Until recent exceptional events shook the island of Lombok, I was already on a high moment in life, i.e. the excitement of the biggest surfing swell in 20 years hitting Indonesian shores and the resighting of the mythical crocodile by local fishermen, whose legend can be traced back to the fifties.
Like across Nusantara, the mother archipelago of 17,000 islands and 500 languages, Lombok is an island of legends. Its people, the Sasak, are known to master black magic, worship the gods of fire and water, widely practice healing by sorcery and herbal medicine etc… In South Lombok they even have the legendary crocodile; no surfers have ever been eaten or bitten but everybody claim to have seen it, so true it may be.
Then a series of quakes hit the island, and I forgot about my crocodile. I saw extraordinary people doing less than ordinary things, and normal people doing out of the ordinary feats. From the headlines drama, the local community panic to the social media craze, we were lucky to have a few sensible people around us. Making sense of what is happening becomes very hard when you get overwhelmed by mother nature and your own tricky mind.
When I opened my eyes again, I was half dreaming, I had travelled back in time: things had slowed down, beaches empty, surfing again this daily adventure into the wild, local smiles all over the place; that is “The Time Of The Crocodile”, the time the first travelers and surfers to the area still treasure, the time where our mind can wander so easily and reflect the beautiful character of the place and experience its unique lifestyle.
Not the best time for business I agree, but the best time for discovering authentic Lombok. Business will come back no worry, nothing much can stop development those days. Meanwhile come spend the holidays of your life on this remote coastline and see the crocodile for yourself!!
May All Beings Be Happy And Free.