Makan, Massage and Sunset at Senggigi, Lombok

29 May 2024

We had nothing really planned for our first day in Lombok except to makan (“makan” means “eat” in Indonesian language), get a massage perhaps and watch the famous Senggigi sunset.

Sunset at Senggigi, Lombok

Our day started with a short morning flight from Singapore to Lombok. Just when I started to feel the ache on my neck due to the poor seat design of the budget airline’s A320, the captain announced the start of our descent into Lombok.

Our Scoot flight arrived slightly ahead of time at 10.15 AM but the immigration at the Praya International Airport took ages to process a small planeload of visitors. This was an early indication that time move s-l-o-w-l-y on this laidback tropical Indonesian island. We finally managed to exit the airport at about 11.30 AM.

I had pre-booked a van with driver and guide for our group of 8 persons. Omar, our guide for the next few days, was waiting patiently for us. He told us he is used to such delays.

“Just relax and take things slowly”, he advised with a smile.

Shortly after leaving the airport, we travelled along clean and well paved roads through the countryside. Padi fields and small villages with wooden huts are a common sight. Lombok is like the Bali that was twenty to thirty years ago. Lesser development, much less touristy, with little or no traffic jams along the roads.

We passed a roundabout with a building in the center. Omar told us this building has unique architecture combining features of a Christian cathedral, Muslim mosque and Chinese temple.

Bundaran Gerang. Can you spot the minarets of a mosque, the arches of a cathedral and the red square doors of a Chinese temple?

Compared to Bali where the majority of the population is Hindu, Lombok’s population is about 80% Muslim, 10% Christian and the rest a mix of Hinduism and Buddhism.

Our hotel for our entire stay in Lombok is the Jeeva Klui Resort, located at a secluded area in the Senggigi Beach area. Senggigi is about an hour by car from the airport. Located on the north-western part of the island, it is the best place to stay for those visiting the 3 Gili Islands (Gili Trawangan, Gili Air and Gili Meno), waterfalls in the northern part of Lombok (near the village of Senaru) and those who intend to trek to the peak of the Mount Rinjani.  

No, we are not doing trekking to Mount Rinjani. We are too physically unfit for that now.

On the way to Senggigi, we stopped for lunch at Lesehan Taliwang Nada, a restaurant in Mataram that specialises in a local dish called the Ayam Taliwang. Ayam Taliwang is a spicy Indonesian ayam bakar (grilled chicken) dish from Lombok. The spices are made from red chilies, onion, garlic, tomatoes, fried shrimp paste, brown sugar, salt and other seasonings. It is usually served with steamed rice.

Ayam Taliwang.

The chicken served in this restaurant is unusually small. The restaurant uses young spring chickens that are about the size of adult quails for this dish.  

My wife and I ordered an Ayam Bakar Taliwang, an Ayam Bakar Madu which is grilled chicken coated with honey and a Bebalung soup to share.

Although the spices in the Ayam Taliwang are tasty, I found the chicken meat a little chewy. That is because the chicken in Lombok are free-ranging “kampong chicken”, not chickens reared in cages. Hence, the meat of the “kampong chicken” is slightly tougher but it has more flavour. It is probably why the dish uses young chickens. The meat of the adult chickens would be tougher.

Bebalung soup.

The Bebalung Sapi is a local version of the ox ribs soup, cooked with spices consisting of chili, garlic, shallot, galangal, ginger and saffron.

Omar told us the locals drink this soup to energize them and boost their vitality. The beef in the soup was well cooked, almost falling off the bone. The broth was quite tasty, full of beef flavour and collagen. Yum.  

Enjoying our lunch at the Lesehan Taliwang Nada.

In addition, our group ordered 2 fried gurame (a local freshwater fish) and mixed vegetables to share. Indonesia is well known for their “Flying Fish” or Gurame Goreng, a deep fried fresh water fish marinated with a special sauce. The fish is usually prepared with their flesh sliced off the bone so that both sides of its meat are curled up during frying to look as if it has flying fins.

