Discovering Lombok

If you enjoy exotic locations, stunning landscapes, beautiful beaches, and glorious tropical blooms, you have a treat ahead in my next few posts. Mind you, there's lots to see, so you might need to make yourself a 'cuppa' (or pour yourself a glass of chardonnay for that matter) and put your feet up.

I was only back at work for a short time in Jakarta before I was needed to attend a conference to be held in Senggigi in Lombok. The conference concluded on a Friday, which gave me the opportunity to stay on for a couple of days and have a look around the nearby Gili Islands.

For those who haven't heard of it, Lombok is the next island to the east after Bali. (Jakarta where I work is on Java, the much larger island to the west of Bali.) I flew into the new international airport at Mataram quite late and then had a long drive to the Jayakarta Hotel at Sengiggi where our conference was to be held, so it was not until the next morning that I had much idea of the terrain. Needless to say first impressions were very favourable. However it wasn't long before I realised to my horror that I had left my camera battery recharging on my desk back in Jakarta.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and it wasn't till day two that I was able to duck out and buy a new little camera and start clicking, although I didn't master the macro settings in time to be able to share any good close ups of the local blooms.

I'm not normally a big fan of kitsch in the garden, but I fell in love with this quizzical monkey.

Garden bed including rhoeo, canna, iris and gokarna jasmine (not sure of the name of the variegated plant though I have seen it often, a type of euphorbia, perhaps?)

 The splashes of lime foliage in the garden beds come courtesy of the Gokarna jasmine Pseuderantermum reticulatum, (also known as the Gold Net bush and the Gold Vein eranthemum) which I featured in an earlier post on Bali. You can see the pretty two-toned flowers at this link. 

Another example of the orchid-coconut shell combo (especially for African Aussie)

Crinum

I love the large-flowered, marblised flowers of this euphorbia

An out of focus Bleeding Heart Vine Clerodendrum thomsoniae

This yellow iris is used widely throughout much of south-east Asia, including Jakarta, as a bedding plant.

Pandanus marked the division between hotel grounds and the beach.

Looking north from the hotel towards Senggigi

Once formalities were concluded on Friday, like many other conference participants my colleague Nantyo and I jumped in a taxi and headed north, past the town of Senggigi about 8 km north of our hotel, and along the Coast towards Bangsal to take a ferry across to the Gili Islands. Luckily, we had a very cooperative driver who was happy to go along with regular photo stops.

Looking back towards Senggigi

Our destination shimmering on the horizon - the Gili islands

I'll share my impressions of the Gilis in my next post. I spent a great two days there before Nantyo, one of the other conference members, and I headed back to Lombok and the airport at Mataram. They had a flight mid-afternoon on Sunday, while mine was mid-evening, so after dropping them off I decided to make the most of my time and continued on to have a look at Kuta in the south of Lombok, as opposed to Kuta in Bali.

To those who know the latter, the two Kutas are a world apart. One brash, commercial, chaotic and tourist-infested to within an inch of its life, whereas I think the images of Lombok's Kuta speak for themselves.

Seger Beach

I just loved the sarongs on these ladies at nearby Seger Beach and bought a beautiful pink, mustard, and turquoise one from them.

Detail of the artwork on a lovely wooden bowl I bought at an artists' market called Sayang Sayang in Mataram on the way to the airport. The diamonds and triangles are inlaid pearl shell.  I gave this one to my friend Adri but have two more that I think will be coming to live at Casa Bella.

In case you doubted the work connection and thought I was one of the idle rich!

I have become quite nostalgic looking back over these photos, although they are only a couple of weeks' old. The beauty of Lombok is that it is so peaceful and undeveloped, but it is tipped as the next big thing due to its proximity to Bali. There are now regular fast boats between the islands. I am so glad that I got to see a little of Lombok as it is now, and I hope that whatever development plans lie ahead, they are sympathetic to the island's natural beauty.

A Whiter Shade of Pale

After the explosion of colour that the daylilies have provided, it might seem surprising to admit that white flowers are my favourites of all. It's a case of double happiness, because many of them are beautifully scented. One of the most floriferous is the gardenia. The one in my backyard is a mass of flowers, but individually the flowers are exquisite. There is an almost sculptural quality to the petals.

I don't think that there is a pure white daylily; however, this is one of my palest, 'Spacecoast Whiteout'.

Another pale daylily 'Wedding Band'

Louisiana Iris 'White Umbrella' in my front water feature with white agapanthus to the left.

Magnolia 'Little Gem' in bud

Magnolia or whirling dervish?

The beautiful simplicity of these tiny white flowers in a Neoregelia bromeliad reminds me of daphne, but alas no perfume.

The perfume from the datura wafts throughout the yard on warm evenings.

October Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day

This is my first posting for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, which showcases blooms and gardens around the world on the 15th of each month. It is mid Spring here in Brisbane and there's so much to love in my garden at the moment, it's been difficult to choose which favourites to share.

I have been very impatiently waiting for this bromeliad to flower, and it was definitely worth the wait.

Guzmania 'Giselle'

This is a recent addition and I am absolutely smitten. It is the most beautiful cherry colour with a purple cast to the centre of the flower. I only planted it in my front garden about a fortnight ago and it is thriving.

Cuphea 'Vienco'

This is an Australian native known as Flowering Lignum. It was a chance purchase about 18 months ago and is also doing very well in the front garden. According to the description card attached, it grows in clay soils on flood plains, so that might be what suits it here. I have patches of clay and rock in the front. (I think the landscapers took too much of the topsoil when I had the front yard terraced.) It also says that it is suited to arid areas, so it will be interesting to see how it fares if this summer is as wet as last year. It is a very straggly shrub with spindly leaves, and masses of these speckled flowers.

Eremophila polyclada

I have taken a number of photos of this pachypodium but none that feature the whole plant show the true colour of the flower - a bright citrus yellow. And yet I don't have the same problem with close ups, which are always true to colour as you can see below. I guess there's a scientific reason for this, but it certainly eludes me.

Rondeletia amoena

Finally, an early morning shot of walking iris blooms before they open for the day.

Neomarica northiana

For more Garden Blogger's Bloom Day posts, please visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens.