Lombok 29th March-2nd April

After spending two days in Bali planning the safest way to get to Lombok, we boarded a Garuda plane for the 22 minute flight.We giggled as the cabin crew announced, ten minutes into the flight, that it was safe to leave your seat and use your laptop, only to switch the seat beat sign back on four minutes later as we were about to land. Relieved to have landed safety, we were collected by our hotel and whisked to our accommodation.The place was beautiful and, unknown to Charlotte when she booked the hotel, its restaurant was one of the best in Bali and Lombok, so every meal was a real treat.

We didn't do much although we decided to hire a car and explore the island. This was easily arranged and we planned our itinerary. Unfortunately no one on Lombok seemed to have a map, including the car hire company, and road signs were rare. As a result navigating the island was not easy and Charlotte soon became efficient at doing u-turns. I had warned Charlotte that the police might be keen to 'fine' us for a minor traffic offence, like their counterparts on Bali. We tested my theory after accidentally missing a red light and breaking so the car was over the white stop line. As soon as the offence occurred we looked ahead to see a policeman waving us into the side of the road! We produced all the required documents and Charlotte clung to her driving licence while the officer checked it. As the policeman tried to explain the offence he took a shine to Charlotte and we were quickly back on the road with just a warning to drive 'slowly, slowly' and no fine paid.

The time flew by and we were sad to leave Lombok. The hotel - number one on Trip Advisor- and island are highly recommended.