A week on Lombok has turned out to be more than sufficient. We've chosen to stay at the outer reaches of Sengiggi Beach which appears to be making a grand attempt to siphon off some of the tourist trade from Bali, especially Kuta. All along the beach road we see signs of massive high end resort construction while many of the older 'resorts' appear to have been abandoned. A bit perplexing, actually . . .
While the beach is lovely, the locals still haven't 'gotten' the tourist thing. One restaurant we ate at had us waiting 20" for the bill! It was mid-afternoon, not at all crowded, and Tim repeatedly asked for the bill. At minute 21, we totaled up what we owed and left the money on the bar (sans gratuity!). We learned from our driver that Lombok's International Airport at Mataram which has been ready to receive flights for some time (and a brand new multi-lane highway to and from Mataram and Lombok's Kuta Beach, not to be confused with Bali's Kuta Beach) still has no air traffic. Apparently, Air Asia which had contracted for the routes still isn't flying any planes here. (In fact, we learned that Air Asia isn't flying any routes into and out of Bali. They sold us tickets for a Bali-Melbourne flight which they subsequently cancelled and we're still negotiating to get a refund from them!) No one seems to know when this will change, and the only way into and out of Lombok is by boat.
Our delightful accommodation, Cafe Wayan Cottages, is spacious, fabulous pool right outside our door, and quiet, perhaps a bit too quiet! It is about half full (or empty if you're one of those 'glass status' types) and while everyone says hello, no one is especially friendly. We meet a couple from Germany who've come for a month and wouldn't go anywhere else in all of Indonesia. The staff is achingly helpful and there is a lot of smiling and expressions of appreciation on both sides, but I think they have been trained in the 'you're staff, they're guests' model and never cross some invisible line.
We do find a most wonderful restaurant and bar just across the street, perfect for people watching and sunset photo taking . . .
Departure day we make our way back to the 'fast boat' dock which is another adventure . . .
The taxi can only take us within a half mile or so of the boat landing and we can either walk or take a pony cart; yes, I said pony cart. Digression - the Gilis (three small islands) which lie between Lombok and Bali are famous for their totally non-motorized transport system which includes bikes and pony carts. So I think these carts are a nod to the charm of the Gilis - or these are the ponies retired from the Gilis. Either way, it is a local scam to get boat passengers the short distance from the 'taxi stand' to the water's edge. It's very hot and humid so walking just isn't an option!
Our fast boat is about an hour late which gives us time to chat with a couple of Finnish young women while we loaf around on the sand. They are a most adventuresome pair and have been diving all over SE Asia. The boat finally arrives, 'parks' stern into the beach so getting on isn't quite the Olympic gymnast activity that getting off was. And we're off, back to Amed where our wonderful driver, Huyman, awaits; he will take us to our next lodging in Ubud.
PS - I can't believe I didn't have a single picture to illustrate this post!!
While the beach is lovely, the locals still haven't 'gotten' the tourist thing. One restaurant we ate at had us waiting 20" for the bill! It was mid-afternoon, not at all crowded, and Tim repeatedly asked for the bill. At minute 21, we totaled up what we owed and left the money on the bar (sans gratuity!). We learned from our driver that Lombok's International Airport at Mataram which has been ready to receive flights for some time (and a brand new multi-lane highway to and from Mataram and Lombok's Kuta Beach, not to be confused with Bali's Kuta Beach) still has no air traffic. Apparently, Air Asia which had contracted for the routes still isn't flying any planes here. (In fact, we learned that Air Asia isn't flying any routes into and out of Bali. They sold us tickets for a Bali-Melbourne flight which they subsequently cancelled and we're still negotiating to get a refund from them!) No one seems to know when this will change, and the only way into and out of Lombok is by boat.
Our delightful accommodation, Cafe Wayan Cottages, is spacious, fabulous pool right outside our door, and quiet, perhaps a bit too quiet! It is about half full (or empty if you're one of those 'glass status' types) and while everyone says hello, no one is especially friendly. We meet a couple from Germany who've come for a month and wouldn't go anywhere else in all of Indonesia. The staff is achingly helpful and there is a lot of smiling and expressions of appreciation on both sides, but I think they have been trained in the 'you're staff, they're guests' model and never cross some invisible line.
We do find a most wonderful restaurant and bar just across the street, perfect for people watching and sunset photo taking . . .
Departure day we make our way back to the 'fast boat' dock which is another adventure . . .
The taxi can only take us within a half mile or so of the boat landing and we can either walk or take a pony cart; yes, I said pony cart. Digression - the Gilis (three small islands) which lie between Lombok and Bali are famous for their totally non-motorized transport system which includes bikes and pony carts. So I think these carts are a nod to the charm of the Gilis - or these are the ponies retired from the Gilis. Either way, it is a local scam to get boat passengers the short distance from the 'taxi stand' to the water's edge. It's very hot and humid so walking just isn't an option!
Our fast boat is about an hour late which gives us time to chat with a couple of Finnish young women while we loaf around on the sand. They are a most adventuresome pair and have been diving all over SE Asia. The boat finally arrives, 'parks' stern into the beach so getting on isn't quite the Olympic gymnast activity that getting off was. And we're off, back to Amed where our wonderful driver, Huyman, awaits; he will take us to our next lodging in Ubud.
PS - I can't believe I didn't have a single picture to illustrate this post!!
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