Lombok.
Gunung Rinjani.
09.05.2010
Map of Lombok.
Today we arrived to the Island of Lombok, it is less populated than the Island of Bali and we have seen a lot more backpackers as there is less for high class accommodation. We are in Senggigi which is located on the West side of the Island on the body of water known as the Selat Lombok. We are unsure what that means right now. There seems to be a lot of tourists in Senggigi so we are looking forward to going off the beaten path and doing something that is not so touristic. There are a TON of bars and clubs and with Lombok being a Muslim island we were surprised to see this, we did take advantage of it though. Alcohol is highly taxed here so we only got a couple drinks…they were called ‘Tuak’ it is the local drink of this island. It is fermented palm wine and definitely a taste that needs to be acquired. In Lombak though it is rude to not accept people’s hospitality and food so we spent 2 hours at the Marina Pub, good thing there is eye candy here...did I mention that its only breakfast?. This was just the beginning of our day, we know that the Gunung Rinjani Mountains were a must see, but we unfortunately didn’t have enough time to climb to the top of the second highest ACTIVE volcano! Very disappointing but we went to the next best thing…a place called Senaru. This is the gate way to Gunung Rinjani and has some of the best waterfalls and natural scenary. It is a 2 hour drive from Senggigi. We sat and watched the monkeys and birds and wandered the base of the mountain to look at the thousands of wild flowers.
To get to Senaru we rented motorcycles, they are the best way to get around. Some of the roads here are very small and motorcycles can get you anywhere, not to mention it’s the cheapest! When we were in Senggigi we used Bemos, they are like our city buses. Or you can hire an Acidomo, they are like taxis. Tonight we will stay in the village of Senaru, we were asked to stay by some locals. For supper we had rice and one of the more popular dishes called Ayam Taliwang it consists of chicken and a red sauce and of course peppers. Lombok means chili peppers so every meal has a bite to it! Good thing we like spicy food! Tomorrow we go to Bengsal, it is a harbor town that services to the Gili Islands where we will be going tomorrow! We’ve only been here one day and we know forsure that we will be coming back! There is so much to see, we know that when we come back we will be heading south to Kuta, which is supposed to be the most desired surfing spot in all of Indonesia. I’ll write again tomorrow and tell you about our adventure on the Gili island of Trawangan where there are no roads! Should be interesting! We are settling into our hut and will hopefully get some sleep for our long day tomorrow! I hope Priscilla doesn't snore!
Cheers
Maddison
