Trip to the Central Islands Part 2: Lombok
So here is the 2nd part of my trip last December.
Lombok is an island east from Bali. It isn't very big. They say it takes only 2-3 hours to cross the island. But it has proper cities and all, although many parts of the island is still very close to nature. You will see that in the pix =)
Sun, Dec 18
The flight from Bali was only about 40 minutes. We flew very low, and since I had window seat, I took the chance to take pictures of the view below:
Lombok is pretty famous for the beaches and underwater scenery. As you can see, the island has white sandy beaches and crystal clear blue seas. You can even see the coral reefs perfectly from the air. And in the pic on the right, you can also see small square things floating on the sea. Those are pearl cultivations. Yup, the region is also famous for its pearls.
When we got off the plane, I realized how much hotter it was there! It was cloudy and had been raining in the morning, but the air was very different. It was dryer than here in the western half of the country.
My dad's cousin picked us up. Believe it or not, dad and his cousin had never met before, not even seen a single picture of each other! xD Anyway, he came with his eldest daughter who was in high school. And then he drove us right to a restaurant for lunch. His wife and sisters were already waiting with their kids so it was a pretty merry meal. They were all such nice people too ^^
After lunch, we drove to a cemetery where their parents rested. In other words, my dad's uncle and aunt. After the visit, we went to their house to drop our things, and an hour later or so, we were already on our way to the port, since we wanted to go to Gili Trawangan (Gili, in the local dialect, means island). We took the boat and were in Trawangan half an hour later.
We went to the cottage, and after a short rest, went for a walk. It was late in the afternoon and cloudy, but we still managed to explore almost half of the island, until it started to rain and we had to run back to the cottage. And the rain didn't stop the whole evening and night...
Btw, this island lives almost solely on tourism. It's famous for the snorkeling and diving spots too. So wherever you look at, you'll mostly see tourists. And along the island, most buildings are cottages, restaurants, diving schools... the likes.
Oh, I need to share a nice tidbit. Before the walk, mom wanted to ask something to one of the workers of the cottage. When we approached him, he was just coming out from the sea, with snorkeling google still covering his face, and well, wearing nothing but swimming trunks. Oh dear, I swear I almost dropped my jaw at the sight! Like most locals, he was dark, and those toned muscles... *drools* And damn, after that moment, whenever I saw him, I couldn't help but be reminded of those muscles... o///o
Mon, Dec 19
When I woke up in the morning, it was still raining! But thankfully, it stopped at about 9am. We went for breakfast, then took a walk to the opposite direction of the previous day. We stopped later at the beach. Dad swam, but I only played with water, while mom sat on a trunk at the beach. Then we rented bikes for the day and went to grab lunch.
After lunch, we continued riding the bike around the island. Some parts were just impossible to ride on; too sandy. And we also stopped every now and then just to marvel the view, take pictures, watch people swim, snorkel, sunbath, and even fish! Some parts of the island had very shallow waters, so even if you went as far as 50m from the beach, the water would only reach your waist xD
After the round, we returned to the cottage to get a rest. Then at around 4.30pm, dad and I grabbed our bikes again and rode to the westernmost point of the island to wait for sunset. From our ride earlier, we had discovered an abandoned cafe right at the beach. It was all wood there, and the place was still intact. As we waited there, many people started accumulating to wait for sunset as well. So apparently it's still used even though abandoned ^^
There is something special about Trawangan. From there, if you look to the west, you see Bali and Mount Agung towering above. And if you look to the east, you see Lombok with its Mount Rinjani. It's really unique. We didn't catch the sunrise earlier, but that sunset... oh dear, it was so breathtakingly beautiful!
Too bad Bali seemed to (still) be cloudy, so we couldn't see the peak of Mt. Agung. And the sun was also partially covered by clouds, but I think it was still really a beautiful sight <3
I also took a picture of the beach during sunset:
After being satisfied enough with the sunset, we returned to the cottage to fetch mom, and then went to grab dinner, followed by a walk to the cottage (we had returned the bikes by then).
Guess what I discovered upon looking myself at the mirror? I was clearly tanned, and had sunburns along my shoulders and back! I didn't realize it was sunburn until later that night cos my shoulders were warm and it hurt! (>.<);;
Tue, Dec 20
We woke up a bit later than planned, and since we needed to catch the boat back to Lombok at 9.15am, we had to rush and eat our breakfast quickly. Well we still arrived at the port earlier, so dad and I still walked around the port to take pictures.
Btw, I forgot to mention that in Trawangan, no motor vehicle is allowed as to preserve the nature of the island. So you will only see bikes and horse-drawn carriages. Sometimes it's a bit of juggling when you meet both in the middle of the street. When I rode the bike the day before, coming right ahead were bikes, a carriage, and people walking. I had no choice but to ride towards the people, nearly crashing against them ^^;;
Arriving in Lombok, dad's cousin picked us up again. And then he took us to a tour alongside the beaches, stopping every now and then. Let me show you some pictures from that trip.
You can see at the distance 3 smaller island. The one to the left is Trawangan, where we were earlier. It's the biggest among the 3 too. The middle island is Meno, which is the smallest, and the right one is Air.
