Undiscovered

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Lombok, what can I say? Just the name of it conjures up mystery and mystique. We had built up an idea of the place before we arrived from fellow travellers; we were given the impression that as the country was strictly Muslim the atmosphere would be repressive and less accepting of tourists. Well it must have been national friendly week as we found it to be the opposite. The people were friendly, helpful and far more understanding than some of the people we had met over the pond in Bali. Even the street sellers took the first no for an answer which was a big change. Lombok is starved of tourists which made for a less practiced approach in dealing with the people from the West. As a result the daily encounters, maybe at a shop or restaurant, occurred with genuine fun and laughter.

The vibe travelling from GilliT back to the mainland was far more stressful than it should have been, and was not printed on the brochure of the travel company that aided us. We took the Perama boat from Gilli T early doors across to ‘Bangsal’, which is the bumhole of Indonesia. Seriously, it makes Hull look like a place where you would like to spend the last days of your life. It is described in the LP as a place not to stop and to be extremely wary of. This is reinforced as soon as you leave the comfort of the boat and are faced with toothless creatures who are deciding whether to steal your belongings by knifepoint or to overcharge you for a lift up the road. I still would have selected the stealing option if I had a choice. The whole idea that we stopped at this destination was new to us, as we had been previously informed that the journey would be far more direct.

We were heading for Kuta in Lombok (yes it is a bit confusing) but managed to fit in a change of three buses, with four drivers and some breakfast before we arrived at our destination around mid afternoon. Kuta is on the most Southern tip of Lombok, it is an immediate contrast to its Balinese cousin as it is an extremely sleepy village. We chose to come here because the surf is meant to be good and we were looking for a place where tourism has not infiltrated. Kuta had a few places to stay so we took our time, trying to spy out the one that suited. All of the possibilities would have made into the “Wow we are staying on a tropical beach file” but we wanted something a bit different. So after another meeting of minds we decided to walk a little distance to a place called the “Mimpi Manis”. It was actually more than a little walk it was about 2km uphill, through authentic Lombok streets towards our little gem of a place. As soon as we arrived and met our hosts we knew that the effort was worth it. Made (Pronounced Ma-Day) was the owner and from the local area but he had married an English lady who part owned the homestay. She was not there when we stayed but you could tell that she had a big part to play as there was Ikea stuff everywhere. You try to get to the other side of the world away from that kind of thing but it follows you (A bit like an odour that I am wearing these days).

We settled into the place quickly as they stocked over 400 DVD’s that Made had got from his numerous trips to Bali. So, with some popcorn on the way we selected a few titles and made our way through two or three. Now if I was reading this then I would be thinking “My goodness this man has awful grammar and punctuation!” but also “Why would you watch movies when you are in paradise?” Well it was because we had not watched TV for the last three months. Think about it Baker, no Enders, how could you go on? If they took away your copy of Heat then it would be the last straw eh?

We ended up with square eyes in the early evening and then chose to sample the delights of our host’s kitchen. Made had a couple of guys working for him so when any of the chores were being done, he was sat having a chat with me about life, surfing, fishing and his beautiful dog Panther. Panther did not immediately warm to us but after a couple of hours and our best coaxing, he turned the corner and allowed us a bit of love. Wendy, if you are reading this, then firstly, I wish you the best of luck, and secondly, he meant nothing to me.


Food was cool, not going to receive any Gordon Ramsey recommendations but still very nice. Em unfortunately started to feel ropey, so she went to bed trying to get some shut eye to sort it out. I continued my chat with Made, we arranged a little surf trip/fishing trip for the next day. Well my nursing skills were not going to be of any use for the patient (Cheers Powells, one of your tricks I believe).

Morning broke, Smith was up and away with Made, Em was still in bed feeling slightly less than human. Made and I went on the bikes down to one of the local fishing villages to meet with his mate, Di. There were two surf breaks out in the bay and they dropped me off at ‘Outsides’ while they went further up the reef to fish. We were close by to ‘Yo Yo’s, which is another well known break. The waves were a good 6ft and with bigger sets roaming through which made it a wake up call. After a few hours, Made returned to pick me up and could see that it was a good session by the grin from ear to ear. I suggested that we stay out and take the boat back to the reef where the fish where biting. So with only a hand reel and prawns for bait with started to haul in what would be become our dinner.

Em had started to feel a bit better by the time we had got back but still did not think that she was up for any real food. It was the dreaded ‘loose pant syndrome’ and it still had a bit more to go, which was a real shame as the dinner they cooked was great. All the fish that we had caught were fried and served with rice and vegetables, which made a great feast. Of course we added a couple of Bintangs, it would have been rude not to.

The next morning brought a brighter start for Stones. We still had a scooter rented and headed off for a tour of the area, taking in some of the deserted beaches that I had passed yesterday, but unfortunately the beaches were now packed as we had coincided with a national holiday. We stopped at most of the pristine beaches that dotted the coastline; some were perfectly horse shoe shaped, while others had the backdrop of lush green mountains. Travelling from place to place was absolutely fantastic, although it was nothing to do with my clutch control, it was because every time we would pass through a village the local boys, girls and adults would shout out “Hello” and give us high fives. It sounds weird but even though they didn’t speak English and our Indo was abysmal, it was a true connection. These places were the level below rustic; the farmers were using Oxen to carry supplies, people and ploughs. It was like we had been transported into Dickensian England, I looked around for Bob Cratchet, but no joy. We travelled most of the day around some of the most breathtaking scenery that we had encountered on our trip. It was the feeling of freedom combined with a stark social contrast that made it so exhilarating.

A bit of time back at the ‘Mimpi’ with Made, Panther and some new arrivals and we were ready for our feed. We sat on the veranda of the homestay that night sipping a few beers, talking about life and listening to the constant drone of the local musicians (seriously I would rather listen to Dunc sing Ronan Keating’s back catalogue, he knows them).

On the next day our time in Lombok had come to an end; we said to goodbye to Made & Panther and jumped into our ride to Sengigi. It was sad to be leaving but perhaps even more daunting was the pending journey back to Bali. In the end it was not as bad as we dreaded, only taking 7 hours. As we sat in the Bendesa that evening we felt the ‘Ready-brek’ travelling glow of an experience that would stay with us for a while, or at least until we washed our clothes.

We headed back to Kuta (Bali) with only a day to get things ready for the next leg of the journey, so clothes were washed, currencies exchanged and plans were made for Sydney.

Indonesia is a must for people who are looking for a change of cultural experience and are willing to accept varying standards across a vast geographical area. We only touched a small amount and I urge you to go and capture it for yourself.

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