Sunday, March 16, 2025

Today was our last morning on the Norwegian Sun. The ship navigated from Komodo Island to Lombok, Indonesia overnight. For most passengers, Lombok was merely a port stop along the way to the ship’s final destination in Bali. However, we requested to disembark from the ship one day early in Lombok.

Andi and I had always hoped to travel to Indonesia as part of this winter trip with both the islands of Lombok and Bali on our list of destinations. We do plan to go to Bali eventually, but we wanted to spend more than one day in Lombok as the cruise itinerary allowed.

Surprisingly, it was really easy to change our final destination to Lombok. Andi simply asked the ship’s Guest Services if we could depart the ship in Lombok. “No problem,” the woman behind the desk said to us, “but are you absolutely sure?” I’m guessing once the cruise line submits the customs & immigration paperwork to Indonesia, it cannot be changed again. Yes, we were sure, we told the Guest Services employee. Departing the cruise one day early in Lombok would give us a change to explore this island before moving on to another destination in Indonesia.

So, after 15 days aboard the Norwegian Sun, this was it. Today began the next leg of our travels.

The ship didn’t arrive into Lombok until 10:00am, so we had plenty of time this morning to pack our bags and eat one last breakfast in the Garden Cafe buffet. Aden was the most sad to leave the ship I’d say; he loves the lifestyle of cruising and made some great friends over the past two weeks. We were sure to swap information so he and CJ can continue to stay in touch in the future.

Entering into the country of Indonesia was seamless. Andi completed health declaration forms for all of us and submitted our applications for e-VISAs (cost $500,000 Rupiah, or $32 USD/per person) several weeks ago. Then, a super helpful Norwegian Sun employee named Carla took care of all the logistics with the customs & immigration official in Lombok to make sure we were granted entry into the country.

Andi hired a driver named Johnny to pick us up at the cruise port terminal this morning, and drive us to our airbnb rental in Kuta, Lombok. The four of us loaded our backpacks into the back of Johnny’s silver van, and away we went.

Right away, Andi asked Johnny to stop at an ATM and a convenience store so we could buy some cold beverages. All four of us were adjusting to the culture shock in real time — the chaos of motorbikes zooming in and out of traffic, horns honking, chickens and stray dogs running everywhere, and the visible poverty compared to Australia. I could see by Tory’s facial expression that she was freaking out inside. “It’s going to be OK,” I whispered to her, “we’re just here for a few weeks,” but I could tell my words did little to calm her nerves.

As we drove, the four of us gazed out the car windows at the scenery. I captured a thousand beautiful photographs in my mind of Indonesians working in rice fields along the roadway. Dozens of colorful tarps covered the sidewalks with piles of rice drying in the sun. Women stood in the piles and turned the rice over with the bottoms of their feet.

Johnny was great at answering all of our questions as we drove. He must have sensed our interest in rice farming because he stopped the car at one point so we could get out and take a better look. Indonesians grow rice all year long, especially during the wet season as it is now. In Indonesia, rice typically takes 3-4 months from planting to harvest, with some regions achieving multiple harvests per year depending on the rain conditions.

The rural fields of rice were beautiful, and a stark contrast to the dirty, chaotic streets of the nearby towns. We took photos of the rice fields as Johnny crushed one of the stalks between his fingers to reveal a tiny grain of white rice inside. Some farmers use a machine to cut down the rice stalks, while others continue to harvest it by hand. It’s a laborious job. We saw several people walking along the rows with a machete in one hand, and a pile of rice stalks in the other. The fields were wet and muddy; I tried to visualize how a machine could get through the field without getting stuck.

Johnny asked us if we wanted to go to the beach next, but none of us were really up for that at the moment. Aden said he was hungry, and I just wanted to settle into our new accommodations. Andi asked Johnny to suggest some restaurants where we could have lunch. Johnny responded that many of the local warungs (typical Indonesian restaurants) are closed during the daytime because of Ramadan. Muslims are not allowed to eat or drink from sun up to sun down during the month of March.

Instead, Andi suggested Johnny take us to the small village of Kuta, close to where our airbnb is located, to see if we could find a more touristic restaurant for lunch. Twenty minutes later, we arrived at Taku Restaurant & Bar which offered both Western and Indonesian-style foods.

I watched the worried look on Tory’s face relax when she saw the menu — Coca Cola, fresh fruit smoothies, and pizza. She could make this work.

The beach area surrounding the restaurant was so quiet; we were the only customers seated there. I suppose it was a little later in the afternoon, almost 2:00pm now. For lunch, Andi, Aden, and I ordered chicken satay skewers with rice and peanut dipping sauce. Tory ordered herself a small pizza, and we shared an order of spring rolls. Our food was very good, and a nice change to taste some different flavors.

