OCT 19 - DAY 3
It's time for South Lombok! I was thrilled since I heard so much great things about South Lombok. I did mini research about places I'd visit and they seemed very promising. So I was able to wake up pretty early (YES! hahaha), and I went from Senggigi at 7.30 am.
It's gonna be a very long ride, guys, I'm telling you. Take a look at the distance:
I had to prepare myself and my rented motorbike: bought breads and snacks, waters, then gasoline. I also hadn't gone to South Lombok ever, so I didn't know about the route or the condition of the road there. I totally relied on Google Maps at first.
The road in Lombok especially around Lombok Airport, Praya was so quiet. The road was huge, I could see only few vehicles there, but the wind blew so freaking strong. My helmet almost flew, for real, hahaha. During my ride, I listened to music. I wasn't worried about the length, but I was so bored on the road. Mostly I went just straight and.... it made me sleepy! So music was the best option as my company for every ride I had. (Don't try this, tho. Actually it's dangerous)
As I passed Desa Sade, it was like a check point for me. I was already on the half way to Tanjung Aan Beach, my first destination. Unfortunately I didn't get the chance to visit Desa Sade; maybe next time. Getting closer to the south, my cellphone lost its signal. Damn. Apparently my SIM card didn't work well on the south, so now I needed to ask locals about the route. Thankfully I met a woman, she told me the way to reach Tanjung Aan beach.
After almost get lost, finally I arrived at Tanjung Aan!
One word for Tanjung Aan: A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!
Again, I couldn't believe what I saw that time. Jeeezzz, that beautiful blue sea, that smooth white sand!!! I looked around and there're only three or four other visitors. It was 9 am if I wasn't mistaken, not so many people would want to go beach at that time since it's gonna be very hot.
I enjoyed the time I had there: listening to beautiful sound of waves, looking at the stunning sea in front of me, and playing around for a moment...
Well I just had brief moment in Tanjung Aan because I gotta go to the next place, which wasn't too far from where I was: Bukit Merese (Merese Hill). I continued riding my motorbike to reach Bukit Merese; only took less than 5 minutes.
I entered the area of Bukit Merese, then tried to ride my bike to the hill. Actually, it was a stupid thing to do. My motorbike wasn't able to pass those rocky path, so I had to leave it on the bottom of the hill, next to stall of a young coconut seller.
I walked to the top of the hill, aaaand here's what I saw: PARADISE!!
No wonder I spent most of the time here since I could see those stunning views all by myself. I repeat, all by myself. I only saw two people there and they weren't staying for long time. This place was like my own hill, hahaha. It was so huge and sooooo fascinating!!
Here, I almost burnt my face because that day was very bright and hot. I strolled around the hill, found another great spot. I went to a higher point which I could clearly see Tanjung Aan from above.
I stood on a very high spot, and the view was spectacular!! But something happened not long after that. A monkey suddenly appeared, then it came to me, took my mineral water bottle, then it opened the cap and drank it in front of my face!
I was panicked because I was afraid the monkey would steal other stuffs from me (dude, I brought my camera and a tripod that wasn't mine! hahaha). So I decided to go downhill, even I haven't packed the tripod; just carry and pack it later!
After went downhill, one thing for sure, I was so thirsty. My face also looked like a fresh boiled lobster. I was craving for cold water or anything that was so refreshing. So I visited the young coconut seller to buy one. It was SO GOOD! It cost IDR 20.000 (around US$ 2) but it was totally worth it.
Then I spoke with locals, we had very good conversation. A couple told me about their one time journey to Java island. The same man also kindly told me about the best route to reach Mataram and Senggigi after knowing that I was alone during my trip.
He warned me that if I wanted to go back to Mataram or Senggigi, I should go before it got dark, at least 4 pm. It would be very dangerous for me to go back beyond that time since I might get robbed on the road. I also heard the same thing from the owner of the homestay, so I definitely listened to their advice since they knew their place really well.
I really enjoyed such conversation, we could exchange our own story, then I got so much new things to learn. I am not used to initiate small talk, or even talk to strangers for long time. So by doing this trip, I have to train myself to be more talk active, friendly, and aware to anything that happens around me.
Now it's time for me to continue my journey. I said goodbye to the locals I met there, and they were very nice, wishing me to have safe and amazing trip while in Lombok. Next place I'd visit was Kuta Lombok Beach.
Again, it's another paradise I could find here!
Kuta Lombok was pretty crowded that day. Then I could notice the differences between Tanjung Aan and Kuta Lombok; perhaps it's just my feeling, but water at Tanjung Aan was blue, while Kuta Lombok was turquoise. I captured some photos here, looked around, then bought gasoline for my motorbike because the next destination would be quite far.
Next was Mawun Beach. To reach this place, I had to ride my motorbike for 30 minutes, passing lots of winding road. It was challenging since most of the road were like up and down, but the view couldn't stop to surprise me.
Seriously, Mawun Beach is definitely my favorite beach. Mawun Beach is very quiet, very peaceful. The view... oh I am speechless.
This is a perfect place for me to isolate myself from the crowd. I spent quite long time here. I sat down under a tree, chilled, enjoyed the view before me. (Damn, I really miss this place!)
It was getting late and I still had one place to visit. After taking a rest at Mawun Beach, I continued riding my motorbike and went to Selong Belanak Beach. It took about 20-30 minutes to reach it.
As you can see, Selong Belanak was quite crowded. Most people come because this beach is suitable for beginners to learn surfing. Of course I saw lots of people surfing there. I also chatted with locals, talking about my trip and beaches in Lombok. We had great conversation and laugh there since they joked a lot. Even one of them was kinda surprised when I spoke to him in bahasa Indonesia since he thought I was a foreigner, hahaha. He said it's not because of my hair, but I got the look. What, really?
I hadn't eaten anything but breads in the morning, so I should eat something here. You see, the grilled fish was so delicious! The 'acar' was also great, there're few vegetables in it with hints of sour and spicy flavors.
While enjoying my time at Selong Belanak, the sky began to look darker; it was cloudy. Also, it's already 4 pm. O'oh, it's time to go back to Senggigi!
Well, on my way to Senggigi from Selong Belanak, it was raining so hard. I didn't stop at all because it was already past 4 pm; I really needed to arrive at Mataram before evening. For sure, I was totally wet, and I wasn't using any raincoat or even a jacket. I prioritized my bag (my camera was in it!) and tripod so they wouldn't get wet so bad.
You know what, when I arrived at the huge road close to Lombok Airport, it hadn't rained yet! I was like, "What the...?!" but still continued my ride. Of course when I arrived at Senggigi, my clothes was dry already!
In the end, I could arrive at Senggigi safely. That was a crazy trip for sure. I had to visit some places in a day, and the distance was so far from my homestay. Driving back and forth with such distance was really exhausting. I almost got burnt, almost got stolen by monkey, and then completely wet while driving.
I came back to my homestay, and I still had time to see the sunset (yes, Senggigi wasn't raining yet). I went to the rooftop to take a rest and watch sunset, but something triggered me. I might get better view if I walked to Senggigi Beach.
See?
Despite so much unexpected things I had during my trip to south Lombok, I really had a perfect closure for today.
This was definitely one of my greatest days in my life.
