AYGMyJune2015

Reef deep, volcano

high: Lombok is

an island of rustic

charm, tradition

and mystique

By MaRie BaRBieRi

My creaky joints and chilly feet limber up as

the plane finally halts in Lombok. But quick to

sooth my airborne ailments is a smile the width

of Indonesia itself, charting the welcoming face

of Hassan, my guide.

It’s dusk on the coastal road as we drive past

cliff-top sunset lookout points. Bathed in molten

gold, they come shadowed by silhouetted heads

lining up camera lenses. Super-chatty Hassan,

brims with pride: “Lombok, slightly smaller than

Bali, is like the ‘old’ Bali,“ he tells me. “And it’s

known as ‘the island of a thousand mosques’.”

Arriving at Puri Mas Beach Resort, another

genuine smile appears to meet me, offering me

a thirst-quenching mocktail encased within a fresh

pineapple. Apparently it’s a secret recipe that’s

been given to the resort’s guests for over 25 years!

My taste buds certainly understand why.

Having settled into my jacuzzi villa with private

plunge pool, I stroll around the lush grounds, where

statues peep from the foliage. I reach the intimate

yoga and meditation garden, and keep it all to

myself until the sky changes hue.

Later, upon slipping into a beachside cabana,

I realise I’ve reached a mystical place. Framing it

in the distance is Mount Agung, Bali’s volcanic

crown, bathed in mist. The languid lap of wavelets

carrying steamy night air infuses my meditation.

Gili time

A group of hyper-excited children clamber through

the shallows to our outrigger boat at Teluk Kodek

Harbour. One shows me his broken model boat,

but his smile is beautifully intact. Waving wildly,

their faces fade as we head for the Gili islands.

Our snorkel guide Agus, from Bagus Divers,

tells us about the 3500 marine species that litter

Lombok’s three northwestern islands: Gili Air, Gili

Meno and Gili Trawangan. Indonesia comprises

17,500 islands (the world’s largest archipelago),

claiming 75 per cent of the world’s coral species.

With snorkels in mouths and eyes behind masks,

lush, languid Lombok

86

may/june 2015

yogajournal.com.au

experience

travel

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