In Cambodia they pull out imaginary handguns and fire into the air saying "John Wayne" when I say I am from America. In Japan they would swing an imaginary bat and say "Texas Rangers". Here in Indonesia when I say America, they say "Barak Obama".

The country of Indonesia is made up of many islands . From the island of Bali I took a boat trip to the next island on my list, Lombok.

The boat ride of a few hours was fantastic. I sat on the top deck enjoying the views on both sides of the ship. Eventually we docked in Senggigi, Lombok, Indonesia.

Senggigi is one of the places on the Island of Lombok that tourists spend time at. It is more sedate and not as "touristy" as other places here, but is a good place to base yourself out of to see the important things on this and other islands.

It's a beautiful place, with small villages, long, sweeping beaches, surfing, kayaking and all the other water sports, and wonderfully friendly people!

I went to the beach everyday. It was just a few minutes walk from my hostel. People were swimming, boating, fishing and surfing. It was a pretty beach with clear waters.

In the late 1990's Senggigi was expected to be the next Bali . Buildings started going up at a maddening pace. Then the bombings started. The building stopped, tourists disappeared and the dream for Senggigi came to a halt. 
 
The bombings, by terrorists, came in 2002 in Bali. 202 people, inclucing foreigners were killed and 240 injured. An extremists Islamist group was responsible for the bombings and various members were convicted, with three of them put to death before a firings squad.

The friendly people always want to know where I am from. When I say America or U.S., they immediately smile and say " Barak Obama". At first I didn't get the connection when they would immediately say Barak Obama when I said America. This started as soon as I entered Indonesia a couple of weeks ago. Then, finally, I made the connection. Obama went to school in Jakarta, Indonesia and during the presidential campaign there was a lot of noise about him being an Indonesian citizen. The Indonesians always tell me he went to school in Jakarta, they are always very excited about that. Anyway, they consider him one of their own.

One of the young workers at a nearby restaurant, Saleh, became my local guide while I was in Senggigi. He was just granduated for a year or so and was beginning his working career. I think he will do well in his life.

One day he wanted to take me to another beach outside of town. It was a beautiful beach.

Next: The Amazing Climb