Last week I spent 7 days at the beautiful island of Lombock
in Indonesia. It is quite simple to get here from Singapore as there is a
direct flight which takes about 2 and a half hours.
As soon as you step off the plane you immediately know this
place is special. The many smiling Indonesian people greeting you and the palm
tree filled hills which go as far as the eye causes you to do nothing but settle
comfortably into the irresistible tropical lifestyle.
We stayed at the resort called Sudamala Suites and Villas. I
honestly cannot say anything bad about this little slice of heaven. The
location was perfect; it was right on the beach. We had a beach front room
which meant each night we slept with the sound of crashing wave’s literally right
outside out door.
Our rooms came with
two showers, one of which was outdoor and possibly the biggest bathtub I have
ever seen; it was practically a spa.
From the resort everything was at your fingertips, you could
organise day trips anywhere on the island and food and a driver would be
included. This meant that we were able take advantage of all the sites while
staying here.
THE FOOD! Oh my goodness. I don’t think I have ever eaten so
much good food in my life! The menu was amazing. I had rice paper rolls, beef
satay skewers, steamed fish and even a traditional Indonesian banquet one night.
For the breakfast menu you selected two dishes which came with fresh juice and
a mixed fruit platter. My personal favourites were the muesli and yoghurt aswell as the banana pancakes. The serving portions were massive!!! I could never
finish it all.
The day after we arrived in Lombock, we wanted to get to
know the area and the culture. We booked a day trip where we got to see all the
major sites in the city of Mataram. We visited the ornate Hindu Narmada temple,
the local market, a weaving store and a wood work store. We also had lunch at
an Indonesian restaurant which overlooked rice paddies.
The market was probably the most interesting of all the
sites. It was amazing to see the array of foods; especially those I had never
seen before. It was incredibly busy, stuffy and the floor was quite muddy, but
I could not help but smile and enjoy the experience as it was so foreign and
exciting to me. Something I have learnt
over this last year and had to remind myself of when visiting Indonesia is that
when travelling or living somewhere new, you must understand that this is a
different place, and not everything is the way you are used to. It is not up to
you to judge, as it is the culture of many. Everyone wanted to know where we
were from and what we were doing in Lombock. The friendliness and generosity of
the people on this island was beyond anything I had ever experienced.
On the third day in Lombock we headed out for a day of
snorkelling around the Gilli Islands. We woke up early, ate a hearty breakfast
and set off at 9 am on a private boat.
The boat was conveniently located on the beach at the resort. We spent
the entire day snorkelling around the three main islands. The coral was absolutely
beautiful and the water, oh my goodness, it was the perfect temperature. We
snorkelled for hours at a time. On our
way to Gili Trawangan, we stopped and eagerly jumped into the water as we had
spotted a large green turtle. I was so excited!! I had never swum with one
before. We followed the turtle for about half an hour and as it was so peaceful
our guide encouraged me to touch its shell. It was so stoked that I got to see
and swim with one in the wild as I know it doesn’t happen very often. It was a
great end to a great day.
On the fourth day we were all so tired from the past two
days that we thought it would be best just to hang around the resort. Two of my
family members actually got heat stroke from being in the sun the day before.
The weather in Lombock was aa lot hotter than that in Singapore, especially as
we were outside pretty much all day every day. When you’re always in the water
it is so easy to forget to keep hydrated.
On the fourth day my dad and brother and I (as we weren’t
sick) desperately wanted to go on another snorkelling trip. One of the drivers
at the resort said he wanted to take us to some more remote and protected
islands and we pretty much jumped at the proposal. The next morning we set off
for about an hour’s drive to the harbor where we met up with the man who let us
use his boat. We actually also met his family and were given complementary
coconuts. The coconut water was so incredibly sweet and delicious. They also
had super cute children!!
It took about an hour to get to the first island, Gilli
Nanggu. This island was absolutely beautiful. I could hardly believe my eyes as
to how clear the water was. I just had to stop and take it all in. I felt like
I had just stepped into one of those exotic travel documentaries on national
geographic. It was so insanely beautiful. We put on our flippers and as we
headed into the water there was a girl of about 17 years of age who kept
calling out “miss”, I turned around and she said, “Hi! Can we please get a
photo with you?” I was so excited and taken back I immediately replied,
“Ofcourse!”. Suddenly a group of about 20 people crowded around my brother and I
and they all took photos with us. I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face, I just
kept laughing at how completely out of the blue it was. It was so exciting for
me that people wanted a photo with me even though they didn’t know me!!
The great thing about Gilli Nanggu in comparison to the more
popular Gilli Islands is that it is significantly quieter which means that the
coral is more colourful and untouched. The fish are also more naive meaning
that it is much easier to see a wider range of species.
When we were snorkelling our guide handed each of us plastic
bottles filled with bread. In the water
you could simply squeeze the bottle and bits of bread would come out. Within
milli seconds schools of fish would literally come rushing to the bread. Within
no time you were surrounded by up to about 40 fish, all of different species. I
got to see so many clownfish!! It was one of the coolest experiences I have
ever had.
We also visited a second island, but I sadly cannot remember
what it was called. The island was very small; you could easily swim around it
in less than 5 minutes. The water was even more pristine than the previous
island. It was an incredible day. I felt so blessed that I could to see such
jaw dropping beauty.
I definitely recommend the Gilli Islands to anyone that is
going to Lombock. It is a must that you see them!! It is significantly quieter
that the other island which means that the colourful is more alive and
untouched. I have never seen so many beautiful fish in my life.
This holiday really was one which came close to perfect.
Being so close to the beach, surrounded by a welcoming culture and being spoilt
with delicious local cuisine makes me believe I will be back in no time!
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