An Unforgettable Lombok Homestay
The Weekly Traveler is Megan and Tyler's recap of highlights and memorable moments after a full week of traveling around our new home.
This Was Our Sixth Week In Bali
From Bali we traveled to the island of Lombok. We took a “fast boat” to get there, and while very fast, the boat also successfully bounced over every wave in the ocean-
-
We stayed in Lombok for 4 days, but didn’t explore much because our homestay host, Ketut, basically invited us into his world
-
-
His entire family (50+ people!) was preparing for a ceremony the next morning for his niece’s 3-month-old girl, and we were invited to join in
-
-
We started by getting dressed in proper ceremony attire
-
-
Then helped prepare a few pigs for offerings—but like, not just roasting them…-
-
They made sure we got a good look at everything that went into preparing the pig...and we mean EVERYTHING-
-
Ketut promised us that this mama and her piglets would stay “uneaten", but I’m not sure I believe him.
Fingers crossed...-
--
We drank “tuak” palm wine fresh from the tree, and learned the way they get it is pretty crazy…
-
-
Basically, in the morning one of Ketut’s brothers climbs 25 feet up a few palms to “tap” the tree—which he fetches later that afternoon.
In just a few hours, the palm juice has fermented and can get you drunk if you drink enough (they said it would take about “10 Coke bottles” to do it, but that sounds like a tummy ache waiting to happen)
-
-
During the 6-hour long pig-roasting process, Tyler met a new friend that Ketut told us was "almost 100 years old", and the two became inseparable
-
-
He made Tyler a cigarette and happily watched him smoke every last puff (Tyler hates smoking, by the way, but for his new friend...he powered through)-
--
-
He also brought Tyler next door to show off one of the houses he built by himself 80 years ago. The two sat here in silence for about 30 minutes enjoying the day-
-
You may notice Megan’s not in a lot of these pics, and that’s because we hung out in the “boys” section of ceremony prep...and the boys LOVED Tyler. Everyone wanted to take a picture of their tattoos with his-
-
-
The family roasted a THIRD pig later that night, which we ended up having for breakfast the next morning and ate it in the traditional way—with our hands...from the same palm leaf...with our hands...
-
At the party were some of the most elaborate, food-stuffed offerings we'd seen to date
-
This guy even made it!!!
--
And the party turned out to be Megan’s time to shine—the little girls all asked their moms if they could take a picture with “the pretty lady” before immediately getting shy
-
-
Plus, she got a little one-on-one time with the party girl, all decked out in a dress we got her for the occasion
-
--These complete strangers took us in and made us a part of their family, and it's definitely been the most special part of our entire trip so far!
-
-
Week 6 showed us just how willing the Hindu people are to share their rich culture, and how happy they are to make you a part of their family.
You can check out a recap of all our weeks by clicking here!
Thanks for stopping by—if you're into pictures, you can follow us on Instagram (Megan runs that) and add us on SnapChat (Tyler runs that)
Leave a comment
Comments will be approved before showing up.
