SUNSHINE glinted on the rippling blue ocean as our little boat slowly drew away from Lembar Harbour at 8am, passing brightly-sailed traditional fishing vessels seeking their catch of the day.
Within an hour, Sekotong had presented us with the many scenic wonders of its spectacular coastline. Stark and gallant hills stood watch over lush mangrove forests that contrasted with brilliant white sand beaches, forming stunning frames for the region’s pristine blue bays.
“After Senggigi, we will develop tourism in Sekotong to the south,” said fellow traveller and Japanese investor Mr Tetsuro Matsuno.
Then, from distances of only tens of metres, we were treated to the exotic sight of a series of small, beautiful and largely unspoiled islands – gilis Sudak, Gde, Nanggu, Tangkong, Layar and Rengit.
While much land on the islands has already been sold, development and therefore tourism activity has been slow, despite local government aspirations for development and growth.
The exception is the 22-hectare Gili Rengit, where we found homestay accommodation, surfing facilities, boat tours, banana boat rides and thirst-quenching freshwater springs.
After nearly two hours of panoramic views from the sea, we stopped briefly at the Hotel Cocotinus to take in mainland West Sekotong’s scenery. Our goal was to reach Mekaki Beach in Sekotong’s Batu Putik village.
A slightly challenging walk across the hills revealed the beautiful aspect of Mekaki Beach, hidden behind a high hill and accessed down a slope of about 40 degrees. There are no signs to Mekaki and visitors must rely on oral directions from locals to reach it.
Like most of the Sekotong coast region, Mekaki boasts white sand and beautiful corals. For a moment we thought it seemed a shame that only one other party was sharing this dreamy beach with us – then we wondered if we really did want to share such natural beauty.
“Anyone who visits our shores is guaranteed to be enthralled and to plan to return,” said local resident Sahnan. “I hope you guys feel the same way.”
The untold charms of Mekaki Beach could certainly be effective in bringing more visitors to Sekotong. We all planned to return to enjoy it again.
source:enchanting-lomboksumbawa.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment