The journey down to Bali from Bromo was first by Bemo, then i had a ferry from Ketapang to Gilimanuk, on the north west of Bali. I had brought a bulk ticket for this whole journey from a agent back in Yogyakarta, along with a few other travelers.

I arrived at Ketapang 13hrs after first waking to see Bromo that morning. I was tiered and in need of a good nights sleep, but the journey was not over yet. I still had to cross by ferry to Bali, and then onto Lovina, I had to wait for around an hour before the ferry left. The boat had some wooden seats on the 1st deck, which was very hot and humid, so i moved up on to the top deck which was open aired and had a nice sea breeze, although there were no seats here, so i made do with the floor for the short crossing. Once i arrived in Ketapang i walked through the car deck to exit the boat and walked to the terminal, where there should have been the final link to my journey waiting to pick me up, this being another bemo that was part of the package. I was joined in my search by two Australian guys and a couple from Germany, who also had the same deal as me and were heading for Lovina.After an hour or so of waiting and being led on many a wild goose chase, it came clear that there was no bemo waiting for us , and further more that there would not be one. Or at least not one that did not require further payment. So we had all been fleeced on this final leg of the long journey. So as we were all heading to the same place i suggested that we hire d the services of another private bemo and split the cost. This being done we was on our way, Well at least we was once we push started the vehicle. It was now getting late and i was concerned that once i reached Lovina that there would be no accommodation available, or that the desks would be closed. So i decided to phone ahead and book a room at a hotel i found in my guide book. The hotel had one room left which i booked. This started a mad panic amongst the others in my bemo, who also grabbed their phones and tried to find rooms, all of which managed to do so but not with as much ease as i had. Some hotels were full and others would just not answer their phones. The drive took further 2hrs, before we arrived in Lovina. The Bemo dropped me at my hotel 1st, where i was met by the staff who took my bags from me to take to my room while i signed in. I was also given a welcome drink of fruit juice. Then i was shown to my room which was on the 1st floor facing the garden area. I had a nice seating area outside, with a table and chairs. Inside the room was large, with a double bed, AC, and a shower room. I also had cable TV and a mini bar. The hotel had a sister hotel next door, which was a five star resort with a spa and swimming pool, this was all free for my use too. It was almost midnight now and i had been up 20hrs so i had a quick meal at my hotel restaurant and then called it a night.

The next day i woke felling fresh after a good nights sleep in a good bed. I had breakfast which was part of the deal. Then i decided to explore the area, but the hotel was a mile from the town, so i rented a motorcycle. I traveled along JI raya Lovina rd, which runs around the north coast of Bali. I rode into the town and onto a smaller road that runs next to the beach for 500m or so. Here there were many bars and restaurants, but also there was many hawkers selling sunglasses, hats, towels, necklaces and watches. The beach was very quiet, with just a few people sunbathing and no one was in the calm sea, except those that were taking part in the water sports offered here. I turned the bike back around and made my way to a town called Brahma Vihara Arama where there is a Buddhist monastery. Here i could see down over the fields below and over to the sea. The building itself was quite nice and well worth the ride, but it would be very hard to reach if i did not have the bike. I left here and headed a further 3 mile and to Air Panas Banjar, which is a collection of hot springs. The road up there was through a small village and then up a steep gravel road, past paddy fields and another Buddhist Monastery, then the road narrowed and there were small huts on either side of me with people selling T-shirts and shorts, amongst other Bali orientated merchandise.At the end of the road there was a small carpark that was full and there was a smaller area for the bikes. I paid at a small kiosk on my way through, parked the bike and made my way down over a river to the springs. They consisted of one large pool, that could be swam in, behind and up one level was a smaller pool, with flowing water, below and to the right of both these there was a third pool that was just a large plunge pool. To the left of the pools and elevated above them on a platform was a restaurant, and behind this was the changing rooms and spa treatment area. The whole area was set amongst the forest of palms . I spent a couple of hours here just relaxing in the warm water, then i jumped back on the bike and traveled east along the north coast, i passed several towns along the way and was able to keep the sea in sight to my left for most of the ride, occasionally i turned down small dirt tracks to find isolated beaches with not a sole in sight. The traffic on the main road was very quiet which made for a great 4hrs of riding, through the hills and forests. I returned to Lovina at 18.00, in time to return the bike. After this i walked down to a small bar on the beach and had a cool Bintang. Later that night i jumped on a Ojek and went back into town for dinner and a couple more Bintangs at a small bar run bar a ex-pat from Yorkshire.

