A secret I have to share.....

So I am writing this blog to you with a somewhat nostalgic pang looking back at having just had the best twelve days of my life so far in Indonesia. I am going to set the scene for you in the hope that I can rebuild the magic that we experienced and just how incredibly amazing the place we stayed at was. As much as I want to keep this a secret between myself and P, I also want to shout about it from the roof tops and urge everyone who will listen to go and experience what we have been fortunate enough to!

I shall begin....

Monday 25 April 2013:
17:40pm (Local time)

No sooner had we hopped off the plane the differences between the glossy, clean cut Singapore and Lombok Airport stood to order. 40 minutes standing in immigration - consisting of one very jovial man, who seemed more interested talking to his security pal and not at all worried by the gathering queue of hot, tired and hungry people in front of him! We eventually made it through and tiredly collected our bags from the jolting carousel and made our way out.

The arrivals lounge was more like a hot and sticky social club where every man, woman and child you could imagine congregated- everyone trying to grab your attention to tell you something: offerings of taxis, food and accommodation.

Taken from: http://trekkingrinjani.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/how-to-get-to-lombok-from-bali.html 

Horns beeping, men shouting and a lot of very sweaty and tiresome tourists trying to get to their cars. We were greeted by a very smiley man from the hotel who immediately made us feel special and excited about where we were going. . . Getting in to the fridge cool car was like heaven and better still we were presented with a cooler stocked with ice cool water and fresh tropical fruit - compliments of the hotel- to help us through the 1.45 hr car ride ahead....

Driving through the roads of Lombok at dusk was a true experience, people everywhere - most of their transport motor bikes and occasional horse and cart. Random little shops popping up everywhere, selling anything from coconuts, drinks or bamboo furniture to motor parts, Indonesian clothing or ice cream. Mosques that you could hear for about 1/2 a mile before you could see them- something that you urged to happen again and again.  

Women walking along the dusty main road out of Mataram city centre with large buckets of coconuts on their heads - no hands, walking perfected; groups of youths congregating around roundabouts - a usual place to gather for fun our taxi driver tells us. Girls wrapped in saris on the back of bikes- some even riding side saddle; horses cumbersomely pulling tourists along - everywhere you look there are sites not to be missed! 

The uniqueness of this place grapples with your imagination, energy and excitement. From the business to the blackness we went from madness to quiet roads meandering alongside giant tree covered hills - even in the darkness the lush green stuck out suggesting that we were one step closer to our final destination. Less traffic, but still that bizarre scattering of people sat at the side of the road selling things or just chatting in pitch black.

As we climbed up the long twisting  road we could have been in the Welsh country side - if it weren't for the occasional hand built hut where young people again lay - laughing as the light hit their eyes. No sooner had my thoughts been taken to Wales and home my daydream was interrupted by our taxi driver "we are in the jungle.."

We must have been driving up hill, regular snake like twists for about 25 minutes - up and up and up! And then suddenly from nowhere there appeared to be monkeys, hundreds of them, families walking along holding hands, others just sitting on the side of the road eating bananas.... and one in particular eating a chocolate bar! The most human-like monkey's we had ever seen. Slightly concerned that neither of us had had our rabies jabs we decided against a potentially painful photograph experience and drove on. The light completely gone now we were back snaking down- a line or red brake lights in front disappearing around corners just a tunnel of trees and the occasional flash of eyes for immediate friends.

The journey went so quickly in hindsight as there was so much to see, so may changes of scenery: from the busy chaos of the city to the rural tranquility of the paddy fields to the monkeys to the darkness.... we hadn't even begun our holiday yet and already we had seen so much.

And then as the engine of the car slowed down and we turned off the road on to a long unkempt track we were sensed we were here..... Paradise.

Part two to follow!