Surfing life

“Dear passengers, we like to remind you that carrying or trafficking of drugs is a serious crime and results in the penalty of death. Welcome on our flight to Lombok...” A somewhat unusual welcome to a flight, but least they can’t say that it wasn’t made clear.

As we arrive at the airport the usual negotiations start to find a cab to our hotel:

“Where are you going sir?” 
<we give them our destination> 

“I’ll give you a good price! 150K.” 

“We’ll pay 50K.” 

“No sir, I can’t do that.” 

“No problem, we’ll find someone else.” 
<we keep walking while negotiating>

“OK sir! 80K!” 

“OK, where is your car?”

It is quiet at our hotel. There aren’t many guests and there is hardly any sound, except for the wind riffling through the palm trees and the sound of a lost cricket. We drink a beer on the balcony and meet our Australian neighbor who came over for a few days to catch some waves. 

In the morning we rent a motor bike at the hotel. No drivers license is needed, a helmet isn’t required and we just signed paperwork stating there is no insurance whatsoever. “Life is a highway, I want to drive it all night long!” 

We drive over to Selong Belanak beach to rent a surfboard to catch some waves. This place is gorgeous. The sand so white, the water so blue. 

As I’m reading a book about Robert Langdon’s adventures, Koen is signing the paperwork to buy his first house! While sipping from a coconut! Date: Nov 11 2019, Location: Lombok, Indonesia.

We head out to Tanjung Aan, yet another gorgeous beach to relax and take in the surroundings. A kid approaches us to sell us his bracelets. “Mister! I have these beautiful bracelets, want to buy?” As he’s the cutest kid I show some interest. “I sell you for 60K, but this is a negation!”, he starts. We settle on a price and a picture together. 

I wander a bit by myself along the beach listening to piano music. Koen’s decision to purchase a house and my upcoming 35th birthday are triggering some reflections about the past decade in my life: about how Vivian and I decided to move to the United States together - about all the amazing things we got to experience together - about how our 10-year-relationship ended afterwards - how I literally was a ‘citizen of the world’ without a permanent address for 1.5 years - how I travelled across three continents, while typically staying at a place for only one month at a time - how I fell madly in love with Marieke - moved back to the Netherlands  - how that relationship ended - how I decided to stay in ‘s-Hertogenbosch and met so many people by offering Free Hugs. 

Most of all I think about all the lessons I got to learn and about all the beautiful people I got to meet in the process. I’m grateful for all of it. I still got the biggest portion of my life ahead of me and I feel like the world is at my feet.

“Ice cream! Delicious ice cream!”, a beach merchant’s song is taking my mind back to Lombok. Just in time for a beautiful sunset.

The guy at the hotel desk knows a guy who can drive us around the next day. That guy knows a guy who can guide us to the Stokel and Kelambu waterfalls and a boat captain who can take us to our next destination. “If you let me arrange everything you get the local price, that is better than the tourist price. This is Lombok style!”, our driver Raddi tells us. I don’t know if that’s true, but I choose to believe him. It is nice to see how everyone is doing their thing to bring food on the table and helping their friends do the same. 

It is a bit of a hike to the waterfalls, but it is well worth it. The water is nice and refreshing and our guide doesn’t mind snapping loads of pictures. 

After lunch Raddi takes us to his captain friend who takes us to the next chapter of this journey, right off the north west shore of Lombok: Gili Trawangang.