Lombok, Indonesia

Bali is cool… but we already knew that, right? It’s full of cute vegan cafes and all types of tourists – family vacationers, backpackers, digital nomads, surfers, ect. There are enough resources about the activities and food on Bali, so I won’t compete with those.

Let me write instead about Lombok, the beautiful island just a half day ferry ride from Bali. I left a piece of my heart there (I know that’s dramatic, I’m just really obsessed with this place and the people).

Lombok in a nutshell:

- The most WHOLESOME people I’ve EVER met

- INSANE waterfalls

- Beautiful diving

- Very few tourists in Northern Lombok, which gave it a more ‘authentic’ feel

- Super fun backpacker culture in Kuta (surf town in South Lombok)

- Excellent paved roads for riding scooters

- Way cheaper than Bali

~ My piece of advice ~

Be especially open to connecting. Of all the places I’ve travelled, Indonesian people stand out as the most welcoming and open people I’ve ever met. It is worth trying to strike up a conversation everywhere you can (even if you have to use google translate for most of it–I’ve definitely been there😂). I found that people would regularly approach me, whether sitting on the beach, hiking, or just hanging out in town. But, it never felt invasive as it sometimes can when people are trying to aggressively sell you something. By asking curious questions, I was able to learn the (recently tragic) history of the island and some of the struggles the locals are facing. But I was also inspired, meeting a man with a beautiful life story who started a nonprofit educating local youth and learning how communities came together to support one another after the earthquakes. It’s been easy to stay in touch because everyone I met was very receptive to Instagram.

~ The food ~

The local Indonesian food has everything you need to eat deliciously vegan. It’s not my favorite cuisine just because it can get a little repetitive, but options like fried tempeh and tofu are everywhere. Peanut sauce is abundant, vegetable fried rice or noodles were always available, and the supermarkets offer tasty bean-based snacks. Every meal were under $5 USD (most only accepted in cash, but the ATMs were reliable in Indonesia)

There’s no western food in Northern Lombok, but plenty of international food down in Kuta, including Terra, this adorable plant-based café/restaurant with a comfy outdoor rooftop and airconditioned coworker space. They used very whole, locally sourced ingredients, such as mung bean as a base for my plant-based omelet. I bought some raw vegan cheesecake and cookies to take to the beach as an energizing post-surf snack.

~Accommodations~

I stayed at White Rose Guest House. I highly recommend if you’re looking for a peaceful and homey feel. It was clean, had a shared kitchen with breakfast foods, filtered water, and very affordable mo-ped rentals. My friends and I were stayed there during a traditional celebration for our hosts, their new baby’s first 3 months, known as Nelu Bulanin Ceremony (I think). They graciously gave us homemade baked goods to celebrate.

Down in the town of Kuta, we stayed at Mad Monkey Hostel, a total party hostel and not the cleanest, but it had a great social area outside with lots of seating. When (not ‘if’) I go back to Kuta, I will stay at a quieter accommodation, but frequent the hostel bars for social activity. This town attracted a fun assortment of backpackers and felt homey because it wasn’t so big. Each night one bar stays open late, and backpackers and locals will dance in the sand all night.

~Activities~

North: Renting mopeds and riding through Monkey Forest and down windy roads along the coast, the most incredible waterfalls ever, beautiful empty beaches to explore

South: Surf! Party at beach bars! Enjoy the beaches and sunsets

We made rough plans for every day in Lombok like ‘we’ll surf here today’ or ‘we’ll drive to this waterfall’, but the best experiences came by being open and going with the flow. Stopping at a beach to check out a view along the way led to getting a recommendation from a local, led to following a random hand-painted sign down a dirt road, and then to the most incredible hidden restaurant overlooking a vast valley of rice fields. Or, meeting another backpacker out surfing and following him to a bat cave at sunset to watch thousands of bats fly out over our heads in various directions for the night. Things like this happened every day in Lombok; the best place to have that ‘yes’ mentality.

~To recap~

Good food, views & waterfalls that’ll make you question reality, but it’s truly the people that make this place feel magical.