13 weeks in Asia: first week at Lombok
Hello word!
First, I would like to present myself. My name is Elke, 23 years old, from belgium and I just graduated as psychologist at KULeuven. After 5 years of studying, I can finally start travelling the world. So, hello word! I can eventually discover other parts of you, that I've never seen before.
One year ago, I decided that after my education I would like to go to Asia during 3 months. I started collecting information and so I chose to start my trip in Lombok. I found most of the info on the web. This made me realize that I aswell could provide others with my information, experiences and stories. Thus, here I am sharing my first moments!
This first week of my trip took place in Lombok. I left Brussels all by myself headed up for a long time at the plane and two transfers. It would take me 21 hours in total to reach my destination (but totally worth it). I was pretty nervous doing this alone, especially so soon after the earthquake that hit Lombok a few weeks ago. I spent two day in Mataram, the big city of Lombok. But this is no touristic place and I could notice this immediately. I decided to go to Senggigi beach to relax after a long flight. This place is known for its nice, luxurious resports. I admit, they looked really good from the outside, perfect if you like a little time-out. Myself, I decided to just chill at the beach.
On my way back to the hotel I stopped at two temples: Pura Batu Bolong (first picture) and Taman Mayura(second picture). The first one was quite small, but the Taman Mayura was nice to go to. A temple located in the city-centre of Mataram, surrounded by water. For only 100.000 IDR a guide showed me the entire place. If you prefer to visit places with few tourists I would undoubtedly recommend Mataram. Just be sure to adapt to the culture (wear long trousers) and be prepared for the chaotic traffic.
The day after I left Mataram, destination Kuta. I will tell you more about this hotspot in my next post.
PS. you are thinking to visit Lombok, but not sure about the situation after the earthquake? Just go! You won't notice a thing, locals will be happy to get some earnings and there aren't many toerists at this moment.
Greets form Lombok,
Elke