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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 ferry
when
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).
If
driving from Bali or Lombok, you should make sure that you have
either an Indonesian or international driver's license. Occasionally there
are police checks, and if you get stopped without the proper papers you
can expect to pay around 50,000 rupiah. Animals here are basically free-range,
and if you happen to hit one, you will be expected to pay for it. Remember
that the driver is always in the wrong here. As medical facilities are
few and far between, you should always driver cautiously. While driving
in Sumbawa is less of a hazard than driving in Bali or Lombok, people do
drive fast.
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