Let me take you on a little journey to the Island of Lombok, off the south coast of Bali.
I started my journey in Legian, Bali and made my way up the south coast to a small fishing village and port called Padang Bai. This took about 2 hours through some beautiful lush countryside. It is far quieter than other parts of Bali and if not for the port, there would not be much happening here.
The ferries to Lombok are in and out all day and all night. Something is always happening around the port.
I was lucky enough to be there during a festival. All the locals dressed in bright and colourful ceremonial clothing looked wonderful. On their way to the temple to pray they played their drums and bells, sang and talked like one big happy family. It was quite a spectacle!
After a couple of days I was ready for my adventure to Lombok. The ferries to Lombok carry trucks, cars and motor bikes as well as the local people, food and fuel.
The ferries can take between 3 to 5 hours depending on the ferry, the weather and the cargo.
I was lucky enough to have a slow ferry on the way to Lombok so my trip took just over 5 hours.
There are not always places to sit on these ferries so I found myself and my bags sitting on the deck watching the world go by. It was all part of the fun and a great way to meet other travellers.
There were a number of people on board from many different countries yet we all managed to communicate.
The ferries arrive in the port of Lembar on the west coast. I headed north to an area called Sengiggi. This was about an hour minibus trip from Lembar. There is not much in the way of shopping in this area however, there were some great restaurant’s where I came across some fantastic local bands. The beach in this area was great. As I sat on the beach, all the local beach sellers would show me their hand crafted goods and pearl jewellery for sale. What better way to shop than having all the shops come to you!
The locals were lovely. I had a ball learning some more of the local language. Many of the words here were different than in Bali so I had to be careful not to say the wrong things. My next adventure was to the Gili islands. You can take local boats from Sengiggi for day trips to the Gili islands though I chose to travel overland to another little port called Bangsal. After purchasing my boat ticket, I travelled by a horse and cart to where the passenger boats leave. I chose to go to Gili Trawangan, fondly called Gili Tra la la by the locals. This is one of the bigger of the 3 main islands. There are no cars or motorbikes on the island so it is very peaceful. When you land on the shore of the island, you can choose to walk to your hotel or take one of the horse and carts.
I loved the snorkelling here though the weather was not so kind to me. It rained a little while I was there making visibility poor for snorkelling though the fish here were very friendly. Even though it was a little wet, it was not cold. I found some of the coral here to be quite good too.
It was such a laid back place. I loved sitting in one of the local restaurants, sipping cocktails and watching the world go by. I hired a bike which was the easiest way to get around. It is such a flat island, it was quite easy. The roads are mostly sand so when it was wet, that did make the going a little harder.
I had a fantastic trip and I would definitely go back to Lombok and the Gili islands. I hope you enjoyed this journey with me. Thank you for allowing me to share this with you.