The next two days i just spent relaxing around the pool at the sister hotel, which was needed after constantly moving around whilst traveling through Java.

I left Lovina by Bemo for the well known resort of Kuta, this has to be the most visited area in Indonesia. Its renowned for its surf breaks and its nightlife also. The Bemo dropped me off on JI Legian, where the majority of the shops and and the bars are. Off to the side of this main street are poppies 1 & 2, these are the main backpacker area's where you can get a bed for under 4 GBP, at the time of my visit however these were all full, being the peak season for kuta, which is invaded by the Australians during these months of the year. So with this option out for me i had to walk a short distance back up the main road to JI Melasti and i found a nice hotel here, where i was given a villa for the price of a single room, which was 6 GBP. The villa had a living room down stairs, there was a small kitchen also attached to this, behind here was a door that led to a open aired bathroom, with a rain shower and also a bath. Back into the living room there were stairs that led to a large double room and from here there was a balcony that over looked the pool.

That night i made my way to a bar that i knew from a previous visit and where i was friendly with the staff. I walked in and was recognized straight away by both the staff and the ex pats that drink here. Not much had changed since my last visit the year before, the same guys were sat on the same seats and the same music was being played. I was good friends with one of the bar staff there, but it was her day off on this day, so i phoned her and she came straight over to the bar to meet me. We went out for dinner and then went back to the bar where we spent the rest of the night catching up on what had been going on.When i wasthere the year before Tia had brought me a birthday cake and a present, which just goes to show just how friendly the Indonesians are.

The next day i woke with a slight sore head, but managed to have breakfast and make it down onto the beach for a couple of hours. I hired a body board and was trying to catch some of the big waves, the surfers here are pretty good and whilst i was out there i could see many of them catch some huge waves that must have been at least 9 or10ft, and that were rolling with some perfect tubes. After a couple of hours here i was worn out and headed back to the hotel by walking up through the small gangs. I stopped at a restaurant on the way called the balcony, this is a well known surf hang out, but i went there to meet another waitress that i knew from last year, unfortunately it was her day off also, so i headed back to the hotel and got some rest. That night i went out to a area called Seminyak which is known for the nightlifebeing a little bit more upper class than that of Kuta. Here i went to a few bars then onto a club called double six, which is one of Bali's premier clubs, that has a beachfront view and even a swimming pool. It was packed with many locals and not to many tourists, which is what i wanted. I stayed here until it closed around 06.00.

The next afternoon i rented a motorcycle and traveled over to Dreamland, this has to be the most famous surf spot in Bali. Its a cove with a really nice area of cafes that front out to the surf. The waves were way to big here for me to even think about trying with a surf of body board, so i just sat at one of the chilled out cafes and had diner and watched as the sun went down. That night i went back to the balcony restaurant and met my friend, who was luckily working the late shift, I stayed here until she finished, and then we went out to play some pool at a local bar. She can speak perfect English and she has traveled to Australia, which is a luxury for the Indonesians, but this also meant that she knows how to play pool and play with the same cheating rules as the Aussies, But i managed to just about beat her. She gave me a lift back to my hotel that night, and in the Morning she came back and picked me up to take me to her Village, so i could meet her family and as it turned out the whole community. The Village was very small with around 40 houses. Her house consisted of a small Family room, where they would sit and take shade during the day, it is also where they would prepare the food and cook on a small gas stove. From here there was two smaller rooms that are used as the bedrooms, the bathroom is outside, and is very basic with no plumbing, the shower is a small area that they have walled with corrugated metal sheets, they have a large tub in here, where they scoop out cold water with a smaller tub, and shower in this way.I was introduced to he neighbors and then she took me back to Kuta, as she had to start work again.

I was leaving the next day so i walked to say goodbye to all at the bar. Therewas a party on that night for one of the regulars birthday, so i stopped here for a few hours more than i should have as by the time i got back to the hotel, i only had two hours sleep before i was due to be picked up for my journey down to the port town of Padangbai. From here i was catching the local ferry over to Lembar on Lombok.

