Island hopping

08.02.2019

We are inside the belly of the beast. Around us, parked cars, vans, and locals are eagerly waiting for the ferry to arrive. All engines are already running at full speed, even though it is not yet clear when we can actually disembark from the ferry. I can already feel the approaching carbon monoxide poisoning.

We have been traveling for a good 4.5 hours now, from the port of Padang Bai in Bali to Lombok. It's a bit strange, because we are the only tourists - female, white - on board and we are constantly being stared at. However, it was simply the cheapest way to get from Bali to Lombok - only 2.90 EUR per person for almost 5 hours of travel. But at this very moment, while we are waiting downstairs in the cargo hold of the ferry to finally disembark, our decision is made - when we return to Bali, we will definitely treat ourselves to a speedboat.

Arriving in Lembar - a port city of Lombok - we face the next challenge. We need to get to Kuta, which is at least an hour's drive by car in the south of the island, and we are overwhelmed by taxi drivers who promise us the best deal. After tough negotiations, we finally agree and off we go.

We let ourselves be driven directly to our hostel, which we have reserved online. But when we arrive, we realize how terrible it actually is. There is no promised double room, the accommodation looks run-down and abandoned, and the guy who receives us constantly scratches his balls while talking to us. No thanks, we think to ourselves, and decide to look for another accommodation. So we put our backpacks back on and walk up the street.

The fact that we got up at 6:30 a.m., had a proper meal over 8 hours ago, and our backpacks are really heavy, makes us decide to go for the next best-looking accommodation. It's a nearby hotel that unfortunately looks better from the outside at first glance than it does from the inside at second glance. But for the moment, we are just happy to be able to put down the backpack and look for something to eat.

On our way through the streets, we quickly realize that there is not much going on - we are mostly the only tourists to be seen. The island also looks quite worn out in some places - a lot of garbage and washed-up wood, collapsed houses, broken roads - which we attribute to the earthquake that happened not long ago. We are a bit disappointed, as we had heard so many good things about the island before in Bali. We expected more, but so far we have only seen a small part of the island around Kuta.

While wandering around, we finally come across a bar that we immediately fall in love with. In the small warung, there is an old VW bus that has been converted into a bar. The guys there make super delicious drinks, they are really cheeky and funny, and we have one of our best pizzas ever there. Feeling a bit tipsy and with a satisfied stomach, we decide to give the island a second chance and check into the hostel recommended by Angi, who was on Lombok a few days before us. Hopefully, we will meet other backpackers there.

And that's exactly what happens. When we arrive there, we meet two cute guys from Sweden right away - Mathias (23) and Oskar (22) - who are getting ready for surfing. They have been traveling together for a while and we make plans to meet up later. We decide to finally rent a scooter to explore the island throughout the day. There are wonderful beaches waiting for us, but they are also eerily empty. And you feel that as well. Because as the only tourist, you are the target of all the locals who are trying to make ends meet by selling something. Sadly, very often these are children as young as 10 years old, who tell us that they have finished school.

Back at the hostel, we meet more people. There are the two always joking and grinning Swiss guys, Livio (27) and Fabian (23), who met a few weeks ago in Australia and have traveled to Indonesia together. And Isabell (29), also from Switzerland, who joined the guys for a few days.

And of course, there's Nico (24) from Konstanz, who was in Korea for a semester abroad for six months and then traveled alone in Asia for another three months. For him, Lombok is the end of his journey.

We spend a total of two good days on Lombok, which we spend cruising around on the scooter, seeing beaches, attempting to surf, eating well, and enjoying the breeze. But we quickly realize that there is not much more worth staying for. So after three nights, it's time to pack up and move on to the next island.

We share the transportation to the port with the Swiss guys. Livio and Fabian are heading to Nusa Penida next - Livio's last stop before going home and Fabian's last stop before continuing to Australia for another 1.5 months. Isabell decides to accompany us to Gili Air.

More about that in the next post :)