Lombok; a paradise discovered

Lombok has been described as the Bali of some 20 years ago. In that case, expectations are high of sandy white beaches, crystal clear water, and swaying palm trees that provide shade as people sip their juice from coconuts. But most of all, visitors to Lombok hope to escape their own kind...other tourists and all the noise, chaos and pollution we're confrontation Indonesia's some other busy area.

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This article describes how my friends experienced a 5 day visit to this island.

Like more visitors, they stayed in Sengingi, which has the most hotels, restaurants and facilities. This means it's the famous area, yet the town seems sleepy during the day and at night, the restaurants slowly get busier. If you're out for clubbing, this isn't your kind of scene.

This island has a lot to offer travellers, and on this journey we were determined to see as much as possible. The best way to get around is by motorbike. Unlike depending on a tour guide, with motorbike you're free to go as you want and take in all the sights. It wasn't difficult to find the way with a good map, and in our case the friendly local population always willing to help the tourists find their way.

The safety of travelling on motorbike is another question. The plastic helmet provide little or no protection while they do make you look rather ridiculous. However, traffic can be a real challenge in places and the roads in the mountains may be far from perfect. Near Rinjani mount, in the north, one of my friends made a spectacular fall as he slid in some sand of an unfinished road. The bike was somewhat damaged, but didn't break down, and the good news is that the repair costs were also low. So covered in sand, somewhat bruised, with a new nickname and a slightly dented ago, they ventured on.

The views of the island side was impressive, from the cool, clean mountains in the north to the dry and hot southern coats. Through the larger cities and tiniest villages children waved cheerfully and the elder that seemed somewhat suspicious as we raced by or stopped for petrol. To outside, this's quite amazing how people live in these isolated villages. With no electricity and running water, life is quite different. The communities seem very close. Entire villages come out to watch local football matches, and not often does one see so many smiling faces. Then again, perhaps the only reason they were smiling was because they were mocking my friends with our stupid-looking helmet.