It’s been a few days since we last posted to the blog. Since then there has been several things which have occurred. On the evening of Wednesday, March 2nd at around 7:30pm the Australian Coast Guard did an emergency helicopter medical evacuation from our ship. The ship’s crew prepared the ship in advance of the helicopter’s arrival. The evacuation went well and from what we are hearing, the evacuated passenger is stable.
Yesterday, March 5, 2011, at around 8:00am the Pacific Princess arrived in Lembar Harbor off the coast of Lombok Island, Indonesia. It is a short 20 miles away from Bali across the Lombok Strait. Lombok resembles how Bali would have looked some 40 years ago. Lombok is like taking a walk back in time. The island is beautiful with lush palm trees, white beaches, rice fields, mountain ranges and volcanoes. Mount Rinjani, Indonesia’s second highest peak is one of those volcanoes that towers 12,000 feet over the island. Over 90 percent of the population of the island is Muslim.
We decided to take one of the ship’s tours which was called Senggigi On Your Own. We boarded our motor coach for the approximate 1-hour drive north from Lembar, passing through Mataram to Senggigi Beach. This is a premier destination that boasts over six miles of superb white-sand beach. The drive north was very interesting and surprising to say the least. We saw the primary taxi on the island. This taxi is a modified Lambretta which is pulled by a horse. These would have as many as 8 people loaded into them. But one of the most interesting aspects of our trip to the beach was the rice production that was taking place in the fields. People were cutting the rice stalks and then beating them to remove the rice. Once the rice was removed, it was placed on the roadways to begin the drying process. As it dried, the rice was placed in large bags and then transported by motorbike or truck to collection facilities.
This drive ended at Senggigi Beach. We walked along the beach for a pretty good distance, and then decided to venture in to the Sheraton Senggigi Beach Resort for a look. This is a wonderful hotel with a magnificent view of the beach. They have a very nice outdoor restaurant overlooking the pool. The food smelled great so we decided to give it a try. Our choice from the menu was a spicy shrimp dish with rice and vegetables. It was great and so was the service. From there we ventured through the local shops and did our best to avoid the street vendors. By 2:45pm we were back on our tour bus and headed back toward the pier. En route we made a side trip through the capitol city of Mataram then on to a small village to observe local pottery being made.
All-in-all it was a good day, full on interesting sights and new food dishes. Of course it was hot and humid, but this is always expected near the Equator. By 5:00pm, the Captain had our ship underway out of the harbor heading for our next stop Sihanoukville, Cambodia. We will be at sea for 3 days before arriving in Cambodia.
