Gabor, HA3JB is inform DXNEWS.com that Ary, YC9GCC is active from Sumbawa Island (IOTA OC-150).
He is working on 15 and 40m SSB.
QSL via HA3JB.
Sumbawa Island
Sumbawa is part of the West Nusa Tenggara and it is an Indonesia island. Compared with other small islands, the Sumbawa has a surface of 15,214 km2 and a population of 1,391,340 according to the Census of 2014. In the history of Sumbawa there were two linguistic groups but they were not able to understand each other. Even today the ethnic groups are divided into Sumbawa people and Bima people. However, some of them are able to speak English in order to maintain the tourism economy alive.
Those who are coming to Sumbawa are mostly looking for the relaxation and for the water sports. Because of the sea waves, the surf lovers are able to practice their favorite sport, by the time others are more interested in scuba diving. Even if Sumbawa has a vast population it has a lack of resorts and hotels designed for maintaining the tourism. Other neighboring islands such as Lombok and Bali are developing their tourism at maximum, but the same thing is about to happen in Sumbawa too. The Indonesian government is trying to transform Sumbawa into an individual province, without being part of the West Nusa Tenggara anymore. Most of the people from here are Muslim but the culture of the Sumbawa population is very vast and impressive.
There are two cultural groups in here: the Tau Samawa in the west and the Dou Mbojo in the east. The people who are part of these cultural groups are having different types of living and rituals, but still, they are able to understand each other and there is no differentiation made. The highest point of this island is the Mount Tambora, which is actually a dormant volcano. From there you will be able to see the whole island and to watch an impressive landscape that you’ve never seen before and you cannot see elsewhere. If you are brave enough and you are not afraid of water you can easily learn how to surf. You can rent a surfing board for a few dollars and you can learn from the experts how to do it. Moreover, even if Sumbawa is the type of island with a population that has a lot of traditions and rituals, while staying in here you can travel by bus or you can rent a car from the hotel where you spend your holiday.
Sumbawa Besar represents the main city of Sumbawa and it is also the capital of the island. If you are looking for a historical place then you should definitely visit The DalamLoka, which is also known as Sultan’s Palace. If you really like to surf or you’ve always wanted to learn how to do it, then it will be recommended to come in here during June and August, because that’s the best time for surfing. Even if it would be a bit too hot outside because that’s the summer season you will still be able to relax yourself and to have a lot of fun.
Their cuisine is mostly focusing around fish and exotic vegetables. The most popular dish in here is known as As-Syura and it contains fish, rice and coconut. For the Europeans and Americans a dish like that really represents something exotic and most of the food that you can find on Sumbawa has a mixture of meat and vegetables or fruits. The culture and music were influenced by other Asian nations such as India and Vietnam and even the cuisine is having a bit of Indian accent too. As an example, some restaurants from Sumbawa are using curry as a spice.
Because Sumbawa is still considered to be a rural island under development, the prices are very small and they should be affordable for everyone. That’s why many people are opting for this island as their main tourist destination for a long holiday. If you like to explore wild areas then you should definitely go to Sumbawa. There is no danger in exploring the jungle because there are no ferocious animals, but you can still find some snakes, so you actually have to be careful. You can also see exotic birds and rare plants that you’ve never seen before.
However, many people are coming in here especially starting with May when the dry season is over because they want to practice water sports and to lay down on the sand while sunbathing. The dry season which starts in November and ends in April is very bad for agriculture and this is why Sumbawa economy is not really based on agriculture. However, not even the tourism is bringing a lot of benefit to Sumbawa because the prices are very small compared with the prices from other islands, but that’s one of the reasons why so many people from all over the world are coming in here, and they have a lot of space to spend their time. Compared with other islands, Sumbawa is quite big and it also has an impressive number of people living in here. The main capital is Sumbawa Besar but there are also four more capitals known as Taliwang, Dompu, Woha and Bima.
Because this destination really represents something exotic and the ones who are living in here are having an interesting and old culture, this thing is annually attracting tourists from all over the Europe, North America, Australia and even Middle East. The Europeans especially are very interested in finding out about tropical cultures and that’s why some of them are visiting a lot of islands, especially from Indonesia. The fact that the prices are very small is yet another reason why so many people are coming in here. Some of them are really interested into the tropical culture, by the time others are looking for landscapes and the ones who are young are coming for fun and relaxation. The water sports are very popular in here, especially the surfing and everyone who comes in Sumbawa can learn how to ride a surfing board in no time.