The trip down took 2 hours as the traffic was terrible, and we also had a small problem, when the back door of the van burst open and some of the luggage flew out the back and onto the road. Luckily for me my backpack was still sat nicely in the in the back, but many of the other passengers had to run from the van and collect their bags before it was crushed by the on coming traffic. One French guy lost his Guitar out the back and it was found literally sat under a truck, but had escaped being hit by the wheels. Although i was happy for him that it survived, i was not happy that he decided once back on the van, that it would be a great time to sit for the rest of the journey playing the thing. ( i have grown to dislike travelers with guitars, as they normally only know two tunes that they play over and over again, and they also seem to be under the disillusion that everyone really likes them playing ). He was no exception, and by the time we reached the port, i think that everyoneincluding his own girlfriend, had wished the Guitar had been smashed into little pieces under the truck. I decided that if he was sat next to me on the boat, and if he continued to play that it would be my duty to undertake a little experiment, and see just how well Guitars float.

The Guitar survived the ferry crossing to play another day.

The crossing took 4 hours, which gave me time to catch up on a little sleep. At the other end i was met by another small van for a transfer over to the town of Senggigi, on the west Coast of Lombok.

Senggigi is a small town on the coast with some of the best beaches that i have ever seen, there is a mix of small cheap accommodation and a few luxury hotels. I stayed at a budget hotel called hotel Elen. This has very basic rooms facing a small courtyard. The room was equipped with a celling fan only, but i got a double bed and a cold water shower.

By the time i had checked in and took a shower i had just enough time to head out for some food at a restaurant that faced the sea, and then i used the internet and called it a night.

The next day i hired out a motorcycle again and took the coast road heading north. As soon as i left the town behind me the road climbed steeply, and hugged the hillside that fell into the ocean below. The roads were very quiet, except for a few other bikes, this made for a enjoyable ride. I passed many deserted beaches that could only be accessed from the sea, they were perfect palm fringed white sand, with crystal clear water. I rode through small villages, where the houses were made from bamboo and that had thatched roofs. Every house or stall that i rode past, i would be greetedwith a wave and a hello mister. After an hour of riding i came to a small area where there was a dirt track heading to the sea, i turned off and followed this, it led to a amazing beach, and one that stretched for at least two miles, but the whole of this was empty, except for one fisherman tending to his nets on a small boat. I parked the bike up under the shade of a tamarind tree, and dived into the turquoise water, it was a perfect escape from the blistering heat. The water was so clear that i could see without a mask, fish swimming below me and the colours of the fringing coral. I think that this has to be a close to a tropical paradise as it can get. After an hour or so here i hopped back on the bike and continued north, it was not long before i came to a town called Bangsal, which is one of the main gateways for a local boat shuttle to the three Gili islands that lay just a mile or so of the coast. Once in Bangsal i found a road that branched off, away from the coast and up into the hills and forest. I followed this for 5m and then came upon a tiny town, where istopped to buy some fuel for the bike. Petrol stations are few on the island, so fuel is brought from stalls and small shops that are found everywhere. I stopped at a small shop that is more like a small hut, that not only sells the fuel but has a tiny selection of sweets, drinks, and cigarettes. The owner came out and greeted me with the usual hello mister, and i told him that i wanted the bike filled up. He did this and invited me to sit with him for a Kopi (coffee), I gladly excepted his offer and sat outside his hut on a crate, drinking the strong coffee. I realized that i had become a bit of a crowed puller,as i looked around i see that everyone had come out of their houses and were standing in the street watching me. It was clear that they don't get many tourists in this part of Lombok, and that for some of the children it was their first sighting of a westerner. After drinking my kopi, and trying to find a way of communicating in some way with the owner for 10 minuets, it was time for me to head back to Senggigi . As i pulled out of the Village all the residents stood and waved me off, and some children run down the road after me.

That night i went out to a restaurant where i met a local girl who said she would show me around that night and take me to the clubs that the locals go, as opposed to the tourists.

We ended up atclub 69, it was a small dive of a joint, but it played good music and the drinks were very cheap. The locals were very friendly but i think they were a little surprised to see me there. I left here around 03.00 and made my way back to the hotel, i would be leaving Lombok the next day and making my way to Flores.