Blogs from Lombok, Indonesia, Asia - page 3

Today we celebrate twenty-nine years of wedded bliss, and we start the day’s celebrations by sleeping in. Our resort is just north of Senggigi Beach on Lombok’s north-west coast, and we get up to see it in daylight for the first time. Our room is right next to the beach, and the waves are rolling in hard. We sit at breakfast and watch on as one of the staff members works hard at trying to clean a giant ornamental stone pot with a toothbrush. There are lots of these pots scattered around the grounds, so we think he’s probably got a long few months in front of him. We wonder why someone hasn’t thought to give him a slightly larger brush, but we can’t come up with anything plausible. We walk around the resort and down ... read more

Ich bin wieder in Kuala Lumpur, wo ich Vanessa begrüsse. Wir werden die nächsten 3 Wochen zusammen einen kleinen Teil von Indonesien bereisen. Wir haben bereits einiges geplant, doch so ganz nach Routenplan sollen diese Ferien ja auch nicht verlaufen. Wir fliegen nach 2 Tagen kurzem Sightseeing und gutem Street Food Essen zusammen nach Lombok, die Insel östlich von Bali. Wir haben auf dieser Insel mehrere Stationen eingeplant und sind zuerst in einem coolen zeitgenössisch eingerichtetem Resort, etwas abseits von Kuta im Süden der Insel. Viele sagen, dieses Kuta sei so wie Bali vor 20 Jahren. Wirklich beurteilen können wir dies natürlich nicht. Doch alles sieht recht bescheiden aus, erinnert mich stark an Siargao auf den Philippinen. Es gibt im kleinen Zentrum ein paar coole Restaurants und Bars, alles ist recht einfach eingerichtet, während das Essen ... read more

One down side to the lovely open air bathrooms here in Indonesia are the geckos who share your bathroom. Now I don't mind the little ones that gobble up the pesky mosquitoes but we had a very big one living in the overhanging roof. It had made it's favourite place right above the toilet. Most mornings when we first went into the bathroom there was a fresh load of droppings..... All over the toilet but not in it, just everywhere else! Hence a big clean up on my part every day. Geckos do not have good toilet habits! Off course an open air bathroom has its plus side , when showering after dark, the stars above you are amazing and a cooling evening breeze. In addition to the resident gecko were some huge black and yellow ... read more

"What have I got myself into", those are the first thoughts when the alarm goes off at 2.30am. In half an hour the car will be there for a three hour drive to the bottom of mount Rinjani, a 2.700 meter high volcano. I am not ready for this, but the question is will I ever be? At 3.00am sharp the car arrives which surprisingly enough looks quite comfortable. As I crawl in the back my headphones come out and the best I can hope for is some extra sleep. Unfortunately my thoughts decide not to give me a break of thinking about how though this hike is going to be and the coming two hours feel like forever. When my head decides I am ready for some sleep, the car pulls over and the driver ... read more

February 13th: An Amazing Day of Diverse Experiences in Three Parts Every year for the past six years, since we first discovered this island paradise off the coast of Lombok, Indonesia, we make a point of returning. In our extensive travels throughout Asia since 2006, we have visited many beautiful countries and places, but some take a piece of our heart and keep it in safe keeping until we return. Gilli Trawangan is one of those. It was the first island we visited in Indonesia in 2013, and the first time we encountered pony driven carts - the primary mode of transport for everything -as there are no motorized vehicles on the island. It is where we first swam with turtles, then a year later took our Open Water Diving course, and met our very dear ... read more