Blogs from Lombok, Indonesia, Asia - page 43

Toissapaivana lahdettiin Kuta Beachilta kohti Gilin saaria, joista kohteeksi oli valittu Gili Meno, joka on se rauhallisin vaihtoehto kolmesta. Matkan oli luvattu kestavan noin seitseman tuntia, joka tiedettiin paskapuheeksi. Homma meni juuri niin kuin kuin kuviteltiin, joten seuraavaksi klassinen esimerkki hienovaraisesta kusetuksesta: Laivan oli maara lahtea satamasta klo 9 ja auto tuli hakemaan meidat hotellilta klo 6. Joten tunnin ajomatkaan oli varattu 3 tuntia. Satamaan saavuttiin klo 7.30 ja kuski sanoi: "Follow me to office!". Kuskin perassa kaveltiin ravintolaan, jossa turistit istutettiin poytiin ja tuotiin menut eteen. Tarjoilija sanoi ettei lautasta saa ruokaa, joten syokaa tassa. (laivassa syotiin myohemmin loistavat nuudelit...) Eli matkanjarjestajat olivat varanneet aikaa, etta ihmiset ehtivat syoda ravintolassa, josta he saavat myohemmin provikat. Seuraavaksi he ohjasi... read more

Indonesia is amazing....by far my favourite place in all of Asia so far. It's absolutely beautiful. There are amazing sunsets, gorgeous colours, both in the ocean and on land (I've never seen such turquoise water in my life) and the people are unbeatable. They are even friendlier than in Thailand and just want to please you. One guy at a bar scratched a bug bite on my foot for me and told me "we are here to service you in any way you need." He told us it was ok to drink the mushroom shakes because he is there to take care of tourists who trip out. I said what if I jump into the ocean (because the bar is right on the water) and he said I will jump in with you!! He then asked ... read more

So once again we were back in Kuta and back in room 4 of the Bendesa. It was just a quick stop over on our way to Lombok. Lombok is an island that is in fact larger than Bali lying to its east, but is still relatively untouched by tourism. It is strictly Muslim, rather than Hindu, as in Bali. We had heard it was very beautiful and definitely worth the effort of getting there, but also to be on careful as it could be a bit more dangerous for the naïve Westerner. We could get there the expensive way by flying, or go on the public slow ferry. The ferry it was. As a tourist, we had to buy the tickets through a company called Perama, who pretty much have the monopoly on transporting tourists ... read more

015 - Indonesia - Gili Air 04/07/08 - 04/12/08 We Like Gili Air Gili Air is a tiny island just north of Lombok that showed us the genuine, mellower side of Indonesia. Although it is only a few kilometers away from it's larger sister island, Gili Air feels like a different place; a place that both Hannah and I learned to love. As if to highlight the differences in location, the departure point from Lombok is the port town of Bangsal where we waited for 45 minutes as unrelenting touts tried to sell us bracelets, beer, and false stories of what to expect on Gili Air. A group of 4 young English travelers told us a story of how they had been hustled at Bangsal: porters grabbed their bags as their bus pulled up and then ... read more

014b - Indonesia - Lombok Side Story 04/01/08 - 04/07/08 Lucy and Rawan Our first full day in Kuta-Lombok I was recovering the first night out in a while. I got out of bed around noon and thought I would walk to the market and see what the town consisted of. Not much. The small one lane road outside our hotel was lined with small stalls selling the exact same sarongs and t-shirts, beyond them was the vibrant teal ocean. I was pointed in the direction of the market and began to walk in the hot mid day sun. Walking past the bamboo thatch houses I saw women tending children and drying fish on sticks, men sleeping on raised bamboo beds in the shade, and chickens and cows grazing in front lawns. The store was about ... read more