Lombok Indonesia

After a week on Bali we flew to Lombok, a similar island in size. It is a half an hour flight. There are boat connections between the islands, but we decided to fly due to sea sickness. I know… it´s not good for the environment, but we recycle and are trying to preserve the environment in other ways. We rented this lovely old cabin by the ocean in Lombok through Airbnb. The cat was included! The place is in the south west of Lombok. Two hours by car from the airport and then 10 minutes by boat taxi. A charming place close to nature, a bit too close sometimes…They had a couple of more cabins for rent and a restaurant. We did a snorkeling day tour to Gili Layar and some another small islands nearby. We were lucky that the weather was clear enough for good snorkeling. In the rain season you cannot be too sure. It can then be foggy water some days after heavy rain. The girls really enjoy snorkeling. I enjoy above the surface better. On our way to the next place in Kuta Lombok we got to see this colorful ceremoni. Fantastic music. Lombok is known for great pottery and for hand-woven textiles. We visited Sukarara. A bit touristy, but beautiful fabric for sale.Our last stay in Indonesia, Mana Yoga Retreat. A fantastic place! Great yoga classes. Friendly staff. Bungalows and a luxurious dorm. At night the yoga studio turned into a movie theater with big screen movie and beanbags to relax in. Great healthy vegetarian food. Fantastic included breakfast. Could stay here forever! This is Kerala. A stray dog from Lombok that got to move to Canada with a lovely couple with loving hearts. As on Bali there are many stray dogs on this island. There are many beautiful beaches to visit on Lombok. Each with different character. Many great ones for surfing such as Gerupuk. This is Mawun beach. Pretty small and not crowded at all. A few simple restaurants. Great for relaxing. Not for surfing. Our favorite beach ended up being Tanjung Aan. We spent many days here on the white sanded beach with beautiful clear water. Great for relaxing, sup boarding and swimming. We stayed by the charming restaurant Warung Turtle. Free sunbeds and umbrellas for customers. Great Nasi and Mie Goreng (Indonesian fried rice and noodles) and refreshing fresh pressed juices and fruit sallads. Dragon fruit turned up to be a favorite. Some days the beach was really crowded with locals, but most days quiet. Many locals are interested in us tourists. Wanted to practice English and take selfies with us. Surprising at first, but after a while we got used to it! We bought many pineapples by a man cutting them so you could easily eat them as lollipops. The best and sweetest pineapples we had ever tasted. Many children selling bracelets and women selling sarongs. Could be a bit intense sometimes. You cannot buy from all and everyone…The closest beach to our hotel is Kuta Lombok beach. Not the cleanest, but many restaurants and small shops around mainstreet. Great dinner with a view over Kuta Lombok at Ashtari Lounge and Restaurant. Pick up and drop off service. Got picked up by three vespas! The girls loved it!! The best way to discover Lombok and Bali is by vespa. Elsa is too young to drive by herself and I couldn’t take both of them on one so we had to go around by taxi. More expensive, but affordable and probably safer. I am not used to left traffic.The local market at Kuta Lombok. Colorful with many great deals. Selong Belanak. The beach full of surf schools and with great conditions for beginner surfing. We were here in January during the rain season. The weather was mostly great. A heavy rain shower once a day. Mostly in the afternoons. Some days more or less. The nature was intense green.After 10 days on Lombok it was time to go back to a cold and dark Sweden. We had a very relaxing and health time on this lovely island. Less crowded than Bali and full of love!