Kuta, Lombok

I feel a change in the group dynamic today. Those of us continuing on from Bali are keeping our distance from the toxic Canadian couple, and the other woman involved in the spat a few nights ago is no longer with us. Perhaps we can get through this part of the tour without tension, just like normal adults.

Lombok is significantly different from Bali. Predominantly Muslim, it is also more conservative. There is more petty crime here as well – purse-snatching, etc. Not high by Western standards but it is almost unheard of on Bali, so a little more awareness is recommended. We are in Kuta, Lombok which is quiet and laid back, the antithesis of Kuta, Bali which Sandi says is so changed by tourism so as not to be Balinese anymore.

It was already 32C at 9 am. After a yummy breakfast of turmeric and roasted apple French toast, fellow traveller Veronica and I ventured in to town which our guide says resembles the Ubud of 30 years ago. It feels familiar, similar in many ways to certain parts of India. It is also unbearably hot, so our shopping excursion didn’t last long. 

Next, a dip in the ocean now that my feet are feeling better. The water was a little murky due to the rising tide but heavenly nonetheless. Didn’t spend long at the beach; it feels like what I imagine the inside of a microwave to be like. Liz said the feel-like temperature is 48C. 

So I am plunked under a tree in front of the hotel pool. Water is cool. Blessedly Canadian cool. 😎