Chillin in Kuta (Lombok)

12/16/2018

Lombok Gili Gede

We started our journey from Padang Bai towards Lombok by ferry. Lombok, as a neighboring island, is far less touristy compared to Bali. It is much quieter here. After a 4-hour drive, we reached the Lembar harbor. From there, due to the absence of public transportation, we took a private car to the small "harbor" of Temb.... From there, we took a small fishing boat to the Gili Gede island (in the south of LOMBOK). Here, you can still find untouched nature, beaches, and a Robinson Crusoe feeling. Tourism on this island is very limited, so we quickly connected with the locals.

We stayed for 2 nights. On the first day, we went on a small hike across the island. The people here mainly rely on fishing and boat building for their livelihood. There is a school and a mosque (the majority of the population in Lombok follows Islam).

The people were very friendly and open towards us, and we had small talks in a mix of English and Bahasa Indonesia. Sedikit means "a little"... Kris knows a few words in Indonesian.

All in all, Gili Gede is a very beautiful island. However, it was a bit too quiet for us. There are limited options for self-catering, so we mostly relied on the restaurant in our bungalow resort. This was also challenging for Paul, as he is very picky when it comes to food. But we're slowly getting there 👍😁.

Kuta

The next day, we took the fishing boat back to the mainland and continued to Kuta (Lombok). Not to be confused with Kuta in Bali. Kuta is the tourist center of southern Lombok, although it is still a tiny town. It's very relaxed here. There are some accommodations, shops, and a good selection of bars, restaurants, and warungs (small local eateries). But there is also a lot of construction happening to improve the infrastructure and attract more tourists. Large hotels and resorts are being built. In 10 years, it will probably look different here🙄. Nonetheless, it is relatively quiet and we really like it here, so we decided to stay a few days longer. We rented a small bungalow, where we were warmly welcomed by the lively Sri. We explore the surroundings, or rather the beaches, by motorbike... and they are WOW. There are beaches that are unexpectedly almost white, clean, and the sea is turquoise blue. Paul can hardly get out of the water, and Luise's dream of the South Seas is coming true😍.

You want a sarong.... very nice for you.... good price.... Beach vendors, including children, sell sarongs, t-shirts, and homemade jewelry.

PS: Spelling, expression, and grammar mistakes are intentionally desired, and we will not apologize for them... 😋.