Indonesia: The Return

Hi all,

it's my summer holiday in Indonesia. This is my last week of enjoying the heat plus the cheap and yummy Indonesian food. I've been missing my hometown so badly since 4 months back. Yeah, it's very normal for me who have been living in this country for 17 years till I finally decided to go overseas by myself. And I will be missing this country for I don't know how many more months after this.

Anyway, this is my shortest yet the most memorable return to Indonesia. I went back this year specifically for my brother's wedding (obviously with some trips around). I think I really got the most of it cause my bf came for a visit as well. Of course, we took him around and showed him how Indonesia looks like (only some parts were visited). He absolutely loved it. We went around and flew everywhere. Man, the journey was so tiring. I think I flew a lot in these 2 months. Anyway, I will do a little analysis of some of my trips with some pictures (for the first time). So, please bear with me.

As I travelled around, I discovered some reasons why a region is different to other regions. I compared mainly Mataram (Lombok) to Bali. Lombok is a more quiet island compared to Bali. I found more international tourists compared to domestic. I think most westerners who came to Lombok really love the tranquility and the pristine condition of the island and the beaches surround it. I don't blame them. I do like going away from crowds and busy lifestyle I have back in Surabaya. I absolutely loved the white sandy beaches which still looked so pure and almost untouched. I could see the clear water and the corals. That was so beautiful. Too bad I wasn't in the mood of doing any water activities. In contrast, Bali is more for busy lifestyle and shoppers paradise (at least for me). I could find almost everything there. The beaches weren't as clean and clear yet they are still pretty. For me, Bali is way overdeveloped that you'll see hotel after hotel on one strip of the road.

The negative side of Lombok is that the locals are not as friendly and welcoming the tourists. They tend to push away tourists. I've heard from some people who work there (including the tour driver) that the locals are not as ambitious to grow and to earn more money from tourism (I think they haven't seen a big advantage of tourism in their area). However, for some locals who knew the financial benefit of tourism tend to sell souvenirs to tourists to a certain level that will annoy the tourists themselves. The positive sides I guess are the scenery (my driver said that the beaches there have better view compared to the ones in Bali) and the tranquility for tourists who don't like much noise. However, don't get it wrong. If you wanna experience the central of crowd and some party time, you should go to Gili Trawangan. It's sort of like the 'Western' side of Lombok.

The pure beach of Gili Trawangan Island, Lombok.

Gili Trawangan Island, the 'Western' side of Lombok.

PS. My driver gave a little joke about Lombok that the destiny of Lombok is highly dependent on Bali (Propinsi NTB: Nusa Tenggara Barat Province / Nasib Tergantung Bali). When the Bali bombings occurred, there was absolutely no tourism happening in Lombok.

In comparison, Bali is more alive. Locals are very friendly and welcoming. For those people who love shopping in the different side of Indonesia then you should go to Bali. Traffic jam is everywhere when it comes to peak time of the holiday. Otherwise, it'll be a bit more quiet. Don't worry of getting some food or finding a place to hang out, Bali never dies. However, you have to bear with the price. It's considered as expensive (at least for us, domestic tourists), because most tourist attractions there are highly commercialised. You will also need to bear with the rubbish around the beaches, mainly in Kuta. You won't really see clear water in popular beaches, so you have to be ready to see it. It's not that bad after all. It's just not as clear as it used to be. By the way, I will give some recommendations of where to go if you happen to visit Bali.

Pandora Beach. It was my second time visiting that beach. It was hot as hell!

Water Blow, Nusa Dua - Bali. I just discovered it as my aunty told me that time. I tried to google maps it but I found nothing. If you wanna visit it, just go to Grand Hyatt Hotel Bali. It was like, 'right there'. Very cool to check out. Just be careful, cause the wind was pretty strong aaannnd..hot as well.

At the end of the day, it's all about personal preference and lifestyle. All of what I said was relied on my personal opinion. Experiences will differ from people to people. I hope you like my thoughts. If you happen to visit Indonesia at some point, I definitely recommend you guys to visit these 2 islands. You'll experience something that you've never expected before.

By the way, the chocolate massage that I had in Bali was very nice! You can comment below if you are curious where I had it. Enjoy! :)

I.