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Published: April 9th 2014
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Our final Indonesian travel destination found us on the island of Lombok which is only a 30 min flight or 1 1/2 fast boat ride from Bali. We came from the Gili Islands which took 30 minutes on a speed boat. The island is about the same size as Bali but much less developed which is kind of refreshing. The main religion is Muslim as opposed to the dominant Hinduism in Bali. We're back to chanting from the mosques!
We opted to stay on the west coast area of Sengiggi as it seems to be the most popular spot for tourists. The area spans 10 km of a series of sweeping bays below a backdrop of jungle clad mountains and coconut palms. The beaches are lovely but aren't quite a match for the white sand beaches of the Caribbean!
Even though the beaches are very scenic the area is a bit of a disappointment in that there really isn't a local beach scene like there is in Bali. The boutique style hotels are situated along the beaches but there aren't any local beach bars, loungers or restaurants to hang out during the day so you're kind of limited to
your facilities at your resort.
Speaking of our resort it's beautiful!! Sunset House is on a quiet stretch of shoreline and has a nice beach suited well for swimming. The suites are amazing and equipped with all the bells and whistles. The pool I s spectacular, the staff are great, the grounds are beautiful and the food is delicious. We're certainly living in luxury and all for a budget price. And of course the massages continue!
We had some rain and clouds the first week which at times is almost a relief from the constant heat we had in Thailand, Bali and Gili. It was definitely a little cooler but the weather is back to clear, hot and calm again. The humidex is crazy hot, thank goodness for our air conditioning!!
Although Lombok is much quieter than Bali and tourist numbers are relatively moderate, there is a fun town centre in Sengiggi with many great restaurants. It's fun planning our evening meals with lots of places to choose from. There are also several venues with excellent live music. We happened to come upon a bar called "Globe" where lots of expats hang out. We've met a lot
of friendly people who have retired here from Australia, New Zealand and even Scotland as well as younger people who have businesses here. They have been very helpful in suggesting activities, sites and places to eat. The expats we have visited with here love Lombok because it's still fairly quiet compared to Bali yet has everything they need including quite an active social network. They say Lombok is what Bali was like 30 years ago.
Since the area we are staying in is quite spread out, we have rented a scooter to get around. One day we took a short tour along the coast and through the rain forest. Surprisingly, the costal road is in excellent condition bring relatively new. It winds up and down and affords breath taking views of the beaches and bays of the Indian Ocean. It reminds me of driving on some of the roads in Hawaii so green and lush. We drove through a monkey forest that was very cool. There were monkeys everywhere sitting along the road just hanging out watching the scooters go by!! It was fun spotting them as we coasted through the jungle.
We're down to our last week
A roadside lady who sells drinks
She helped give us directions on our tour. No English but we were able to figure out what she was telling us. Such nice people! before we head back to Saskatoon. In the meantime we are on relaxation mode at our resort but will take an island tour later this week.
Thanks for reading. We have heard spring has sprung at home! Yippee!!
Mallory and Warren
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Cathie Migneault
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looks wonderful
yes, spring has sprung....looking forward to seeing you when you get home...safe travels..Cath