Ulla kirjutab maast ja ilmast: Kolm aktiivset p2eva Lombokil // Three active days in Lombok

Kui meie lend Kuala Lumpurist hilis6htul Balile j6udis, ei olnud meil aega paljuks muuks kui kiireks 6htus88giks ja hostelisse magama minekuks, kuna j2rgmisel p2eval pidime me kell viis hommikul yles 2rkama, et bussi ja laevaga naabersaarele Lombokile s6ita.

Kui Bali on yks maailma kuulsamaid turismisihtkohti, on Lombok (mis on vaid lyhikese laevas6idu kaugusel) oma kuulsama naabri k6rval kuni viimase ajani ysna tundmatuks j22nud (kui v2lja arvata Lomboki ranniku22rsed kolm v2ikest Gili saart, mis on populaarsed olnud juba kymneid aastaid). Lomboki turismikultuuri aeglane areng on kergesti n2htav kui vaadata peamisest turismilinnast, l22neranniku Senggigist, v2ljaspoole - kus turismi2risid on v2ga piiratus koguses. Me ise olime enda majutuse broneerinud Senggigisse, kust saaksime Lombokit avastada enne Gili saartele minemist.

Veedetud aeg Lombokis oli meie senise reisi ilmselt k6ige aktiivsem periood, ja me olime oma seal veedetud p2evadega v2ga rahul. P2rast l6unauinakut et eelmise 88 unev6lga tasa teha (siestade pidamine on meil siinses kliimas ysna harjumusp2raseks muutunud), l2ksime me Senggigit avastama. Asula asetseb peatee ymber, mille kummalgi pool on kyllaga restorane, hotelle ja turismi2risid. Peatee oli v6rdlemisi rahulik (eriti p2rast Sri Lankal kogetut!), kuna liiklust on Lombokil yleyldse v2he - busse ja rekkasid ei ole siin peaaegu yldse, seevastu on siin terve meri mopeede (neid v2ikese v6imsusega motikaid), mis on siin absoluutselt k6ige olulisem liiklusvahend.

Me l2ksime yhtlasi ka Senggigi randa ujuma ja jalutama. Rand oli v2ga vaikne, v2heste inimestega, ning merevesi n2is v2ga kutsuv v2lja. Kui me sisse l2ksime, saime me aga halva yllatuse osalisteks - vesi oli prygi t2is. Plastik, pudelid, vanad kalav6rgud jms. Igal pool olid v2ikesed veealused prygihunnikud. Ilmselgelt j2tsime me oma supluse lyhikeseks. Igal pool olev prygi on tegelikult olnud yks meie senise reisi ebameeldivamaid osasid. Olukord on olnud sama nii siin kui Sri Lankal - inimesed viskavad prygi kuhu juhtub, sealhulgas omaenda koduaeda. Sedasorti l2henemine muutub m6istetavamaks kui m2rgata, et prygikaste ei ole mitte kuskil, v2lja arvatud suuremates linnades ja asulates. V2iksemate kylade ja maakohtade inimestel ei olegi mitte mingit v6imalust oma prygist lahti saada, seet6ttu ei saa ka neid hukka m6ista kui nad selle lihtsalt maha viskavad. Tahes-tahtmata ei saa me lahti kurvast ja vastikust tundest, kui n2eme muidu kauneid kohti reostatutena, ning raske on m6ista kuidas kohalikele ei ole vastukarva prygi sees elada ja lasta oma lastel seal m2ngida. Kuid kui nad ei ole kunagi mingit alternatiivi n2inud, ei olegi imekspandav et nad ei tegele valitsusele surve avaldamisega et nad olukorda parandaks (aga kes teab, ehk tegelevadki, aga 2kki lihtsalt valitsevale klassile ei ole sellest teemast sooja ega kylma). Ma lugesin kyll kohalikust ajakirjast Lomboki l6unarannikul kohaliku kogukonna poolt organiseeritud (kyll v2lismaalaste eesvedamisel, aga siiski) rannapuhastamise initsiatiivist. Loodetavasti on sellised yritused kohalikele pretsedendiks ning eeskujuks, et julgeda olukord oma k2tesse v6tta, kui valitsusele loota ei saa.

P2rast m6nev6rra ebameeldivat suplust saime me rannas nautida v6imsat 2ikesetormi Bali kohal. Vihmaperiood algab Indoneesias tavaliselt detsembri l6pus, ent sel aastal on see paar n2dalat varem saabunud, mist6ttu on enamus meie p2evadest siin olnud pilves ja kohati vihmased, ja yhtlasi oleme me saanud n2ha peaaegu igal 6htul troopilisi 2ikesetorme, mis on p2ris lahe olnud. P2ike on siinsel laiuskraadil nii tugev, et pilves ilm on tegelikult p2ris meeldiv.