If I remember well, the left pic is of a private beach. I think the area is called Malimbu Beach (Malimbu, not Malibu! xD).
The pic on the right, I was seriously fascinated by that cow. I was standing in a pretty narrow area. Right and left just go steeply downhill to the sea. it's a pretty high place. And there stood quietly 3 cows, as if unafraid of falling down... ^^
The uncle took us for lunch at the beach first, before leaving to the city and dropping us to his sister's, since he was only able to accompany us until then and had to leave for work after that, so the aunt would take over.
Btw, my uncle is a professional diver. He works for an oil company (I think?) and has to dive almost everyday for maintenance. He has such a huge passion for water, that he dreams of making a swimming and diving school when he retires. And he shares his passion with his 4 kids. The oldest I mentioned before is no. 1 swimming athlete in the region. She can swim between 2 islands in less than 3 hours! Her younger brothers are also swimmers, though not athletes. So, wow!
Anyway, the aunt took us to different places later. We visited a local traditional town, weaving centers, beaches... There was this one beach that had peculiar sand that looked like pepper. I'm not kidding. They are round and white, exactly like pepper. Dad even took a bottleful of it lol xD I joked to mom that I'd exchange the contents of her pepper bottle with that sand and see if she notices xDDD
After dinner, we went back to my aunt's place since we'd spend the night there. They still offered durian and had a feast with 2 basketfuls of them. Since I didn't like durian, I didn't eat, and would only watch them and chat. But my parents are durian lovers, so yeah...
Wed, Dec 21
I woke up to something I haven't heard for a very long time. Cicadas and roosters making a symphony outside! It really felt like a countryside, when I was in a city! It was noisy for an early morning, but a different kind of noisy. It was somehow soothing ^^
We drove to the airport after breakfast, since our flight back to Jakarta was at noon. The aunties gave us so much food to take with us that we didn't know how to carry them between the 3 of us. But they were such nice people, that we couldn't say no...
The 3 of us sat in a row, and since I wanted to take pictures, I took the window seat again. But since this flight was higher, and we sat right between the wing and the turbine, it wasn't wasy to take pictures. But I still managed to get the 3 islands (Trawangan, Meno, Air) together! =D
The flight took almost 2 hours, and somehow, upon arriving in Jakarta, my mood dropped. Maybe that was the conscience that I returned to real world or something? Everything is so different between the 2 places. Jakarta is so noisy, crowded and hot. Lombok, on the other hand, is quiet, though hot too. But the air is a lot fresher...
Anyway, so that was my trip. It was only a week and it rained half of the time but it was some quality time I spent there. I'd love to return to those places again =)
Lombok is an island east from Bali. It isn't very big. They say it takes only 2-3 hours to cross the island. But it has proper cities and all, although many parts of the island is still very close to nature. You will see that in the pix =)
Sun, Dec 18
The flight from Bali was only about 40 minutes. We flew very low, and since I had window seat, I took the chance to take pictures of the view below:
Lombok is pretty famous for the beaches and underwater scenery. As you can see, the island has white sandy beaches and crystal clear blue seas. You can even see the coral reefs perfectly from the air. And in the pic on the right, you can also see small square things floating on the sea. Those are pearl cultivations. Yup, the region is also famous for its pearls.
When we got off the plane, I realized how much hotter it was there! It was cloudy and had been raining in the morning, but the air was very different. It was dryer than here in the western half of the country.
My dad's cousin picked us up. Believe it or not, dad and his cousin had never met before, not even seen a single picture of each other! xD Anyway, he came with his eldest daughter who was in high school. And then he drove us right to a restaurant for lunch. His wife and sisters were already waiting with their kids so it was a pretty merry meal. They were all such nice people too ^^
After lunch, we drove to a cemetery where their parents rested. In other words, my dad's uncle and aunt. After the visit, we went to their house to drop our things, and an hour later or so, we were already on our way to the port, since we wanted to go to Gili Trawangan (Gili, in the local dialect, means island). We took the boat and were in Trawangan half an hour later.
We went to the cottage, and after a short rest, went for a walk. It was late in the afternoon and cloudy, but we still managed to explore almost half of the island, until it started to rain and we had to run back to the cottage. And the rain didn't stop the whole evening and night...
Btw, this island lives almost solely on tourism. It's famous for the snorkeling and diving spots too. So wherever you look at, you'll mostly see tourists. And along the island, most buildings are cottages, restaurants, diving schools... the likes.
Oh, I need to share a nice tidbit. Before the walk, mom wanted to ask something to one of the workers of the cottage. When we approached him, he was just coming out from the sea, with snorkeling google still covering his face, and well, wearing nothing but swimming trunks. Oh dear, I swear I almost dropped my jaw at the sight! Like most locals, he was dark, and those toned muscles... *drools* And damn, after that moment, whenever I saw him, I couldn't help but be reminded of those muscles... o///o
Mon, Dec 19
When I woke up in the morning, it was still raining! But thankfully, it stopped at about 9am. We went for breakfast, then took a walk to the opposite direction of the previous day. We stopped later at the beach. Dad swam, but I only played with water, while mom sat on a trunk at the beach. Then we rented bikes for the day and went to grab lunch.
