Women Butchers, Father Bountiful, and Dental Envy

Time to get out and see a bit of Lombok.  A driver/guide who lurks just outside our cottages has offered his services so we arrange for the following day.  He turns up with his driver and friend and the four of us develop an itinerary (everyone here says 'program' as in 'what is your program for today?') which includes a visit to a famous temple in Mataram, Lombok's capital city, a walk about the local market, and finally a visit to a pottery village where we can see women making pots that have acquired a certain level of sophistication and recognition.

First stop the Temple -  

. . . huge and obviously the site of a variety of activities, including a Balinese dance class

. . . fishermen, big and small . . . 

Then it's off to the market.  I don't know what Tim's image was (probably pretty close to mine since we increasingly seem to share a brain) but this market boggles my mind (and nose, and eyes, and feet - watch where we put every step!).   Here's where the locals come to sell everything from dried fish to cabbage.  Literally as far as the eye can see are stands filled with every sort of vegetable, spice . . . all tended by women. Even the butchers are women! 

Not too many Westerners make their way here - we are called to, greeted shyly, and in general welcomed in that inimitably sweet way we've come to associate with Bali and now Lombok. 

This is a wholesale market - shopkeepers from all over the area come to buy the produce, spices, dried fish, and meats they, in turn, sell to patrons.  We're here on a Sunday so it's a bit slow . . . 

We have to make one stop in a package store and buy an assortment of things that all seem to be made of rice - the only thing we recognize are peanuts and they're way smaller than the peanuts we know.

Last stop, the pottery village.  Our guide, Din, tells us that it would be a kindness to stop and buy some pencils and pens for the children and hand them out as a 'thank you' for watching their mothers at work. 

Off we go for a walkabout . . . this feels like a pretty typical village, kids, chickens, goats, dogs everywhere, dirt lanes, communal dwellings and a lot of curiosity about these Westerners who come bearing gifts!  These pencils and pens turn out to be a genius idea - Tim is Father Bountiful and Santa Claus all rolled into one.  Amazing (and at the risk of repeating myself, humbling) how excited a child can get over the gift of a pen! 

Our reward, one of the women sits down at her 'wheel' and in front of my eyes in about 10 minutes or less makes a pot!  Amazing and of course she makes it look so simple - just glob that clay on, shape the bowl, add more to build up the sides . . . 

smooth it, and voila, a pot!   

Her smoothing tools - various sizes of flip flop halves (see them in the bucket)!! 

A chicken waits nearby, in case a pot needs decorating . . .

The pots are then set out to dry before going to be fired.

They are taken to a communal firing location but somehow everyone knows whose pots are whose and when they're 'done' are taken to a cooperative pottery store, a clever way to forestall competition that could disrupt this small, tightly knit village.

Funny exchange - this elderly woman chattered excitedly to Din, our guide, and seemed to want to communicate something to me.  I asked Din and he said:  'She says she's old like you, but you have such nice teeth!'   OMG, I hope I don't look this old!!  And she's right, the poor dear had about a half dozen, rotted stumps in her mouth.  Here she is trying to persuade Tim to purchase some herbs . . . 

Interesting, another exchange (translated by Din) were people commenting on how loving Tim and I were with each other.  Apparently, by the time Lombok couples get to our age, they barely speak, much less hold hands in public.  One woman volunteered that she hadn't slept with her husband for years!! 

And more than one woman wanted to know 'How old are you?'  Have no idea why that was important and my answer didn't prompt any kind of response - just seemed to be something they wanted to know.  (they never asked Tim, only me).  

Fascinating, informative, funny day . . .