The restaurant staff warned us that we would have to wait 30 minutes for them to catch the live fish from the pond, clean and cook them. It was worth the wait as the fried fish was delicious although it did not have the looks of the “flying fish”.

It tasted excellent, especially when eaten with the sambal chilli that was provided. Every part of the fish was super crispy. My friends ended up munching each bit of it, including most of the head, fins and tail. They claimed it was better than the Ayam Taliwang.

Our gurame goreng without the flying wings!

Another local Lombok dish we tried is the Pelecing Kangkung, a water spinach with spicy sauce. What made this dish special is the pelecing sambal, made from ground red chili pepper, shallot, garlic, bird's eye chili, candlenut, kaffir lime, shrimp paste, salt, and sugar.  

Spicy pelecing sambal on top of blanched kangkung, bean sprouts and garnished with roasted peanuts and fried shallots.

All the ingredients are given a good toss and mixed before eating.

After our first taste of Lombok cuisine, we continued our drive on a coastal road towards Senggigi. We could see nice views of the ocean as our van weaved its way up and down, through small hamlets and coconut plantations.

Jeeva Klui Resort is located a little out from Senggigi town center. We had to drive through the town to get to it. We made a quick stop at the Orchid Day Spa to get a brochure.

We checked into our Ocean facing suite at the resort, had a shower and took some time to check out the surroundings.

My Oceanfront Villa in the Jeeva Klui Resort, Senggigi. 

Although the rooms in the resort looked aged, the grounds of the resort were immaculate. There was greenery all round, giving the vibes of a luxury tropical resort.

View from the beachfront terrace of the suite.

Loved the sight of many tall coconut trees just outside my room.

I could hear the roar of the surf from my room, beckoning me to have a closer look and snap some photos.

Plenty of daybeds by the pool and facing the ocean.

Waves breaking on the reef about 100 m away from shore.

Nice beach in front of Jeeva Klui Resort.

Although the hotel offers spa service, we decided to head to the Orchid Day Spa we saw earlier in the town center. The Orchid Day Spa offered various kinds of massage at good prices.

It was just before sunset when we finished our massage. We arrived at the nearby Tanjung Bias Beach, just in time to watch the sunset.

Sunset at Tanjung Bias Beach.

While my friends were focused on the sunset, I was snapping photos of the local kids enjoying the surf and the sand. There were also two small white ponies available for rides. 

Kids playing on the beach.

    Kids enjoying a ride on one of the super cute and tiny ponies. 

     The locals seem impervious to the dangers of the quite dangerous surf   

The orange globe of the sun quickly went behind the cloud and Mount Agung in the horizon and it was time for dinner!

Silhouette of Mount Agung appeared as the sun sets behind the mountain. Mount Agung is actually a volcano located in Bali, a neighbouring island located west of Lombok.

Dinner was at the Yessy Kitchen, located right on the beach.

Yessy Kitchen serves good seafood. We ordered the set dinner menu for 6 persons and added more dishes. This came with an assorted of seafood and local dishes that included ikan bakar (grilled fish), Crab in spicy sauce, fried battered prawns, cap cay (mixed vegetables), pelecing kangkung, tauhu and tempe (tempe is a traditional Indonesian food made from fermented soybeans), omelette, drinks (coconut water), and cut fruits.

Enjoying Lombok’s seafood and local cuisine at Yessy Kitchen.

Our favourite dish was the grilled Ikan Barona, a fairly large sized rabbit fish, served with a spicy dipping sauce. The deep fried fish provides a crispy skin with a delicate and slightly sweet flesh inside.

Overall, the dinner at Yessy Kitchen was good value for money. The friendly boss even came and served us complimentary Lombok coffee after our meal.

Lombok coffee is made from robusta beans grown on the rich volcanic soil found on the slopes of Mount Rinjani. According to my local guide, the coffee beans are roasted with some rice to give it a unique smoky taste. The very dark, almost pitch black, coffee was served unfiltered. So the trick is to not stir the coffee and let the residuals settle at the bottom of the cup before drinking.

