From Bali to Lombok We Go
After our blissful week in Bali, it was time to work our way over to the slums of neighboring Lombok. Of course we’re totally joking, but sometimes people glorify Bali so much you’d think this was the case. 🤣
Anyhow, to get there from Amed Beach, we could have easily taken the private fast ferry and dropped $64. We instead took the slow public ferry from Pandang Bai and paid $10. Neither included the additional exorbitant taxi fees on either side to get to and from your destination. Plus, on the slow ferry you got the bonus of Latin American-bus style machine gun and fighting flicks and god-awful rom-coms entitled “Bride to Beaches” or something to that effect.
To travel the two hours to Pandang Bai, we took a taxi organized by our host in Amed Beach for 400k Rupiah or $26, which was a “deal,” according to Made.
This guy was doing everything in his power to try and get us to stop at a “free” coffee plantation along the way. Uh. No. He also was doing everything he could to try and get us to a fast ferry office. Apparently these drivers and the “mafia” sellers (according to our driver) have been watching a lot of US news because there’s a lot of fear-mongering going on about the slow ferry, including…
- “It’s sooo slow. You won’t get there for five hours.” It was four, for the record, and so what? We once traveled 12 hours sitting on a sack of rice on a bus floor. I think we can survive the Indonesian bridal saga for a $50 savings.
- “It’s sooooo unsafe. People die. They break all the time.”
- “There’s NOTHING to eat, so you better by MY palm oil laden chips…”
Our advice? Bring snacks if you can. Because of our grocery situation at the last place, we only had a couple boiled eggs and the food selection was indeed abysmal.
And also, make sure you head to an official ticket office near the public car ferry in Pandang Bai. The cost is 80,000 rupiahs per ticket without a car. You don’t need a reservation (even if someone tells you that you do) and they leave about once an hour, 24 hours a day.
The ferry was giant, comfortable, clean, and had life preservers under every seat (you know, for when the ferry does goes under.) It is important to note that there have been tragic ferry accidents in the country due to overcrowded boats, rough seas, and improper safety measures. This was fortunately not the case.
Speaking of tragic, this was the most blood pressure raising and environmentally reckless lunch we’ve had in awhile.
Arriving to Lembar harbor on Lombok island where we were kinda in the middle of nowhere.
In fact, not a single local bus or Grab car could be found because evidently “Bluebird” is the taxi app of THIS island, (which we found out later.) So, after trying to negotiate and waiting around for others to join us, we reluctantly accepted a $20 cab ride to get us the one hour north to our destination, which should have cost no more than $8. He ripped us off again…and for extra credit, he drove like a bat out of hell. This is why taxi apps are sooo crucial and such a game changer for more pleasant travel these days. Now we have Bluebird so we’re good to go…for now. 🤣
Our Dream Accommodation
Arriving to our villa in Lombok at Riley’s Retreat, we were in for quite a surprise. We had booked it for three weeks thinking we’d be sharing the space with the owners, but were soon informed they were in Egypt and said to enjoy their property without them.
So, for $21/night we ended up with quite a score…basically a private villa, complete with a full kitchen and living room, and a housekeeper who serves us a delicious breakfast every morning, a gardener, pool boy and security man, “Joe,” who basically turns the outdoor lights on. We were definitely not complaining, and the downtime and getting back into a routine couldn’t have been better. The villa actually has two guest rooms. In the end, about 8 of the 21 days were shared with other guests. If you are interested in booking this Airbnb accommodation, please message the hosts, Fifin & Amir, through the platform, and feel free to shared the code “Mandy&Greg2024” to save 10%.
As soon as we arrived, we were greeted by our new housekeeper, Dewi who served us with welcome coconuts. While staying at the villa, we got these served to us with breakfast about every three days, which were plucked directly from the tree in the yard. The best post swim/workout drink we could ask for! What a treat!
Oh…and another surprise…Dewi, had draped our new room with cheesiness, towel swans, plumeria flowers and balloons for our 11th wedding anniversary. It was so incredibly sweet.
We also got a welcome basket of junk which included options like “Beng, Beng,” “Good Time,” and “Suka” chips, or something like this. What the Indonesians lack in sexual progressiveness, they clearly release in their processed foods.
Our bathroom…with a separate shower stall…for the win!!
The entrance to the villa was very zen. In fact, the whole place was. We would wake every morning to the yard, surrounded by birds, and a very DISTANT Call to Prayer.
We are delighted to have five breakfast choices during our three weeks. Two of them were traditional Indonesian of nasi and mie goreng which we happily pushed aside in lieu of the three other choices, which we rotated regularly. One of them was shakshuka, (the owner is Egyptian!!), one is avocado toast, and the other, a cheese omelette. All include tropical fruits. We were definitely not used to this kind of service and it was a bizarre and wonderful way to wake up.