Our airbnb was a 10-minute drive from the restaurant. Andi rented us a villa for the next five nights at a place called Above the Coconuts. The villas were truly above the coconut trees, situated at the top of a steep driveway. Johnny’s van struggled to make it up the hillside, and I wondered how we were going to feel walking up and down the steep driveway during our stay.

The staff at Above the Coconuts warmly greeted us upon our arrival, and swarmed Johnny’s vehicle in an instant to carry our bags up the staircase to our villa. Andi paid Johnny for his time today — 600,000 Indonesian Rupiah ( which converts to $37 USD). The big number amounts are going to take some getting used to! Andi accidentally gave Johnny a 50,000 bill instead of a 500,000 bill. “You’re missing a zero,” Johnny said with a smile. Oops!

The house Andi rented for us this week was open and spacious with floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors overlooking the valley below. This villa has its own swimming pool, and the kids each get their own bedrooms which they were thrilled to discover.

The staff presented each one of us with cool towels to cleanse our hands and faces, and a fresh coconut monogrammed with the villa’s logo. What a warm welcome this was!

The weather is still hot and humid in Lombok, but not quite as unbearable as it was in northern Australia. Still, the kids jumped into the pool to cool themselves off the minute we had the space to ourselves. Tory and Aden swam for at least an hour together while Andi and I unpacked and settled into our new accommodations.

Around 5:00pm, Andi and I decided to check out the gym while Tory and Aden hung out in their bedrooms. Above the Coconuts doesn’t have its own workout area, but it provides free access to XENO gym across the street. We just had to walk down the steep driveway to get there!

XENO is probably the coolest gym setup I’ve ever seen. A huge bamboo roof covers the open-air gym with every kind of fitness equipment imaginable. There’s space for classes, boxing, weight training, treadmills, a rock wall, and gymnastics bars.

Andi and I each did our workouts, and were dripping in sweat by the end. Even with big industrial fans blowing, the air was hot and sticky.

Afterwards, we decided to walk into the main part of Kuta to see about dinner options. The single-lane road was paved, but scooters and cars whizzed by us constantly. There was no sidewalk; only dirt, animal poop, and an excessive amount of trash on the side of the road. Yuck.

Andi and I couldn’t get over how much trash and debris was everywhere. Did Kuta not have a system for garbage removal? They obviously do because we saw trash bins. Andi mentioned that there’d been flooding in Lombok around December — maybe the trash was strewn about during the flooding? We didn’t know for sure, but it was really sad to see such filth and lack of care.

The main crossroads in Kuta was lively with motorbikes zipping each and every way. There were chickens wandering around, kids playing with tin cans on the sidewalk, and even a man leading several cows through the intersection. There were lots of restaurant options to choose from, as well as clothing shops and businesses lining the streets in all directions.

Andi and I decided to walk back to the airbnb & and order food from a delivery service. In hindsight, we should have grabbed something to-go because the food delivery app proved to be cumbersome. Nevertheless, dinner from a restaurant called Treehouse showed up on our villa doorstep around 8:00pm. Interestingly, the man delivered the food by scooter on the honor system. Once Andi paid the driver for the food, he returned to the restaurant to pay for the food.

The four of us shared a variety of foods — chicken sandwich, beet & carrot salad, spring rolls, french fries, and fried rice. We watched an episode of Schitt’s Creek together while we ate; the nearby mosque’s call to prayer blaring outside our villa.

The setting sun did nothing to lessen the air temperature. It was still hot and humid both inside our villa and outside, so we had the sliding glass doors open. Suddenly a creature buzzed and flailed itself around the kitchen and living room. We turned on more lights to discover it was a cricket — the biggest cricket we’d ever seen! It was the size of a bird.

All four of us chased the cricket around the living room, trying our best to shoo it outside to no avail. Finally, Tory determined, “We’re going to have to kill it.” She picked up a shoe and smacked the cricket so hard one of its legs flew clear across the room. “You’ve got some rage hidden inside of you, don’t you?” Andi teased.

Note to self: close the sliding glass doors when the sun goes down to keep the bugs at bay.

I know bugs come with the territory in tropical weather destinations, but it’s going to take some time getting used to it. If a piece of food lays on the countertop for more than a second, ants appear out of nowhere to feast upon it. I squashed a few centipedes the size of my pinkie finger already as they crawled across the living room floor.

At least our bedrooms are air-conditioned, and the bedding is nice and soft. It’ll be nice to sleep tonight without the feeling of the ship rocking to the waves all night long.

Tomorrow is our first full day in Lombok. More to come…