portraits from Lotim

Lotim is a contraction of Lombok Timor which means East Lombok. It is the site of my frequent forays in Lombok for it is here that seaweed abounds. Production is healthy in this part of Indonesia thanks to a reef protected from strong winds and a steady ocean current action that facilitates nutrient circulation.


girl with a comb, Kaliantan



giggling girls in Kaliantan



man with bushels of seaweed, Kaliantan


Seaweed does have its season in Lombok. Heavy monsoon rains in December to March disrupts production in that drying of the wet harvests is interrupted frequently so farmers tend to lie low during this period. By May and onwards though, farmers get busy expanding production so by middle of the year, cultivation would already be in full swing.


woman sorting seaweed, Kaliantan



woman cleaning the seaweed harvest, Kaliantan


It is June now so perhaps I should pay Lombok a visit once more. Could be a good time to do more portraits too.


smiling at Serewe



woman spreading seaweed on the sand for drying, Serewe

a cacing legend in Kaliantan

the heavenly beaches of East Lombok- part 5

continued from part 1, part 2, part 3 and part 4

Kaliantan, aside from boasting of one of Lombok’s best beaches also is one of the hosts of the island’s more popular festival, the Bau Nyale.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/1600s, f/5.6, 270mm, ISO 100, -1/3EV


The festival recalls the legend of the princess Putri Mandalika. Beautiful and beloved by all, she had many suitors from different kingdoms. However, when it came to choosing a husband, she could not decide among her suitors. Her vacillation resulted to turmoil and strife among rivals. Her father King Kuripan ultimately gave her a deadline to choose a husband before sunrise. The next morning, Putri Mandalika, fearing a war, professed that she loved her parents and the people even more and in an act of self-sacrifice for the greater good, threw herself into the sea. It makes me think of Hans Christian Anderson’s The Little Mermaid, doesn’t it?


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/4000s, f/4.5, 105mm, ISO 100, -1/3EV


But there is a local twist. When everyone tried to scour the seas for the princess, they only discovered a mass of sea worms, called nyale in the Sasak language. Thus these worms became a traditional symbol of the Sasak people. (In Bahasa Indonesia, nyale is called cacing but or course!)

Yearly, the people of Lombok celebrate Bau Nyale which literally means “to catch the worms”. It takes place every tenth month of the Sasak calendar which often falls around February or March. This season is chosen as during this time, thousands of sea worms would spawn in the beaches.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/1000s, f/6.3, 120mm, ISO 100


Celebrated with much fanfare, the festival is best appreciated at nighttime when fires are built on the beach, pameran stalls are set up and traditional Sasak dancing, singing and drama are held. The climax is catching the sea worms at dawn.

Another ritual is for the local priest or dukun to read the future rice harvest based on the number of sea worms, just as if they were a crystal ball, or tea leaves. Some sea worms would then be ground and scattered over irrigation channels in the rice fields to ensure a bountiful harvest.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/1250s, f/8.0, 4.6mm, ISO 100, -1/3EV


Nyale are eaten raw or they can be steamed or fried. A local specialty is pepes nyale which are banana-wrapped rolls of ground worms with coconut and spices.

It is believed that the sea worms are a symbol of fertility. No wonder that young people also take to flirting with each other all throughout festival time, which is unusual in a conservative Muslim island like Lombok.

So cacing seaworms as aphrodisiac anyone? If not, there is always the fabulous beach.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/2000s, f/5.0, 220mm, ISO 100, -1/3EV

Take me to Kaliantan

the heavenly beaches of East Lombok- part 4

continued from part 1, part 2 and part 3 and more in part 5


My list of fabulous beaches in Lombok Timor just keeps on getting longer. My newest addition is Kaliantan. Last month, I visited this sleepy village and I am awed by the vistas it offers, which to me are as impressive as its neighbor Sumerang.

While the much more crowded villages of Sumerang and Serewe (or Seriwe) are not identified in commercial maps, Kaliantan is often identified.

It is difficult to explain this anomaly. Perhaps Kaliantan was originally more populous. It appears to be less peopled now as seaweed cultivation has attracted more and more farmers to Sumerang and Serewe which are more sheltered from the wind.

Kaliantan could be the older village and is most probably the cultural center of the bay. After all, it is one of the few places which hold the annual Bau Nyale Festival which celebrates a local Sasak legend involving sea worms.

more on this festival soon




Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/250s, f/14, 55mm, ISO 100, -1/3EV
the beach at Kaliantan, East Lombok, Indonesia




Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/500s, f/20, 205mm, ISO 100, -1/3EV
a view from Kaliantan beach, East Lombok, Nusa Tenggara Barat, Indonesia




Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/500s, f/20, 170mm, ISO 100, -1/3EV
a cliff by Kaliantan beach, East Lombok, Nusa Tenggara Barat, Indonesia




Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/640s, f/5.6, 55mm, ISO 100, -1/3EV
villagers herding sheep by the road at Kaliantan, East Lombok, Nusa Tenggara Barat, Indonesia




Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/2000s, f/4.5, 90mm, ISO 100, -1/3EV
a village shed by the road at Kaliantan, East Lombok, Nusa Tenggara Barat, Indonesia