Our living room, fridge and tea station area. We also had access to the owner’s full kitchen and living room which was incredibly kind of them. And of course, while there we coerced the neighbors’s very pregnant cat (with tuna) to come live with us part-time. Because it wouldn’t feel like home to us without one. 😹 Now, can we puh-lease slip one of your kittens into our backpacks?!
Life in Senggigi
Staying here, tucked back in a mostly Hindu neighborhood for three weeks was a sublime way to “live” on Lombok which gave us the opportunity to live as a local. We had reasonably convenient access to a produce stand and a great supermarket, which meant we cooked most meals, and were able to have regular access to a local beach with lots of local people, all welcoming and kind.
Many evenings when we took a sunset walk on the beach, we would find full grown men buried in the sand like little kids. Finally, one night we found one that spoke English so we could ask exactly what they were doing. “Therapy!” this father and son replied in unison.
They claimed that this particular stretch of ocean is blanketed with healing sand. All you have to do is bury yourself in it….two times a day for 30 minutes each. The hot sand is thought to have healing properties, and the warmth from the sand helps to soothe aching muscles, improve circulation, and promote relaxation. This practice is rooted in local tradition, with some people using it as a way to treat ailments like arthritis and other body pains. Not sure how the microscopic plastics or crabs everywhere affect this process, but may be worth a quick burial if you’re hurting?!
Stopping at Mamiq Coffee to buy some fresh grounds to take home. The couple who ran the shop were adorable and when introducing his wife to us, he said, “you know, in my religion, we can have more than one wife. But with her, I would never consider it, because she’s the best.” So sweet.
One thing we continue to adore about Indonesia is the mystical-looking mosques, especially when they were tucked amongst jungled foliage.
Saying hello to the fisherman as they pack up their nets on the beach. There’s always one in the group ready for a photo opportunity!
An every evening occurrence…locals would congregate on the beach near our place for sunset. We were usually the only foreigners gazing at Bali in the distance.
This beachside path was filled with locals’ houses and warungs (traditional restaurants) along the ocean’s prime real estate. We hope for their sake it remains this undeveloped for a very long time. A few times we
grabbed lunch at one of these warungs, which was always an adventure because the menus are hardly ever in English, although we did note almost every item usually includes the word “goreng” multiple times (fried.) For the rest of the menu, once again we copy/pasted into Chat GPT, and told it to translate with a brief summary. As usual, it saved the day and here’s what it pumped out in less than 10 seconds:
“Here’s the translation and brief description of each item:
– Ikan bumbu kuning: Fish in yellow spices – fish cooked in a yellow spice paste, often turmeric-based.
-Cumi goreng tepung: Fried battered squid – squid deep-fried in a crispy flour batter.
– Udang goreng tepung: Fried battered shrimp – shrimp deep-fried in a crispy flour batter.
– Ayam lalapan: Chicken with raw vegetables – fried or grilled chicken served with fresh raw vegetables and sambal (spicy sauce).
– Capcay seafood: Seafood stir-fry – a Chinese-Indonesian dish made with mixed vegetables and seafood.
– Capcay ayam: Chicken stir-fry – mixed vegetables stir-fried with chicken.
– Pelecing: Spicy sambal dish – usually a spicy chili and tomato relish, sometimes served with vegetables or meat.
– Terong bakar/goreng: Grilled/Fried eggplant – eggplant that is either grilled or fried.
– Tumis kangkung: Stir-fried water spinach – water spinach stir-fried with garlic, chili, and sometimes shrimp paste.
– Sayur kelor (complete): Moringa soup – a traditional soup made with moringa leaves, often considered nutritious.
– Tahu goreng: Fried tofu – tofu that has been deep-fried until crispy.
– Tempe goreng: Fried tempeh – deep-fried fermented soybean cake (tempeh).
– Tempe goreng tepung: Battered fried tempeh – tempeh coated in flour batter and fried.
– Telur dadar: Omelette – a simple Indonesian-style omelet.
– Nasi putih: White rice – plain steamed white rice.
NASI GORENG
– Fried rice – Indonesian-style fried rice, often with soy sauce, garlic, and a mix of vegetables, meat, or shrimp.
This menu offers a mix of traditional Indonesian dishes, featuring a balance of seafood, vegetables, and meat options, with fried foods being a common theme.”
