The biggest culture shock of Indonesia had to be the bathroom facilities, but that’s best saved for another post. The second biggest culture shock had to be the roads, and the drivers on them.

I’ve never been to any third world Asian country before, so the idea of seeing roads dominated by scooters and motorcycles was really a foreign concept to me. This also meant that the style of driving is way different. There is plenty of honking, mostly as a way to say “I’m here” and nothing more. I didn’t really see anyone get upset because they were being honked at here - nothing like things might be in New York, for instance.

Another scary thing is they way drivers are not afraid to overtake each other. Wherever we went we took taxis or larger vans. Our drivers would often pass slower motorcycles even when it wasn’t 100% clear on the other side, since they could effectively used the middle of the road, with motorcycles in each direction on the sides.

It was often scary, especially when it was rainy and late at night, when our tour driver needed to get back in a hurry.

In any case, we survived. So enjoy this video of one of the calmer moments in Lombok. Keep an eye out for the horse and buggy. No idea what that’s all about - maybe they keep it around for the tourists?