There are local vendors selling souvenirs like pearls and T-shirts along the beach. Somehow, they respected the boundaries laid down by the restaurant and did not approached us at our dining table. Instead, they would hawk their wares outside an imaginary boundary. A few of my travelling companions went to support the locals and bought some bargain-priced T-shirts (30,000 IDR each), under the watchful eyes of the restaurant owner.

My first impression of Lombok in Day 1 has been positive – friendly people who are respectful, clean streets, relaxed countryside and seaside vibes and tasty food.

Looking forward to Day 2 where we had booked a boat trip to the Gili Islands!

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Boat Trip to the Gili Islands of Lombok

30 May 2024

Situated only a few kilometres off the northwest coast of Lombok, the Gili Islands is a hugely popular tourist destination. A day out to these islands by private chartered glass bottom boat was the highlight of my first trip to Lombok.

"Gili" actually means 'island' in the local language and the Gili Islands are made up of three idyllic small islands – Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air. The three islands each offer something different, as we would find out during our visit. Our guide, Omar, told us there are many nicer Gilis in Lombok but the most accessible and popular islands are these three.

It was a 20 minutes drive in our chartered van from our hotel in Senggigi to the boat launching point. Omar gave us a run-down of what to expect on the islands. He also gave each of us a small sachet containing supplements to combat sea-sickness. I don’t suffer from motion sickness usually but took the supplement anyway.

We were issued our snorkeling gear before boarding the glass bottom boat. Omar had requested for our shoe sizes the day before so the boat crew could prepare the right sized snorkeling fins for each of us.

Our boat to the Gili Islands. Note how clear the water is even at the mainland of Lombok.

Many pairs of helping hands from the crew as we board the boat.

In addition to Omar, we have two other crew members in the boat - the captain and his young first mate. The younger one would act as lookout in the bow of the boat while the captain steer the boat. These guys were awesome. Always willing to help and to ensure that we are safe and have a good time.

The weather for the day was perfect. Clouds with sun. Even then, sun protection (hats, sunscreen, sunglasses, etc) is a must before going out to sea. Most of us also wore water shoes.

It felt good to go out to sea again, feeling the sea breeze and the occasional spray of sea water on my face.

On our way to the first island, Omar pointed out the some objects floating on the sea to our left. These objects are used to rear oysters that will produce pearls. Many, including myself, are unaware that Lombok is famous for its pearl farms. This is big business in the area, with some of the prettiest pearls in Southeast Asia cultivated here.

Gili Air

The first island we went to was Gili Air as it was the closest. We donned our snorkeling gear and entered the water one by one. I was the second person to jump into the water with mask only; no fins and no life vest as I thought I could surface dive to get a closer view of the corals and fishes below.

The corals at our snorkeling area were quite good. I could see plenty of live corals with colourful fishes. I soon discover that the current at this spot was quite strong and it was difficult to propel myself forward without fins.

As more of my friends jumped in, I struggled to get back to the boat. Panting like crazy, I managed to return safely to the boat. I put on my fins and also wear the life-vest before returning to the water. Lesson learnt! 

Snorkeling in the clear waters off Gili Air.

Omar brought along a GoPro camera and one of the boatmen used it expertly to capture some underwater pictures and videos for us.

Beautiful corals and colourful fishes at Gili Air.

Best swimmer.

Enjoying the rare snorkeling experience.

Gili Air has plenty of live corals with plenty of colouful fishes but the current was quite strong. So, it is not ideal for novice snorkelers. For one of my travelling companions, this was the first time for him.

Our boatman trailed a long rope behind the boat for us to cling on. That was a very good idea! We could also use the rope to get back to the boat instead of swimming against the current.

Hanging on to the rope for a rest.       

Even though the sea on this day was not that choppy, a couple of folks in our group suffered from motion sickness at this point. The supplements that Omar provided to all of us when we left the hotel in the morning did not work for some.

This was supposed to combat sea-sickness.

 

Gili Meno

The next island we went to was Gili Meno, sandwiched between Gili Trawangan and Gili Air.

Approaching Gili Meno, we saw many boats and snorkelers concentrated at a peculiar spot. Omar told us this is where the very popular underwater “Nest” sculpture is located.

