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It is indeed surprising that Lombok had managed to hide herself from the world for so long. Though situated beside her more famous fair cousin, Bali and separated by Lombok Strait, this mesmerizing island had veiled herself for ages, it is only recently that Lombok is in public eyes, resplendent in glory. The island is semi circular and exceedingly diverse, in fact the different sides are so different that one has a problem in understanding that they are on the same island. One side of the island has rich verdure another side has savannah grasslands. One of the most revered mountains of the Balinese, an active volcano, Mt. Rinjani will hold any visitor spellbound. Nature’s bounty has extended towards human settlements too. Lombok has some old fashioned villages where it is possible to behold the villagers going about in their day to day tasks. Sukarara is one such village in Lombok, that is bound to make one come here again and again. Lombok is the home of many traditional and customs that have been nurtured over the centuries. Much of the traditions and cultural aspects have their root in Balinese culture, in fact at one point in history Lombok was dominated and controlled by the Balinese. Then began her (Lombok’s) journey as a Dutch colony. Still Lombok held on to her traditions, though the Dutch rule all but ruined Lombok. The tenacity of Lombok folks in adhering to their culture and traditions are well apparent in Sekarara, Lombok. The actual location of this village is to the south of Cakranegara. The village is a home to the weaving community, in fact some of the brightest fabrics interwoven with intricate designs are woven by the villagers with unerring skill and patience. A visit to such hotbed of traditional activity will surely make you appreciate the skill of nimble fingers in creating poetry with skeins. You can visit this village by touring the capital of Lombok, Mataram first. It will be easy as this village is only 28 kilometers south east of Mataram. It is pertinent to mention here that the capital city of Lombok has a thriving weaving industry. Catch glimpses of that if you can. Buy some bright, patterned songket cloths for which Lombok is famous. Each weaver family in Lombok has some generations of weaving expertise and today, everything is used by them, gold, silver, silks and cotton to create dazzling pieces of patterned poetry. Spend some time here to understand the magic of Sukarara, Lombok.
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