J2rgmisel p2eval rentisime me mopeedi (absurdse 3 euro eest). Kumbki meist polnud varem kunagi mopeediga s6itnud (ka Paolo mitte, vaatamata sellele, et ta Roomas yles kasvanud on), seega oli s6it ise juba paras kogemus. Paolo juhtis ning leidis s6itmise olevat lihtne ja meeldiv, eriti siinse v2hese liiklusega. M88da Lomboki rannikut p6hja poole s6ita oli puhas lust ning vaated olid imekaunid. Me peatusime ilusas lahes et ujuda, ning olime rannas peaaegu ihuyksi. P2rast veel veidi ringi s6itmist, peatusime me kohalikus kohas l6unas88giks, kus pidime oma soovid kehakeele abil teatavaks tegema, kuna turismitsoonist v2ljaspool inglise keelega enam hakkama ei saa. Seej2rel s6itsime veidi sisemaa suunas, et yhte koske n2ha, ja pidimegi juba tagasi Senggigi poole s6itma, et ei peaks pimedas s6itma. Mopeedis6it oli ylil6bus - h2sti kulutatud kolm eurot!

J2rgmiseks p2evaks oli Paolo meid maastikurattas6idule broneerinud. Ma ise ei ole suur maastikurattas6idu armastaja (kuna ma olen argpyks ja kardan kiiresti allam2ge s6itmist), aga meile kinnitati, et tegemist ei ole 'p2ris' maastikurattas6iduga, vaid et reaalsuses s6idame me lihtsalt m88da kruusateid. Ytleme nii, et see ei vastanud p2ris t6ele! Meie autojuht ja giid v6tsid meid hommikul peale et alguspunkti s6ita, ning esimesed 10 minutit s6itu olid v2ga meeldivad, ent seej2rel halvenes olukord kiiresti. Juba niisama maastikurattaga ylesm2ge s6ita on kurnav tegevus, ent s6it 30-kraadises kuumuses ja niiskuses, p2ike pealaele paistmas on midagi sellist, mida ma varem polnud kogenud. Nii Paolo kui ma ise olime juba p2rast esimest 15st minutit n2ost punased ja yleni higised. Giid tundus t2itsa meie yle muret tundvat haha. P2rast veel ylesm2ge s6itmist hakkasime me alla minema, mis oli minu jaoks veel hirmsam! Tegemist oli t2iesti 'p2ris' maastikuratta radadega, mis olid v2ga j2rsud, kitsad ja mudased, ning mul polnud aimugi kuidas nendest alla s6ita. Kogu aja m6tlesin ma ainult sellele, et meie tervisekindlustus ei kata ekstreemspordi ajal saadud vigastusi haha. Samal ajal kui mina selliste asjade yle pabistasin, oli Paolol l6bu laialt ning tema nautis t2iel rinnal rattas6itu Indoneesia dzunglis. Kui ma siiski l6puks elusa ja tervena alla j6udsin, l2ksime me kohe teisele raundile. 6nneks oli see v2hem hirmu2ratavam, ning retke l6puks s6itsime me juba lamedatel kylade- ja riisip6ldude vahelistel radadal - mis oli l6puks ka mulle meeldiv. Retke l6pus otsustasime me tagasis6iduks autot mitte kasutada ning 10-kilomeetrise distantsi ise jalgratastega s6ita. J2llegi, Lomboki rahuliku liiklusega, oli see v2ga meeldiv tegevus. Retke l6puks olime me aga m6lemad omadega t2iesti l2bi. Mitte ainult fyysilise pingutuse, vaid eelk6ige suure kuumuse t6ttu. Siinses kliimas on karmima spordi tegemine ikka t2iesti meeletu ning ma pole kindel, et ma seda veelkord prooviks.

Me taastusime hommikusest pingutusest j2rjekordse l6unauinakuga ning seej2rel v6tsime me siinsetest taskukohastest massaazhihindadest viimast, lepitades oma kehasid l66gastava mudimisega, tasakaalustamaks nende varasemat kuritarvitamist.

Sellega saigi meie Senggigis veedetud aeg l2bi. J2rgmisel p2eval s6itsime me laevaga Gili Airile, yhele kuulsatest Gili saartest Lomboki looderanniku l2hedal. Siin veedame me viis p2eva ning j2rgmisel korral kirjutan sellest, kuidas me siin aega veedame.

(Pildid nagu ikka p2rast inglisekeelset teksti)

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After our plane from Kuala Lumpur arrived in Bali airport in the late evening, we didn't have time to do anything more than to have a quick dinner and go to sleep in our hostel, since the next day we had a very early wakeup at 5am to catch a shuttle and a ferry to Lombok, the neighbouring island.

While Bali is one of the most famous tourism destinations in the world, Lombok (which is only a quick boat ride away) has gone largely unnoticed by tourists until recently - with the exception of the three small Gili islands off the coast of Lombok, which have been a top destination for decades. The slow arrival of tourism in mainland Lombok is quite evident, with there being few services for visitors outside of the main tourism town of Senggigi on the Western coast. We had booked to stay in Senggigi for three nights to explore Lombok before heading to the Gili islands.

