The Best of Jogja & Lombok ~ Beautiful Lombok!

We had just transited in Bali, after having the nicest coffee at the airport so far on our trip from Yogyakarta in this Best of Lombok and Jogja trip. (See Jogja part of the trip). Having had an early morning flight from Jogja to Bali, nice warm coffee was very much appreciated, before we board another plane to Lombok island.
After some dillidallying, we finally made it onto the tarmac where the little plane with a rotor blade was waiting. It seemed that we were the last five passengers. There were only two rows of double seats on each side of the aisle and stowing our luggage overhead was quite a task.

We sat next to one of the wings of the plane, the propeller attached to it visible. For a moment I worried about how stable the plane would be as it was really so small - the tiniest plane I had ever ridden on. I was really worried of the safety. There were only about two air hostesses. Soon the plane took off and we were over the sea. It was interesting to see the propelling motion next to me, and surprisingly, the plane was so travelling at such a steady pace! It didn't seem we were cruising at very high altitudes as the sea was clearly visible below us throughout.

We soon reached Lombok Airport and the representative, Mr Awenk was already waiting to receive us. Flo had already arrived by the Garuda flight earlier as she had flown in directly from Singapore. We exchanged greetings and introduced ourselves before walking to Mr Awenk's vehicle and his driver that would take us on this Lombok part of our journey.

First Day in Lombok

Our first stop - lunch.

Lunch was a sumptuous flow of food at a hotel restaurant. Apparently there's only this table of us eating lunch and the manager was hosting us like VIPs...
The amount of food was so much that even with Mr Awenk joining us, we still could not finish all.

After lunch we were taken to a supposedly traditional weaving village known as the Sukarara Village - traditional weaving village of the Sasaks, the aboriginals in Lombok. We were brought around by a guide to look at how a young lady does weaving using a traditional tool and also walked around to see a kampung like way of life. There was a well and half washed clothing around it, as well as some livestock - goats. Upon questioning, the guide told us that these would be sold at the market for their meat. After touring the village way of life we were brought into their shop with lots woven clothing, mostly sarongs and scarves on sale. The price was not cheap and we felt that we were pressured into buying something at all. There was also two traditional houses near the entrance, most probably for photo-taking purposes.
My afterthoughts on this place was rather touristy and I left the place without any shopping doen, questioning how traditional this village is...

Traditional huts

A well and half washed clothes

Drawing water from the well

Traditional weaving of cloths

A look into the well

No, I'm not trying to do anything silly!

Next would be a long drive up the hills at Senaru, the foothills of Rinjani from which we would embark on our hike on the next day. Mr Awenk alighted halfway to get into his own car parked somewhere and instructed the driver to follow him from behind. We passed through coastlines, winding uphill then back to the coastline again ... we were puzzled ... when would we ever reach Senaru which was supposed to be at an altitude of around 600+m? The journey was so long  that we fell asleep from the lull of the vehicle in the lazy warm afternoon.

Finally I woke up to a sight of what looked like a simple town with shops that wooed tourists of souvenir T-shirts and stuff. As we were driven up a little further, a mass of height loomed ahead - our driver pointed out and told us "This is Mount Rinjani." Indeed it was a magnificent sight.

After what seemed like hours of travelling on the road, the vehicle finally turned into our lodge - Rinjani Base Camp. Read our adventure on Mount Rinjani here . The rest of the story here reveals our stay in Lombok after our Rinjani hike.

Comfort and Discomfort in Senggigi Hotel

We finally reached the destination of comfort after the torturous descent from Rinjani, being driven by Mr Awenk downhill from Senaru to Senggigi beach area. We were to have the ultimate sleep of bliss at our hotel -  the Santosa Villas and Resort.
Unfortunately, a flight of steps awaited us at the entrance to negotiate with our ultra sore and heavy legs. With a mixture of laughter and pain, we dragged ourselves, and our luggage to the lobby.
We decided to visit only 2 Gili islands the following day, as some of us really wanted a good rest after the hike. Mr Awenk told us that he would sleep in his car and bring us round the next day - he claimed that staying with his friends would render him lack of sleep as they would usually chit chat through the night.

After checking in and confirming on the timing to meet the next morning, we proceeded to our rooms.

To our horror of horrors, there was no elevator!

We had to climb two flights of stairs up to our rooms! OUCH!

That night after we washed our unwashed bodies and hair of two days, we gratefully tucked into our hotel beds.

Dirty nails against the hotel's sink

Gilli Islands

The soreness on the next morning did not get better, in fact, the muscles in those thighs were almost impossible to be coaxed to work. Needless to say, climbing down from our room to breakfast was the heaviest of all chores combined! Cheng and friends had a good bargain from buying T-shirts sold at the beach around our resort. The place was beautiful indeed.

After breakfast Mr Awenk was waiting for us at the lobby, taking us to the Gilli Islands. Even climbing up his car was an "uphill" task!

