I must have woken up four or five times. Part tooth ache, part noise of air conditioning and then probably part humidity without air conditioning. I woke to find the jungle insects had entered the room to finish eating my room service dinner (mild exaggeration) from the night before.
I was staying at the Aruna Senggigi Resort having booked 6 nights at the hotel. Before flying to Lombok I’d already booked two tour days whilst here, but left a couple of days for exploring Senggigi on foot. I figured being it was a last minute trip I’d wing it!
I walked north towards Kila Senggigi Beach and bought a sarong in prep for my temple visit the next day. Turns out I didn’t need it, even when I tried to wear it. I bought it from a beach vendor and paid IDR75K for it and then enjoyed a pineapple juice at the Basilico Authentic Italian Restaurant beach bar attached to the Kila Resort.
I walked along the beach, where I met Eric from the Netherlands. He's currently on a cycling holiday, heading to the east coast of Australia to cycle there next. I took some obligatory beach photos too!
Lunch was at a pizzeria called Pasta Pojok. I've wondered whether it's acceptable to eat non native food when on holiday, but I think it's acceptable as long as it is locally owned. I certainly won't be eating at the KFC across the road.
After lunch I decided to walk south along the main road, the road couldn't decide which side it wanted the pavement to run on, so I zig zagged the best I could. I enjoyed a diet coke at AW Cafe on the beach where the 100th bracelet vendor decided to try his luck. I wandered south on the beach and decided on an orange flavoured Bintang Radler at La Chill Bar. Bintang Radler Orange is soooo good.
Travelling alone I do face a quandry. There is nobody with me to offer an alternate perspective to any activity or food choice. Nobody to share new and old existing experiences with. Nobody to laugh with, nobody to do nothing with. It does get lonely sometimes. I wrote that sentence at the end of day one. By day five, I’d made new friends, visited new places and definitely did not feel so lonely anymore, just in time for one last morning in Lombok!
Later in the week I had some more time in Sengiggi. I hopped into a grab taxi to Verve Beach Club Bar. Except I've learned the local pronunciation is more veer-vee. The best pizza so far, but the bar is pretty low in Senggigi.
After lunch I grabbed (see what I did there) another car who agreed to drive me to Malimbu Hill, a little further north, where I got some spectacular photos that just didn't do the view justice.
Just south of that was another worthy lookout enabled by a failed construction project at Villa Hantu. On the way back, driver Ali confessed that he owned a tour group and would be happy to be my driver for a day to go anywhere I wanted for approx IDR600k+parking. Bargain.
I came back to home base and had dinner at Paragon Restaurant where I revisited and thoroughly enjoyed a Nasi Goreng. I'm firmly of the belief that a consistent Nasi or Mi Goreng diet is enough to keep Bali belly at bay. As I finished, keeping to the schedule (it's been very consistent for the last three nights), the heavens opened up for a torrential downpour.
By the end of the week, I’d found my feet and was getting into the swing of things.