Our time in Lombok was probably the most active and full-on few days we have had so far, and we really loved being there. After an afternoon nap (we are having a lot of these here lol) to make up for the lack of sleep the night before, we walked around Senggigi a bit. The town is concentrated along the main road, with restaurants and hotels and tour providers on either side. The road was quite quiet (especially in comparison to Sri Lanka), since there isn't that much traffic on the island - next to no buses or lorries, the majority of the traffic is instead made up of of scooters. Everyone here has a scooter and it is absolutely the main mode of transport.

We also went for a walk and a swim on Senggigi beach. The beach was very quiet, with very few people there, and the water looked very inviting. When we went in, though, we got an unpleasant surprise - the water was full of rubbish. Plastic, bottles, old fishing nets. There were little underwater clusters of rubbish everywhere. Needless to say, we got out of the water pretty quickly. The constant rubbish everywhere has actually been one of the less pleasant aspects of our trip so far. It has been the same here and in Sri Lanka - people throw rubbish wherever, up to and including in their own back garden. This kind of attitude is understandable, however, when realising that there are absolutely no bins anywhere, apart from major cities and bigger towns. The people in the countryside or in smaller villages have no means of getting rid of their waste, so you can't judge them too hard when they just throw it on the ground. We can't help but feel sad and disgusted though, when otherwise beautiful places are just covered in plastic and other waste, and it is astonishing how the locals are not bothered about living and letting their kids play among rubbish. But if they've never known any other alternative, no wonder that they are not lobbying their government to fix it (or who knows, maybe they are, and perhaps the people at the top just can't be bothered with things like that). I did read about a community-organised (led by expats, but still) beach cleanup initiative in Southern Lombok, so hopefully these kinds of activities will set a precedent to inspire locals to take matters into their own hands if they can't rely on their government to do so.

After the somewhat unpleasant dip in the sea, we were treated to a cool view of a thunderstorm near Bali, which was visible from the beach. The rainy season in Indonesia usually starts in the end of December, but this year it has arrived a few weeks early, and the days here have mostly been cloudy with some rain, and we have seen quite a few tropical storms, which has been pretty cool. The sun is hardcore enough here that an overcast sky is actually quite pleasant.

The following day, we rented a scooter (for a ridiculous 3 EUR per day). Neither of us had never ridden a scooter before (not even Paolo, despite him having grown up in Rome), so it was an experience in itself to ride around on one. Paolo rode, and found it quite easy, especially considering the very sparse traffic. It was a joy to ride along the coast towards the north of Lombok, and to take in all the beautiful views. We stopped at a beautiful bay for a swim and a rest, and we had the whole beach nearly to ourselves. We then rode around some more, stopped for a very spicy lunch at a local place where the people did not speak a word of English and we had to make ourselves understood using only body language, which was fun! We then rode inland a bit to see a beautiful waterfall, after which we turned back toward Senggigi for a rest and some dinner. Riding around was lots of fun - 3 EUR definitely well spent!

For the following day, Paolo had booked us onto a cycling trip on mountain bikes. I'm not really that into mountainbiking (since I'm a bit of a wuss and scared of going downhill fast), but we had been assured that it would not be real mountainbiking, but instead just cycling on off-road paths. Well, I was about to be in for a surprise! We were picked up by our driver and guide in the morning, and we started cycling along with him and two other stewards. At first pleasant, the trip very soon became torture. The physical effort of going uphill on a mountainbike is already quite grueling, but to do so in 30 degree heat and extreme humidity, with the sun shining on you is really something I had never experienced before. Both Paolo and I were red in the face and sweating like crazy after just 15 minutes. The guide started to look worried very fast lol. After some more uphill, we started our downhill path, which for me was terrifying! Proper MTB downhill narrow, muddy tracks, and me not knowing at all what to do. And all the time thinking that our insurance won't cover any injuries sustained doing extreme sports! :D While I was worrying about things like that, Paolo was having a time of his life, beaming with joy at the opportunity of cycling in Indonesia. I did finally make it down, alive and unhurt, and we then went for round two. Luckily it was a bit less terrifying than the start, and by the end of the trip, we were cycling along flat country roads among rice paddies and small villages - definitely my favourite part! We then opted to skip the minibus transfer back to our hotel and instead cycle the 10km back along the main road. Again, with the calm traffic of Lombok, this was very pleasant. By the end of it all though, we were absolutely exhausted. Not only tired from the physical exertion, but mainly from the extreme heat of the day. Strenuous sport in this climate is just mental, and I'm not sure I would do it again.

We recovered from the stress of the morning by having another afternoon nap, and then taking advantage of the very affordable massage prices, we both got a soothing rub to reconcile with our bodies, after having put them through hell earlier.

And that was it for our time in Senggigi. The next day we took a boat to Gili Air, one of the famous Gili Islands off the northwestern coast of Lombok. We will spend five nights here, and I'll write about our time here in the next post.