The sculpture consists of 48 life-size human sculptures of couples hugging each other, formed in a circle to encase even more figures lying on the seabed. This is created by the artist Jason deCaires Taylor to raise awareness about the risk of destroying the coral barrier reefs. The material used in the sculpture is supposed to provide a platform for soft corals and sponges to grow.

Just like at Gili Air, the current was quite strong. Our boatman brought the boat to a spot up current from the Nest before we entered the water. Once we are in the water, we drifted with the current towards the mass of people snorkeling above the “Nest”.

Quite crowded above the popular “Nest” sculpture located off Gili Meno.

Being only about 100 meters from the shore of Gili Meno, the water at this point is not deep. We could see the sculpture quite easily, together with the masses of legs and fins hovering above. It was actually quite chaotic as there are multiple groups gathered around the “Nest”.

Someone from another group diving in to snap a photo.

We drifted with the current past the sculpture and focused our attention to the many colourful fishes in the area.

Fishes attracted by some bread that our boatman (and photographer) brought.

A group photo at Gili Meno above the “Nest”.

Our boat was waiting for us, down current from the “Nest”, to pick us up as planned. Our next stop is Gili Trawangan, the largest island in the group.

Gili Trawangan

As our boat approaches the shore of Gili Trawangan, our guide Omar assures us that we will definitely see some wild sea turtles at this island.

He was absolutely spot on.

The beach on this island is gently sloping and shallow. We entered the water without fins and life vests and waded on the sandy bottom in search of sea turtles.

We spotted one within minutes.

Swimming with the turtle at Gili Trawangan.

There are two species of sea turtles found around Gili Trawangan, the Green Turtle and the Hawksbill Turtle.

The one we spotted was the Green Turtle. The Green Turtle are actually not green in colour. It was light brown in colour as shown in the photos. They are called green turtles after the colour of their meat. Their diet consists of mainly sea grass, which causes their meat to turn green.

Green Turtle feeding on the sea grass.

I could not resist the temptation to give the beautiful creature a gentle stroke on its back.

The turtle was calm and probably used to humans. Ignoring us, it continued to feed on sea grass and other stuff on the seabed while the excited humans hover over and around it.

Being able to snorkel around this incredible creature was a beautiful experience. This was the highlight of my visit to the Gili Islands. I believe the rest of my group felt the same too.

Group photo at Gili Trawangan.

We boarded the boat again and landed on another part of the island where the “main street” of the island is located. There are many restaurants along this stretch. The restaurants on the island all have similar features – sandy floors, no walls and little huts where you have views of the sea and women in bikinis while we enjoyed our meal.

Typical restaurant scene.

Omar arranged for us to use the single shower room at a restaurant where we would take our lunch. We rested in the “restaurant”, took our time to look at the menu while the group took turns to shower and changed into dry clothes.

We had our lunch at this restaurant on Gili Trawangan.

Like most restaurants on the island, the menu catered to tourists more than locals. It features more western dishes than local.

Being on a private chartered boat tour, we could take our time to explore the place after lunch. It was obvious that there are no motorized vehicles of any kind on the island. The transport options are either horse-cart taxi or rent a bicycle.

The horse-cart taxi can take up to 3 passengers.

“Main street” of Gili Trawangan.

Omar suggested that we could rent a bike to cycle around the island. We chose to just strolled down the main street and feel the vibes on the Gili Islands.

Good to see that there is a program to protect the turtles on the Gilis.

Having a Gili Gelato during our stroll.

Bikinis are the uniform for tourists staying on the island.

Signage in various languages outside a dive shop. 

Selfie on the beach.

Outriggers at the beach on Gili Trawangan. Gili Meno is the island in the background.

Once we had enough of the Gili Islands, we boarded the boat again and headed back to Lombok. Compared to the outbound trip, the sea on our way back was more choppy. While I enjoyed the thrill of the rough ride, our two sea-sick friends had a relapse by the time we reached shore.

Overall, our outing to the Gili Islands had been fun. The clarity of the water was good for snorkeling. We saw plenty of corals and fishes and we got to swim with the turtles!

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