a voyage beyond the straits

i've never experienced any air sickness before until my Garuda Indonesia Boeing 737 flew into an empty pocket of air and hit a turbulance above east java on the way to the island of lombok. there, i felt like somebody was kicking my stomach.

yet, all the miseries went away the minutes i saw the scenery above. a pristine white sandy beach in the city of tanjung overlooking the three famous gili beyond awaited me to be discovered.

medana beach, as the locals called it, is nothing compare to the well known kuta beach or jimbaran bay. but, the only thing i didn't find in those two beautiful beaches was the serenity of the atmosphere around. bali is too cosmopolitan for the people who are seeking a serene gateaway.

lombok is what bali used to be years ago. staying in one of the most beautiful resorts, you are to forget the bustling life you have. in other words, you are forced to do nothing except enjoying the panoramas in front of you. in bali, there are places you can enjoy your night away when you are bored inside. in the city of tanjung, lombok, the modest nightlife of mataram or ampenan is an hour away through a winding road of a monkey forest.

ah, lombok. the island beyond bali. i went there in 1988 and seventeen years later, we met again.