Transfer day of 235 km by bus on the island Sumbawa from Bima to Sumbawa Besar, the principal town of the western half of the island. Road conditions are bad. Sumbawa is as beautiful as Flores, but turns out dusty brown at the end of the dry season which is fortunately some months after our stay. Right now still abundant vegetation, beaches (often polluted), rice paddies (harvest is going on).
We made several stops at salt pans, shrimp farmers and rice harvesters. The contractual workers harvesting the rice are camping during the harvest with their wife and children (not sure if such applies to all of them) in improvised very simple camps along the fields with no sanitary facilities at all.
We had to hurry the first part of the trip to make sure that we passed by a certain village in time as they close the passage because of Friday = Islamic holiday. We made a stop at a village just during the (1 of the 5 daily) praying attended by exclusively men in one of the numberless mosques. Particular that it was very quiet on the streets and hearing the voice of the imam citing verses. Hanging around a while we saw the men (and children) getting out at the end of the service and most of them were willing to have a (small because of the language) talk and their picture being taken.
Lunch at the beach.
Arrival late afternoon in an enjoyable place on a quiet, sandy cove where we stay for 2 nights in timber individual bungalows with a view on the beach. Being too far from the centre of Sumbawa Besar, we had to stay at this place for quite a nice dinner. I am still not too adventurous with the often cold or half warm (that is the way Indonesians serve food) food, protecting my stomach. Unfortunately I caught a cold, as usual because of the AC buses and rooms.
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