to a strongly faithed Islamic community which had come as a large culture shock to Tim and I the night before.

We had rode past few mosques on our way to our accommodation. The first had a wallless, pillared architecture making it easy to view the hundreds of people gathered for ceremony. Men and women performed rituals in prayer of their gods, mothers of infants tended to their young ones and children ran freely around the grounds. Stray cats also presented themselves amongst the distinct lack of vegetation in the area.

We had found mosques in the region install large loud speaker systems which broadcasts their prayers across town. All mosques perform their broadcasts at the same time, but recite will often different prayers. This came across as competition amongst the mosques wherever you are based across town. By the time you've enjoyed the tranquility in between prayer sessions, you'll be reminded soon enough that you are in foreign which does not belong to you.

The day before had been a great first day for us on the bike. Denpasar, Bali is a highly congested city with chaotic traffic. We'd decided on a route which goes through the city centre which had turned out to be fine due to the pace of traffic and self awareness drivers persist on these roads. In many ways, it was a fantastic way to explore more of the city different to that of the pace explored with moped scooters.

We'd found accomodation with a lovely local couple who'd offered us the option between $5 and $20 a night for rooms available with or without AC. The motel was very basic, provided with simple Islamic architecture. The next morning we set off for the south coast aiming to catch up with mates for a few days in Kuta, Lombok.Read more