From this summary, we chose:
Sayur kelor: Moringa soup – a traditional soup made with moringa leaves, often considered nutritious, and
Terong bakar/goreng: Grilled/Fried eggplant – eggplant that is either grilled or fried. Neither was particularly good or filling. In fact, Mandy said the Moringa soup tasted like drinking the juice from and can of corn with some tasteless leaves floating in it. And Greg’s sambal was super spicy, even though he only requested “a little spicy.” These restaurants are clearly not designed for Europeans. 🤣 For these two dishes, and two juices, it was $7.42. But, it did include oceanfront dining…
After this, we went over to the “J Mart,” which was the nearest supermarket to us…a 25-minute walk down a bustling and unpleasant road for pedestrians. We were able to get a few things, but overall the selection was pretty challenging.
So, the next day, we rented a scooter from the owner and zipped down to “Fresh Market Senggigi” for a more westernized market (which means they carry things like olive oil and non-skittle-tasting yogurt). Here we dropped $102, which lasted us about 12 days. The original price was actually $113, but we saved $11 by signing up for their saver card, which we always do when we’re in a place for more than a week. This card ended up saving us over $20 bucks! Our purchases included fresh fish, Mahi Mahi, which was a steal at about $3/filet. No shortage of Omega 3’s while in Lombok!
The side street where we lived has a quite vintage entrance sign, which unfortunately reminded us of the sign going into WW2 concentration camps in Europe. Uh? I’m sure it says something much friendlier!
Other than playing with the towel swans, to celebrate our 11th anniversary, we decided to skip the warung and in search of alcohol, went out to a fancy hotel called the Jayakarta Beach Resort & Spa across the street from our place. In case you’re curious what a fancy oceanfront resort costs on Lombok, it was listed at $43/night. We saw one other couple the whole time we were there. And this is high season. Eek.
Our entire anniversary meal on the beach was $34, including tip. It included two loaded girly cocktails, a treat we never indulge in, which were a steep $20 total, and a massive tuna steak and garlic shrimp for the rest. The drinks were fortunately great, but the food was mediocre at best. Not worth it.
The sunset was complimentary. We also got harassed half the meal by beach vendors selling jewellery, which was a consistent theme while on Lombok. We did finally buy a bracelet so they would move along.
On one of his morning runs in our neighborhood, Greg stumbled on another treat…an artisan coffee roaster called Dersi, so he bought a half kilo with 70% Arabica beans from the owner, Made, for under $5. It was so good, and worked so well with his travel AeroPress, that he went back and bought 1.5 kilos (3.3 lbs) to take with us. Indonesia does coffee splendidly. But uh…how are we gonna get on the plane with all that extra weight? 😅
Another thing Lombok seemed to have a lot of between Mataram and Senggigi was colossal traveler souvenir stores which cart in Asian tourists by the bus loads, (even though we didn’t see them anywhere else). These are usually the kind of places we avoid, but we were in Lombok awhile so we thought we’d check them out.
Not saying what it was for, both stores branded us with a “welcome sticker” when we walked in which was just a number, hundreds of which were sticking all over their floor or walls of the property within ten minutes. Hope that “welcome” is worth it for that poor housekeeper. Wonder if they have Goo Gone in Indonesia? As we explored “Lombok Exotic,” which we kept reading as “Erotic” every time we passed, the shirt selection was neither exotic nor erotic.
After surviving our first souvenir store, we decided to stick to consumables and walked home with a watermelon for $1.
The sprawling black sand beach near our place.
We would often see the fishermen going out for a catch, on our beach, or another beach, which was about a
a 15-minute walk north.
A Hindu temple called Batu Bolong about 40 minutes down the beach. Greg had to borrow a sarong to cover his impure man legs. Mandy wore the pants that day.
The temple was filled with stone carvings, pagodas, and offerings all overlooking the sea from a craggy outcrop.
The last shot we took at going out to dinner on Lombok was at La Chill Bar & Restaurant, which appeared true to its name, until you realize you will again be harassed by locals selling bracelets, earrings and hats for the entirety of your visit. Although we were very friendly the first couple times we said no thank you to the same people, we eventually grew quite perturbed and had to go sit in the empty restaurant. Once we were relocated, the exact same sellers came back to us, entering the restaurant, as if they’d never seen us. It spoiled us entirely from wanting to eat beach front at western places in Sengiggi again. It took about six times before they finally got the message. Apparently this is a big issue here, and was even addressed in Lonely Planet. From that point forward, we stuck with the local joints.
Chickens on the beach!
Our neighborhood was incredibly interesting thanks to its Hindu influence and felt a lot like Bali…ok, India. Not only did you trip over trash, dogs, pigs and more chickens at every turn, it was inundated with temples, shrines and artwork to balance it out. We loved our evening walks just to check out these sites, to say hello to the neighbor kids and make small purchases like eggs or bananas, from the tiny local markets.
What is it about a full moon rising amongst palm trees?! This place was really hard to leave, and quite easy to understand how it became out most outstanding stay in 2024. See the Geney Awards for a full list.
