Ferry to Lombok

The next day, as per our plan, we headed to Lombok, an island just to the West of Bali. There were various ways of getting around in Bali and Lombok - two of the most popular being public 'bemos' (covered pick up trucks with 2 benches along the sides) and shuttle buses. We tried the public bemo way that morning, after which we made rule #2 - comfort beats price in value any day. This meant we would thereafter use Parama, the shuttle bus company in Bali and Lombok. You paid a little more, but you got from A to B in half the time and with much less hassle. The public bemos were crowded (people, chickens, fruit, vegetables and lots of lit cigarettes), they waited until they're unbearably full (which took an hour and a half at one point) before they leave, and they charged tourists much more because when you were stuck at a bemo terminal, you were at their mercy with no bargaining power. You got comments like "Sir, you are more big than Indonesians. You pay more". No shit!

After a four hour ferry ride (it would have been 3 and a half, but we went on the wrong side of the guide tower and ran aground into the sandy ocean floor. Please refer to: various Indonesian ferries capsizing and killing thousands) and an hour and a half shuttle bus ride, we arrived at Sengiggi, a small beach area where they had some bigger resort hotels. Our first glimpse of Lombok was like a dream come true - lush fields, palm trees, warm air, and friendly locals waving and smiling at the tourists on the bus.

We only stayed a night at Sengiggi, as out true destination was Gili Trawangan. The place we stayed at was directly across from Luna Cottages and Restaurant (which had tables right on the beach with candles at night!) for 20,000 rupiah for a double with bath. The cleanliness of the place settled us a little from the experience of the night before. No roaches? Awesome! Our standards were beginning to fall…