Lombok, Indonesia, Southeast Asia.
Gliding through the ocean on our improvised ‘taxi’, a small longtail boat, Juan and I left the white sands of Gili Meno Island for the short trip across the waters to Lombok.
From the sanctuary of our fabulous desert island retreat, I’d gazed across the straits to legendary Lombok in fascination, and watched the majestic Mount Rinjani, an active volcano which is frequently veiled by cloud. Leaving Gili Meno Island behind, we cruised past Gili Air, one of the three Gili Islands off Lombok’s northwest coast, together with Gili Trawangan.
As the helmsman jumped off the boat and helped us ashore at the Rinjani Beach Eco Resort, the owner’s wife came down to greet us, her face a picture of surprise at the unorthodox way we had arrived…‘normal’ guests catch a ferry over to Bangsal harbour, or fly in directly to the international airport, usually en route from Bali, and then take a taxi to the beach hut accommodation.
As the complex was directly on the seashore, we’d been offered an improvised lift… in Indonesia it seems that everyone knows someone who can help you, for a few Rupiah, it helps the local economy, it helps our budget and appeals to our sense of adventure, and hey, the people we meet are invariably genuine, interesting and friendly.
One of Indonesia’s 13,000 islands, Palau Lombok is wedged between the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Although it’s only a 90 minute boat ride to Bali’s east coast, it’s an entirely different scene from the ‘Land of Temples’. Tourism in Lombok isn’t overwhelming – and apart from holiday package destinations such as Senggigi, or popular surfing spots off the south coast’s white beaches at Kuta, the island is still an emergent destination and amazingly off the beaten track. From the outset this was meant to a memorable adventure, but the reality surpassed my plans.
Rinjani Beach Eco Resort is a small complex of beach bamboo bungalows on stilts with a central dining lodge serving breakfast, meals and drinks, surrounded by well-kept tropical gardens and coconut trees, set in a traditional neighbourhood of rice fields. It’s a peaceful setting away from the tourist crowd, a great base for exploring the island and the perfect place to relax after trekking Mount Rinjani.
We coincided with the owners during our stay, a lovely couple from Paris, who made us very welcome. The beach is fine black volcanic sand and the eco resort is trying to establish a coral reef offshore.
Our reasonably priced beach cabin was actually very comfortable, everything made of bamboo and weaved coconut leaves, with low beds, a new mosquito net and standard wall fan, and ensuite ‘open roof bathroom’; we could even see the sand underneath the floor planks.
I plugged in my electric mosquito device, smothered on extreme repellent (didn’t seem wise to light a citronella candle in the circumstances) and hoped for the best…and I wasn’t bitten once. No undesirable bugs at all, only the resident kitten visited us!
We wandered past the muddy, green paddy fields to find Tanjung, the local village which encompasses outlying homesteads, some small stores lining the main road and two mosques.
After getting some bottled water,cans of beer and lemonade, Juan and I head back to Rinjani Beach for dinner as the sun set over the ocean.
Next day we set off to discover Pink Beach and Tanjung Luar fish market, one of the most beautiful beaches in the world!
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