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Getting from one place to another can
be as easy and comfortable in Indonesia as it is in
the United States or any other developed country if
you are traveling to or in one of the main tourist
destinations in the country. Thus, getting around
Bali is fairly simple, if not always as cheap as one
would like. Getting around Sumbawa can be a very
trying, and expensive, experience. Public
transportation exists but using it often involves a
bit of a wait. We often pick people up alongside the
road who have been waiting quite a while for a bus
or bemo. Maluk and Sekongkang have horse carts but
they don't travel along the long stretches of road
here and are confined to the villages. Taxis are
non-existant on the southwestern side of the island.
There are two harbors along the western coast: the
first is Benete which is Newmont's port and
therefore, private; the second is the one that the
public uses - Poto Tano. There is one airport on
this side of the island - the one in Sumbawa Besar,
and unfortunately, planes from Bai to there are
often cancelled suddenly.
Most people use the public ferrywhen
they want to get over to Lombok for shopping or
whatever. The trip from Sekongkang to the harbor in
the north takes about 2 hours by car - I came back
recently via ojek, a motorcycle taxi, and that took
about 90 minutes because the driver was really
moving. It was an interesting ride to say the least.
Back to the ferry. There is a big difference in the
quality of the ferries that make the crossing to
Lombok. It's basically luck as to which one you get.
This one was not exactly the best of the lot; I took
a much better one on my way back. You can drive your
car or motorcycle on to the ferry, and a lot of the
surfers come on motorbike or car from Lombok or
Bali. You can also walk aboard, but then you need to
get transport into Mataram if that is where you are
going. I paid 9,000 rupiah when I walked aboard. The
ferry trip is fairly uneventful if the sea is calm
which it fortunately was during my trips.
Since my move here three years ago,
transportation has improved substantially, but
getting from Poto Tano (the harbor where you arrive
from Lombok) down to the surfing area in the south
can be a bit difficult, however, it is an adventure
for those with some time on their hands and an
interest in meeting local folks.
My most recent return from Bali
included this: a plane trip from Bali to Mataram
(quick and easy and much more enjoyable than taking
the five hour ferry); a taxi from the airport to
Kayangan harbor (expensive but quick; a ferry ride
across the straight (all of the buses going to the
southwest part of Sumbawa were full; a motorcycle
taxi from the harbor in Sumbawa to the town of
Taliwang; a public bemo from Taliwang to Maluk (one
of the oldest, decreipt buses that I have ever been
on - but quite amusing due to the passengers); and
then a motorcycle from Maluk to Sekongkang. I made
the trip very quickly and quite cheaply as I was
fortunate enough to be charged local prices (many
times here in Sumbawa being a bule (white person) is
such an unusual occurance that people will give you
local prices just to have a chance to interact with
you).
Ke Sumbawa
Jadual Penerbangan No Dari -
Ke Hari Berangkat Tiba
Transit
1 Denpasar - Sumbawa Kamis
dan Minggu 15.00 16.30 Mataram
2 Mataram - Sumbawa Kamis
dan Minggu 16.00 16.30 -
3 Sumbawa - Denpasar Senin
dan Jum'at 09.30 10.15 Mataram
4 Sumbawa - Mataram Senin
dan Jum'at 09.30 10.00 - |
