Familiar vibes

After the trek and a little bit of rest, one of Rudy Trekker's drivers brought us to our next destination, Senggigi. This is the main tourist strip of Lombok, which is stretched out along several kilometers of beach. This is where we said goodbye to Roelof who would later hop on a boat back to Bali. In the guesthouse where we would stay there were no dorms available anymore, but to be honest, we didn't really mind having a private room filled with bamboo furniture where we could have some good sleep for two nights. It was the exact thing we needed. Now we let ourselves being pampered already, we could just as well go to the spa and take both a massage and facial. In the meantime our clothes were at the laundry. Four kilos of clothes we later got back washed, dried, ironed, and even folded.

We were fully patched up and ready to head to the Gili Islands. Three idyllic islands located just off the north-western tip of Lombok, each with its own unique character. We planned to stay at Gili Trawangan, also known as party island. Because of the peak season, it would be hard to find a place to stay there. Even the Lonely Planet mentioned that one should book his or her accommodation well in advance.

We didn't, so we jumped into the vessel, not knowing whether we would be able to stay on the island or not. The uncertainty was worth it though: as we disembarked on the island we were instantly captivated by its beauty. It looked like every cliché of paradise - clear turquoise water and powdery white sand. Both having visited several islands across the globe, the vibe was welcoming and familiar. Not surprising that many more backpackers are attracted to this place. Luckily we found a place to stay, and so our four days here were marked by hiring stand up paddle boards, snorkeling the reefs and sipping coconuts. What's unique here is that all forms of motorised transport are not allowed, meaning the only way to get around is on foot, by bicycle and in pony carts. The sad thing is that the life span of these cimodo horses is only three years. Respectively, we explored the island both on foot and by bike.

The island has a lively and diverse scene of bars and restaurants. For dinner we would either go to one of the fancy restaurants or to the night market. The nightly food market is located on a square which is surrounded by local warungs and filled with push carts that serve the usual range of Indonesian food. We went there yesterday and will definitely go there again tonight during our last night here. We are actually quite upset that we didn't try this market sooner. There was a large group of tourists getting food from the stall we decided to eat from, so we figured it was a safe bet, and how right we were! The food was absolutely delicious and quite cheap as well. Ordering the food seemed a bit chaotic though. We simply had to get in line and point to however many dishes we wanted to try. They then loaded the food up on our plates and charged us based on the individual dishes we ordered. We didn't know what most of the items were and there was quite a queue behind us, so we mainly chose based on appearance. Thankfully that worked out. After we ordered and paid for our food, we sat down in a cafetaria-style seating area with tons of other tourists who were happily enjoying their meal and Bintang beer. Not much to complain about here!

Our nights were balanced. From drinking cocktails in cosmopolitan lounges to hanging out at local pubs playing oldschool hip hop music. From watching a movie projected on a big screen at the beach to showing our dance moves at a full moon party. All nights had one thing in common though, on the way back home locals would whisper in our ears trying to sell us mushrooms. Even though drugs are strictly prohibited in Indonesia, on this island they are freely available. This is probably due to the lack of a police presence. Instead, the island is run by a village head who has the final say in all matters. Everything is possible here, and that's exactly what makes this place so hard to leave!