After lunch, we continued riding the bike around the island. Some parts were just impossible to ride on; too sandy. And we also stopped every now and then just to marvel the view, take pictures, watch people swim, snorkel, sunbath, and even fish! Some parts of the island had very shallow waters, so even if you went as far as 50m from the beach, the water would only reach your waist xD
After the round, we returned to the cottage to get a rest. Then at around 4.30pm, dad and I grabbed our bikes again and rode to the westernmost point of the island to wait for sunset. From our ride earlier, we had discovered an abandoned cafe right at the beach. It was all wood there, and the place was still intact. As we waited there, many people started accumulating to wait for sunset as well. So apparently it's still used even though abandoned ^^
There is something special about Trawangan. From there, if you look to the west, you see Bali and Mount Agung towering above. And if you look to the east, you see Lombok with its Mount Rinjani. It's really unique. We didn't catch the sunrise earlier, but that sunset... oh dear, it was so breathtakingly beautiful!
Too bad Bali seemed to (still) be cloudy, so we couldn't see the peak of Mt. Agung. And the sun was also partially covered by clouds, but I think it was still really a beautiful sight <3
I also took a picture of the beach during sunset:
After being satisfied enough with the sunset, we returned to the cottage to fetch mom, and then went to grab dinner, followed by a walk to the cottage (we had returned the bikes by then).
Guess what I discovered upon looking myself at the mirror? I was clearly tanned, and had sunburns along my shoulders and back! I didn't realize it was sunburn until later that night cos my shoulders were warm and it hurt! (>.<);;
Tue, Dec 20
We woke up a bit later than planned, and since we needed to catch the boat back to Lombok at 9.15am, we had to rush and eat our breakfast quickly. Well we still arrived at the port earlier, so dad and I still walked around the port to take pictures.
Btw, I forgot to mention that in Trawangan, no motor vehicle is allowed as to preserve the nature of the island. So you will only see bikes and horse-drawn carriages. Sometimes it's a bit of juggling when you meet both in the middle of the street. When I rode the bike the day before, coming right ahead were bikes, a carriage, and people walking. I had no choice but to ride towards the people, nearly crashing against them ^^;;
Arriving in Lombok, dad's cousin picked us up again. And then he took us to a tour alongside the beaches, stopping every now and then. Let me show you some pictures from that trip.
You can see at the distance 3 smaller island. The one to the left is Trawangan, where we were earlier. It's the biggest among the 3 too. The middle island is Meno, which is the smallest, and the right one is Air.
If I remember well, the left pic is of a private beach. I think the area is called Malimbu Beach (Malimbu, not Malibu! xD).
The pic on the right, I was seriously fascinated by that cow. I was standing in a pretty narrow area. Right and left just go steeply downhill to the sea. it's a pretty high place. And there stood quietly 3 cows, as if unafraid of falling down... ^^
The uncle took us for lunch at the beach first, before leaving to the city and dropping us to his sister's, since he was only able to accompany us until then and had to leave for work after that, so the aunt would take over.
Btw, my uncle is a professional diver. He works for an oil company (I think?) and has to dive almost everyday for maintenance. He has such a huge passion for water, that he dreams of making a swimming and diving school when he retires. And he shares his passion with his 4 kids. The oldest I mentioned before is no. 1 swimming athlete in the region. She can swim between 2 islands in less than 3 hours! Her younger brothers are also swimmers, though not athletes. So, wow!
Anyway, the aunt took us to different places later. We visited a local traditional town, weaving centers, beaches... There was this one beach that had peculiar sand that looked like pepper. I'm not kidding. They are round and white, exactly like pepper. Dad even took a bottleful of it lol xD I joked to mom that I'd exchange the contents of her pepper bottle with that sand and see if she notices xDDD
After dinner, we went back to my aunt's place since we'd spend the night there. They still offered durian and had a feast with 2 basketfuls of them. Since I didn't like durian, I didn't eat, and would only watch them and chat. But my parents are durian lovers, so yeah...
Wed, Dec 21
I woke up to something I haven't heard for a very long time. Cicadas and roosters making a symphony outside! It really felt like a countryside, when I was in a city! It was noisy for an early morning, but a different kind of noisy. It was somehow soothing ^^
We drove to the airport after breakfast, since our flight back to Jakarta was at noon. The aunties gave us so much food to take with us that we didn't know how to carry them between the 3 of us. But they were such nice people, that we couldn't say no...
The 3 of us sat in a row, and since I wanted to take pictures, I took the window seat again. But since this flight was higher, and we sat right between the wing and the turbine, it wasn't wasy to take pictures. But I still managed to get the 3 islands (Trawangan, Meno, Air) together! =D
The flight took almost 2 hours, and somehow, upon arriving in Jakarta, my mood dropped. Maybe that was the conscience that I returned to real world or something? Everything is so different between the 2 places. Jakarta is so noisy, crowded and hot. Lombok, on the other hand, is quiet, though hot too. But the air is a lot fresher...
Anyway, so that was my trip. It was only a week and it rained half of the time but it was some quality time I spent there. I'd love to return to those places again =)