Lombok/Indonesia

March 19, 2024 Lombok

In the morning I saw the film “Justice League” in the cinema. Not particularly remarkable.

At lunch our "100 days at sea" was celebrated with a correspondingly designed cake.

We reached Lombok in the early afternoon. I hadn't booked an excursion and found a driver whose offer I initially negotiated down by 25%.

After about 1 1/2 hours we reached our destination through the capital Mataram and past Senggigi Beach: the beach from which a speedboat would take me to the island of Gili Meno.

Unfortunately, the owner of the speedboat said he had to increase the price of the trip by a third compared to the normal price. My driver, with whom I had agreed a flat rate including a boat trip, found this unacceptable. He called around and found another speedboat that met his asking price. We drove to its pier.

Then we went to the planned snorkeling position. There I wanted to see the underwater statues that Gili Meno is known for. Unfortunately, I had problems with snorkeling: water in the mask and fogged up glasses. I swallowed water and saw nothing. I tried it again with a different mask and thought I could at least see the outlines of the statues. I was at least able to identify a number of pretty, colorful fish without a doubt.

After about 30 minutes in the water I had enough and we headed back. I had the opportunity to take a closer look at the traffic. It consisted mostly of scooters occupied by two people. Once I noticed a man who was traveling with two teenagers and a child - on ONE scooter!

At one point a scooter almost crashed into our car. My driver's quick reaction narrowly prevented an accident.

We stopped at a fruit stand that was selling my beloved mangosteens at a ridiculous price. I purchased a kilo and we immediately ate some. Then we drove to the ship terminal. Unfortunately I'm not allowed to take fruit on the ship, so I left the rest to my driver along with a tip.

After dinner I called it a day.