If you remember, Lombok is an idyllic island. There isn't any real high rise building there that is taller than our hotel, I suppose; and in a laid-back place like this, one would get to visit villages. We visited a few. Our van weaved its way through narrow, sometimes bumpy roads, passing drab-looking houses and lots of greenery before we reached Desa Sukarara where we got to see women weavers and a showroom showcasing Lombok songket or ikat which are cloth weaved with gold threads. Sade, a traditional Sasak village seems more lavish by comparison, more well planned too, most certainly with tourists in mind. While there, a guide took us round. He led us through the village, passing traditional wooden houses, going into one even; and once a while, little stalls selling trinkets, lombok ikat or songket and other handicrafts beckoned; and we stopped to admire a woman weaving songket or to bargain for necklaces and bracelets that caught our eyes. The Sasak people are related to the Balinese in language and ancestry but in Sade, they are all Muslims. Marriages here, the guide said, are not arranged. Rather, a sasak male will run away with the girl he fancies and if they are not found after a day, then they can come home to be legally married. Kahwin lari, our guide said of the peculiar custom, which means, runaway marriage! Remember to pay at least a nominal fee for his efforts!
Desa Sukarara...
Sade...
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