Blogs from Sengigi, Lombok, Indonesia, Asia

An update on our visit to Lombok!! It was an hour's drive from our port to the beautiful beach at Seniggi. When we disembarked the ship we were greeted by a steel band and many stall holders selling souvenirs. A cacaphony of noise enveloped us. Lombok is less developed than its neighbouring island of Bali but has some great scenery. During our hour long bus trip to the beach we went through the capital city of Mataram and the old city of Ampenan. The streets were lined with stalls and shops, some very dilapidated while others were better maintained. It was Friday so the holy day on this mainly Muslim island. The mosques are abundant and are brightly painted. The main mode of transport is motor bike or scooter and helmets seem optional. Most had at ... read more

Travelling in Indonesia now since 3 weeks, we only had 8 days left with our free visa on arrival. Having seen and experienced so many incredible things in the last weeks, basically only 1 thing was missing: a super relaxed beach time in a tropical paradies where we could simply enjoy the hours watching the ocean, doing some meditation and just be. There are many options for this in Indonesia, but we decided to go to Lombok as this was the cheapest and easiest option for the remaining time and for both of us, Lombok was a new destination. Well, I (Nina) have been to Gili Trawangan and Gili Meno 9 years ago, but I never explored Lombok island itself. So early morning, we took a propellers flight from Labuanbajo to Lombok Praya. The sky was ... read more

I go for a swim in the sea in front of the resort. There don’t seem to be too many other people swimming, and it doesn’t take too long to work out why. The bottom is stony and gets deep very quickly, the waves are choppy, and the current is dragging me in all directions. I struggle back up onto the beach, and decide that maybe that’s enough swimming in the sea for one day. I decide to go for a wander while Issy relaxes. I walk along the road to the north of the resort and it takes me up a steep hill to a lookout point. I’m pretty sure it’s supposed to be a lookout point because there’s a sign saying "Lookout Point", but I can’t see anything through the thick vegetation. I see ... read more

I ask Issy how she slept. She says that she slept well, and didn’t hear any planes. I then remember that our hotel is in the airport. I didn’t hear any planes either. I open the blinds to make sure that we really are in the airport. Today we have a long day of travelling from Osaka to Lombok, where we hope to spend time chilling out on the beach. Japan has been a lot of fun, but it’s been a bit full on and we are ready for some relaxation. I'm a bit worried. Today we are flying with Garuda Indonesia. I think they might have improved in recent years, but the first time I heard about Garuda Indonesia was when they nearly landed one of their 747s on a freeway back in Melbourne, after ... read more

Day one - Picked up sharp at 08.30 and driven up to the harbour to get my refund and start the trip. I was told that a cabin had become free and taken down to the boat to have a look and to make my decision. The boat, not being that big with 2 cabins close to the toilet or an upper deck with 20 thin mattresses with no room in-between - I chose the cabin! Being driven back to the cafe and meeting point ( there would be 2 boats leaving together each carrying 20 passengers) we all sat and had a drink while they prepared the crews and the boats. We headed off at 12.30, all the others seeming really nice - people from New Zealand, Canada, France, Switzerland as well as others and ... read more