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 there are long waits for it, and 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 western side of the island outside of Sumbawa Besar. There are two harbors along the western coast: the first is Benete which is Newmont's port; the second is the one that the public uses - Poto Tano. There are two airports on this side of the island: the one located at Sumbawa Besar, and one in Sekongkang. The Sekongkang airport was open for a few months last year, but closed due to financial problems. There are rumors that the regional government will step in and reopen the airport, but so far the rumors are just rumors.

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 into 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, but 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 ferry); a taxi from the airport to Kayangan harbor; 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 taxi 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).