Next stop: Lombok

Yesterday we left Gili Trawangan. We took the local 'ferry' to Lombok. The local ferries do not have a schedule for short distances, they just depart when they are full. We were lucky and didn't have to wait long before we left. So we reached our new accommodation earlier than planned, but it was not a problem at all. We were warmly welcomed and could immediately check into our room. We were served tea and coffee as a welcome. We have a great room, which is very large and spacious. It also has an outdoor bathroom with a rainwater shower and a large terrace. Madlin can finally use her hammock 😁. We are constantly surprised by how some hotel owners are committed to saving plastic. Just like on our honeymoon, the water is also free here. This is to avoid hotel guests buying plastic bottles. Here we even have the choice between 'refrigerator cold' and 'normal'. Unfortunately, the locals are not so environmentally conscious and even throw their trash on the street. We are often shocked by how much garbage is lying on the roadside. For the people who live here, it is completely normal to burn their plastic trash on the roadside.

After arriving, we went out to explore the area and make a trip to the supermarket. On the way there, we were already approached by some locals who sell their delicacies on the roadside. On the way back, we met our trusted coconut dealer 😉 for the first time. Although we can only communicate with hands and feet, we already have our own greeting ritual. Today he gave us a recommendation for lunch and instructed the owner very precisely what to do (we assume, as we cannot communicate, but the gestures were clear).

Today we rented a scooter. This can be done very easily here at the hotel. With this scooter, we went to a shopping center to stroll around. In doing so, we realized that we didn't have to bring all our medicines, ointments, and first aid stuff. You can get everything here, sometimes even the same brands. In addition, you can also buy beds and cars in this shopping center. Crazy!

We spent the afternoon in the Monkey Forest. Many monkeys (macaques) live here in the wild. Very impressive! In addition, there is a beautiful view of the rainforest and the sea. It was also exciting that for some local visitors, the monkeys were not the highlight, but us. After a short hesitation, a father of three was brave enough to ask if he could take a picture of us with his children. After all the tourism we experienced in Bali and especially on Gili Trawangan, it was a nice change 😊. In general, we enjoy the fact that there is so little tourism on this island.