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Mischief - Mischief Blog "Lovely Lombok" 11th September - 16th September 2018



Lombok's infamous barrel wave picked Mischief up and guided her into Gili Gede, just a little too enthusiastically for Mabel's liking. The things she had neatly stowed for the passage were thrown onto the floor, including the skipper who was awaken unceremoniously from his slumber in the cockpit.

Secret resort, very easy to find and so not so aptly named, was to be our base just around the corner from the marina. Peter the elderly American owner was very accommodating and happy to share the islands history with those willing to listen. The new yacht club was hurriedly finished and made ready for the ARC prize giving party which became very lively after Josh from Mad Monkey took control of the music and ensured nobody had an early night. Cheers Josh. Woohoo We're the Monkey's!!!

Road Trip on Lombok to Rinjani and Kuta.

A crew breakfast overlooking the pearl farm and islands off Lombok was a great way to start the trip, followed by a quick shopping expedition in the main town. Highlight of the journey to Rinjani, the highest volcano on Lombok was the monkey forest, these little creatures are considered sacred by the monks of the temple where the animals roam. They squabbled over the grains of rice, that were being fed to them and every now and then despite the audience the alpha male would service a female as she strolled by. There was no courtship or romance in this act, more "sniff, smash and grab"

Next, to give the crew a good dinner party tale were the traditional weavers of Lombok, who lived in a typical Indonesian village. We were welcomed by a guide who showed us around the village, of which he was clearly very proud. The woven pieces were worked on by the women of the village, who sat all day in a weird, wooden, contraption that helped to support them as they created the fabrics. Looked more like a medieval torture method to me. Many of the ladies wore the scars of a hard life weaving whilst their husbands farmed the land. Their wrinkled faces and lack of teeth showed the years of toil, yet they still had bright smiles that highlighted the black substances that they chewed with their less than "pearly whites". in fact there weren't many at all. Wendy's fastidious nature was horrified when she heard the floor that we stood on in bare feet was constructed from dried Buffalo dung!!!!

Then.......came the delightful views of Rinjani as we arrived at out home for the night. A group of Hobbit houses set in the paddy fields with a back drop of the huge volcano. Stunning. Gun and his sister were our hosts for the night and what a night. Sun downers on the thatched terrace as we sunk into the relaxing bean bags, then delicious food cooked by Guns sister. After dinner our host and his assistant brought out guitars and a drum and entertained us with songs that we could all sing along to murdering the musical excellence of the duo. Such a great night. The Hobbit or Wendy houses were not quite 5 star but what they lacked in sumptuous luxury they gained in charm. Wendy and Dave who were hoping for a quiet night in the romantic setting discovered that their love nest was in fact an ants nest, the still waters of the paddy fields were a home to singing frogs and the cicada were determined not to be out done by either, rubbed their back legs into a cacophony of sound. Ssssh don't mention the huge, female Golden Orb spider that lurked in the shrubs. The itchy, noisy night was brought to an abrupt end at 4am when the call to prayer was echoed across the paddy fields. Mark and I had no choice but to wake early and so took off for a walk at first light. The countryside was beautiful, waterfalls, little farms and a monkey forest, although none were sighted and then to top it all Mark noticed a coffee shop. Not as we know it. A collection of huts, that housed families just rousing for the day. They were overjoyed to serve us coffee in a tiny glass cup and saucer that my grandmother would have had in her less than contemporary coffee set. The coffee was not quite a latte in a take away cup!!!! In fact mine had to be eaten as our barrista had generously filled the cup with coffee granules and only added very little water. All for 20p each!!!!!
Our driver arrived early and drove us to Kuta, beaches,fishermen and lovely accommodation with a swimming pool. Wendy and Dave decided to relax in the spa and Mark and I joined up with Mike and Sharon to go on a road trip to the beach by moped. Dave and Wendy's massage was not in the usual spa setting but conducted in their hotel room side by side. The pedicure that Wendy booked turned into a foot butchering session that has ensured she will not need to trim her nails for some months. The beautician removed most of her nails making one bleed!

Our road trip took us to a huge sandy empty beach where we bartered with the local children for bracelets, drunk tea and swam in the calm waters while watching the reef break out to sea that the surfers were enjoying that morning before the tide receded.

The fruit market on the way back to the boat was so much fun. Local produce was displayed on the ground with the stall holders or floor holders all haggling for the best price. 5 melons for 20p, all rotten and had to be thrown away but worth every penny to experience these warm, friendly people at work.

Well Lombok thank you so so much, how sad that the tourists have stopped coming. Since the earthquake we were the only tourists seen at our resort in the shadow of Rinjani. The beaches in Kuta are empty. Full bookings were down to none. How will they survive? Good call not to cancel the stop over World ARC, so pleased we went. We love it!!!!

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