Spending vacation time in Lombok in just two days is lacking because there are still many beautiful places that I haven't explored. Indeed, there will be no end to exploring Indonesia which has a million natural beauty.
But that's not a problem, if I haven't been able to explore other beautiful places in Lombok, maybe Allah will allow me to come back to Lombok again another time, agree !!!
I will share tips for friends who are going to Lombok for the first time. Where did I go and what activities did I do during the two days there!
I arrived at Lombok Praya airport around 9 pm and was still waiting for my cousin who had a different flight time. I wasn't too worried at that time, because I had already ordered a pick-up service from Lombok car transport that we can rent privately or share.
That night my goal went straight to our inn to Selasar Hostel Senggigi which I had previously ordered via booking com. Because it was too late to arrive at the inn, we rushed to rest.
First Day
Early in the morning we got up and rushed to Senggigi beach intending to see the sunrise, but it turned out that the location was more beautiful to see the sunset. So the sunrise is not that good (personal opinion).
Around 7.30 in the morning after breakfast, we rushed to Gili Trawangan. To reach Gili Trawangan from Senggigi we have to go to Bangsal Harbor which is approximately 1 hour by motorbike. We rent a motorbike offered from the inn for 60 thousand for 24 hours.
The thing that makes me happy is that when we go to Bangsal we can see a very beautiful natural landscape, a vast expanse of sea, even though the road is a bit winding up and down but very smooth.
We also took the time to take pictures with the background of the open sea, if I'm not mistaken, it was still in the Malibu Hill area and the one with the words Malacca on it. Seriously, really good (until I still remember).
After arriving at Bangsal, we bought a boat ticket to Gili Trawangan for 15 thousand one way. It takes about 30 minutes for the ship to cross. The ship can be boarded up to about 45 passengers. The ship we boarded is usually used daily transportation, so friends, don't be surprised if you find women carrying lots of groceries until the ship is full.
In Gili Trawangan, we rent a bicycle to get around the island, (yes, the intention is to go around the island, but if I lost it, it's just half) for 25 thousand per hour (a bit expensive, in my opinion, it's only 1 hour).
What else can I do, there are no motorbikes in Gili, so the only transportation we can use is a bicycle or a cart/wagon. The air is still clean and the average visitors are foreigners. (I felt like I wasn't in Indo when I was there).
We also go to the turtle nesting site to see the cute baby turtles. There are many activities that we can do on Gili Trawangan such as snorkeling, diving, joining cooking classes, sitting pretty on the beach, shopping, and so on.
But we only had one day according to plan, So I took a short walk until about 2 hours I was on Gili Trawangan and then moved to Gili Meno. In Gili Meno, we only took a walk on the beach because we were chasing a ship that was going back to Bangsal.
Gili Meno is not as busy as Gili Trawangan, the atmosphere is calmer. It's a little sad that I haven't gone around the island, which is said to have a lake in the middle of L Island. Even so, I'm still grateful because I can enjoy the beautiful white-sand beaches and blue sea.
We returned to the inn and enjoyed the sunset on Senggigi Beach. That day, the beach was crowded, some were fishing, selling, swimming, sitting pretty, eating roasted corn, taking pictures, and others. The more serene enjoying the sunset.
After the evening, we also tried to take a night walk to see the atmosphere of Senggigi while looking for food.
Day Two
Early in the morning we immediately rushed to check out and after breakfast I was picked up by Mr. Arya, to explore Central & South Lombok. 1-day car rental starting from 400-500 thousand.
Starting from Sade Village, when we got there we were immediately covered by a tour guide who is a native of the village. Sade Tourism Village, a hamlet located in Rembitan village, Pujut sub-district.
The village of the Sasak tribe is located on the edge of the highway that connects the city of Mataram with the southern region of Lombok. Sade tourist village is inhabited by the Sasak tribe who still maintains the traditions of their ancestors. Apart from this village, there are villages of Sukarara and Ende as well.
In this village, the houses are still original from wood, thatched roofs, but at the bottom, there are already several houses made of cement. What's interesting about this village is that the traditional houses of the Sasak tribe that are mopped using cow/buffalo dung will look shiny once a week. The main jobs of the residents are gardening, raising livestock, weaving (for women), trading souvenirs, and being tour guides.
Women here have been taught to weave from the age of 8, they say that if you can't weave you can't get married. Yesterday, I tried weaving with my hands, and it was only five minutes that I already tore my waist, fortunately, I am not a daughter of Sade Village, so this time I won't be allowed to get married because I can't weave.
There is another Merari tradition or inviting a girl to marry off. The love tree is the place where the sade village youth meet before finally, the young man kidnaps his future wife. Uuttssss, don't get caught, the marching process.
During the march, girls will be entrusted to a place unknown to their families. Next, the two parties, accompanied by the village head, discussed the wedding plans, and the man had to fulfill the requirements. After Kabul's consent, the bride and groom will be paraded around the village. This tradition is called Nyangkolan which aims to introduce the newlyweds to the villagers.
After there we continued our journey to explore the beaches and hills.
Kuta Beach Lombok, here we only stop by because of its strategic location. Just a ride to make a memento through photos hahaha.
Continue to Tanjung Aan and Merese Hill. At Tanjung Aan Beach also just stop by and I see this beach has a long coastline. Here we are also not too long because the main goal is Merese Hill. To get to Merese Hill that day, it takes strength to walk the uphill path in bright broad daylight.
For those who can't stand the heat, you have to bring water, glasses, a hat/umbrella for protection. From Merese Hill, we can see views of Tanjung Aan Beach, Batu Payung, and the vast ocean. God's creation is very beautiful.
Continue to Mawun Beach, this is one of my version of the most beautiful beaches that day. The coastline is quite long, the air is cool, the breeze is cool, the sun is not too hot, the beach is not too crowded. It's cool to relax for a long time until you take a nap there too, hahaha.
Continue to Selong Belanak Beach. When I arrived here, what I felt was the very hot sun, the heat was not relaxing and the wind was not strong. But the long coastline and good waves make this beach quite crowded with foreign tourists for surfing, other water sports, sunbathing and eating (lots of food vendors). In the same story with our guide.
If this beach is good in the afternoon because of the sunset there will be many buffalo passing to their house. This is what is unique about Selong Belanak Beach.
Before going to Selong Belanak, we had the chance to stop by Ashtari Lounge & Kitchen. One of the places to eat on a hilly road that offers views of the hills, the ocean, and the sky. The menu offered is more Indonesian cuisine. More info can be read on the internet.
After Selong Belanak, we stopped by at the Great Praya Mosque and performed the Asr prayer there.