Blogs from 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

Gili Air has come back to life! What a difference since our last visit just after things reopened from COVID in 2022. In Oct 2022, there were so many stores and villa’s deserted, overrun with nature and closed shops. Now there is so much here! Spa’s (went from 2 to at least 10), new and restored restaurants, shops and villa’s. Even multiple medical clinic’s that I hear are very good. So great to see this 5 km wide island booming, now we just need the people to come back. There seems to be some unfortunate misinformation on social media and old video’s showing it quite run down… this is simply not the case. Yes there are parts that are still not occupied and have not recovered from the earthquake and COVID. But so many have, and ... read more

We spent the next week at Hotel Gengong in Candidasa, a lovely beachfront hotel. New Year's eve included a very good meal at Vincente's the local restaurant and then an amazing fireworks display, about 50 feet from our balcony, compliments of the local Silver businessman staying at the hotel. It was impressive! We enjoyed a day trip to a local bee farm that was set among a gorgeous botanical garden. They raised both Asian and Balinese bees. The Balinese bees were tiny, the size of very small ants and produced a sweet and sour honey used mainly for medicine. The Asian bees produced an excellent sweet honey. Continued on to Tanganan - a traditional village - Before the 1970s was known by anthropologists to be a secluded society in the archipelago, known for its gamelan selunding ... read more

Things are amazing on Gili Air. We have had a bit of rain in the afternoons with amazing rolling thunder! We have met a few locals and are having dinner with an expat from South Africa tomorrow. We are trying to learn the Indonesian language and it seems to be appreciated. People are amazing, food is amazing, vibe is amazing. We have gone snorkelling a few times, took a cooking class and continue to chill. Really appreciating getting to know more about Gili Air and the people. The motto here is ‘slowly slowly’ and moving through the days like this is so freeing. We have so much stress around us at home. Things are pressured with full calendars, and I am seeing how much of life I am missing by being so fully booked. Hoping to ... read more

Gili Air – water (Air) Island (Gili) We love this little island! We were tempted to explore Gili T and Gili Meno, but once we landed, we finally found the sweet pace of nothing. The hardest decision is what to eat and should we watch the sunset? There are no vehicles, just horse and carriage or bike. The people here are friendly and lovely and really do have that island feel. Lots of smiles and easy going attitude. To point where one of the cashiers was napping on the floor of the store using napkins as a pillow. And no one cares. The work gets done and people just get to be people. It is noticeable here, and in Bali as well, that rules are from we can tell, take of yourself and each other. If ... read more