Apr 2 - I didn’t have a specific agenda for Bima, only that I wanted to break up two back-to-back marathon travel days. We walk around town in late morning, to the entertainment of nearly everyone we meet. There are no tourists here at all. People driving by on scooters see us and break into smiles, for no other reason than that we are there. We order up a coconut for Odette, and the owner of a nearby shop asks all sorts of questions about what we are doing there. Everyone wants to know Odette’s name, and she spends most of the morning being nervous about that.
Our quest to find lunch turns up nothing good, as Ramadan here is a big deal and restaurants just are not open to accommodate non-Muslims. Finally run across a Pizza Hut, which is not open for dining in but we can get takeout. Cart it back to the hotel and eat in the common area. Thankfully no one around, or I would feel a bit uncomfortable eating in front of them.
Janet goes off to get her sandals fixed and I head to the center of town, where there is a park and the Asi Mbojo Museum. This used to be the residence of the local sultan. There is still a royal family here, and the current ‘ruler’ is Dewa Masmawa Sultan Muhammad Kaharuddin IV.
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Like everything else in town, my approach to the museum causes much curiosity and attention. It is IDR 10,000 entry, and the old woman who wants to act as my guide is busy so she sends me with a man who happens to be standing there with his three-year old son. Shoes off in this building. We walk around and he attempts to tell me what is written on the displays, while his son runs around talking.
There is one room dedicated to the story of the eruption of the Tambora Volcano. It occurred in April 1815, and was an extremely traumatic event for anyone in Sumbawa or the Indonesian islands in general. It is estimated that perhaps 100,000 people died by direct or indirect effects in the region. The eruption was so explosive that is tore the top 1/3 of the volcano off, and wiped out many villages and towns on the islands. Globally, it is considered the most devastating volcanic eruption in the last few thousand years. The eruptive ash column went so high that it surrounded the planet with ash in the upper atmosphere and caused loss of summer temperatures in the northern hemisphere. Crop failures occurred in many places and there were famines and disease outbreaks in Europe.
The old woman who is my guide returns and wants to show me every room. There are bedrooms here, furnished with the original beds and other furniture, for the sultan and members of his family.
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There is a room here with ceremonial gear such as daggers, swords, and spears. The spears were to accompany a ritual dance, and my guide dances around, pretending to hold a spear, to demonstrate.
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Ouside the museum is a garden with a few old stone statues and cannons.
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Oddly, even though it is Ramadan, there is a food market now set up outside the museum along the park.
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In the park itself is some presentation by government officials, with a sizable military presence. Some of these people are staying at our hotel, using black Humvees to move around town.
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Not much else to report today. I get to work at the hotel and we go to sleep early as we will be on the road all day tomorrow.
Indonesia