  

As Mr Awenk drove us up the coastal road again, I felt a little queasy, and uneasy. Before we took the boat to the islands, I popped a pill to quell any sea sickness, which I might feel later on.

As we boarded the boat, we could see Mt Rinjani and Mt Agung in Bali in the distance. Cool!

View of Mountains in the Distance

Our first island to anchor on was at Gili T., or Gili Tranwangan, the biggest and hippiest among the three Gili Islands - Gili Tranwangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air. Before anchoring, a part of the bottom of the boat was exposed so that we could see marine life underneath, through the glass panel.
A baby shark! They shrieked, but I missed it, busy trying to focus on the mountains in the distance as the boat bobbed up and down in the currents after the engines were turned off. One of the boatmen went down snorkeling. None of us decided to join in that day, preferring to admire the corals and the beautiful sea life that we could see from the glass bottom. Finally the boat moved off again and anchored at Gili Tranwangan's shore. It appeared to be a very touristy spot with lots of Caucasians sunbathing on the beach. It is basically a small town like island easy on the foot with rows of souvenir shops, beachwear shops, as well as eateries and drink bars in addition to schools with pools offering diving lessons.

Sun bathers

One of the Diving Schools

There are also many funny signboards found on the small island. Like these:

One can choose to walk, or rent a bicycle to cycle around the island. There were also horse carriages similar to the ones we saw in Jogja.

We strolled along the walkway, browsing at the shops before stopping at the Turtle Conservation Centre.

Turtle Conservation 

While waiting for Flo to finish her shopping, Cheng decided to feast her eyes on this graphic:

I think it was very well-captured.

Then we strolled on the beach back to our boat.

The Hub posing in front of our boat

We boated off to the next Gili Island. I have forgotten the name of this Gili Island, having written this one and half years later. And unfortunately, when getting down from the boat, my weak leg gave way and I slipped on the beach, and my calf was lodged between the boat and sand. The bruise was so bad that some shades of the bruise is still visible till today!

The "damage" done as seen after I reached home a few days later.

This part of the Gili Islands was less touristy and more peaceful.

We had our lunch at one of the many open air warungs (a casual cafe), walked around and then it was time to go. There were many shops selling handmade crafts and the most pleasant thing here was that sellers did not pester you to buy their ware. As we walked past a craft shop, the seller was offering us some of their goods and her partner replied for us, smilingly, "No thank you!" self mockingly, but without any offence meant.

One of many handmade craft shops

My impression of the Gili Islands is that the sand is soft and nice, waters clear and tranquil, but I would have preferred that of the waters in Krabi, Thailand, in comparison. However, I must say that we did not spend enough quality time on the Gili Islands as I have read that there are many beautiful spots on the islands to explore, which we did not. We merely walked along the main streets on the islands.

Senggigi Beach Area and the Santosa Villas and Resort

In the evening when we went back to Senggigi beach area, we requested Awenk to take us for some well deserved massage, which turned out to be so so and that tips were actually requested from us after the sessions.

We then went for a dinner at a local warung and did some shopping at a local market area and got some cheap clothing.

Crossing the roads fast and stepping onto kerbs which we had always taken for granted was super tough.

The next morning before departure was spent lazing around at our hotel. We decided to forgo the cultural village tour and instead opted to relax at our resort before flying back to Singapore. The Hub went for a dip in the pool, and a massage at a parlour outside the streets of our resort.

Our beautiful resort

The people of Lombok have greatly touched my hearts through their genuine personalities and humble nature. We had never once felt harassed by sellers and service providers to buy their products and services. An example was while walking along the street outside our resort, taxis were waiting for customers and asking if their services were needed. And if you just smile and shake your head, they would return with a "It's ok, tomorrow", smiling humbly. You are never compelled to buy from them anything. What a contrast to most areas where livlihood depends largely on tourism.

Separated by the Lombok Strait from Bali, Lombok in comparison is still an island of simplicity. Yet services provided are of quality and of utmost sincerity right from the heart. As I write these lines, I can still remember how our guide and team of porters helped us through the struggle of our Rinjani hike, despite them fasting during Ramadan, and it was tough on them as well in the mountains.

I hope Lombok does not get tainted by commercial consequences in the face of tourism, for many years to come.
And that it will still retain its simplicity when I next visit it.

Sengigi Beach Area

Goodbye Lombok

Soon it was time to leave for the airport as Mr Awenk took us in his car once again. We took a group photo with Mr Awenk at the airport, thanking him for taking good care of us throughout our stay in Lombok.

As the plane took off and flew above Lombok, we exclaimed excitedly, as we peered through the airplane's window over what we had travelled to Lombok for - a hike on the majestic Mount Rinjani, which is the natural landmark of Lombok, disbelieving that we had actually spent two nights somewhere, somehow on a spot on one of the cones beneath, truly humbled and inspired. Sitting back, we reflected on its wonders, and thinking of where and when our next adventure lies...

Mount Rinjani from the airplane