Most Helpful Items:
– Power Strip: Essential for charging all your devices.
– Hair Dryer: Be cautious—mine tripped the circuit breaker in Lombok! 😕
– Nail Clippers: Perfect for quick touch-ups on the go.
– Prescription Diving Mask: A must-have if you’re using sunscreen in Nusa Penida, as public ones aren’t provided.
🥺
– Work Gloves & Safety Shoes: Ideal for exploring volcanoes and waterfalls. If you’re renting a motorbike, the gloves are especially life-saving!
– Unloved Long Pants: Perfect for hiking or riding a motorbike—you can discard one after each adventure.
Least Useful Items:
– Makeup: I brought a brush but ended up only using three products. 😐
Summary:
1. **Volcanoes and Waterfalls**:
If there’s a crowd, hire a car—it’s more convenient. But if it’s quieter, join a group tour to save costs. The journey from Surabaya to Ijen takes around 7 hours. The local driver is incredibly skilled, navigating without GPS and even helping you buy tickets for the public boat to Lovina.
Unfortunately, Bromo was closed due to heavy rain and landslides, and our group at Ijen missed the blue fire because no one woke up early enough. Climbing Ijen during the day is surprisingly easy, taking about an hour—it’s much simpler than scaling Mount Tai!
2. **Dolphin Watching**:
If you have a larger group or a bigger budget, hire a private boat. Success depends heavily on luck, though hanging floats seem to attract dolphins.
3. **Nusa Penida**:
Avoid riding a motorbike on the west route—it felt like being shaken into a milkshake at Mixue Bingcheng! The east route is manageable by car, but if you choose to ride a motorbike, wear long pants to avoid sunburn (trust me, I learned the hard way). For snorkeling, fins aren’t provided, so you might need to borrow them from locals. 🫥
4. **Lombok**:
A budget-friendly destination with fewer tourists and less commercialization. It’s perfect for motorbike enthusiasts. Stay in Senggigi, where it’s just a two-hour ride to Rinjani or Kuta. Since Grab isn’t available and taxis are pricey, I had the motorbike rental shop owner pick me up from Bangsai Pier (motorbike rental: 50k, car: 150k) and returned the vehicle at the airport (transfer fee: 100k).
5. **Gili Islands Snorkeling**:
They’ll ask for 200k, but offering 150k works every time. Make sure to arrive at T Island before 9:15 AM, or you might miss out on GoPro rentals like I did. The snorkeling experience was average—very shallow waters, and wearing fins stirred up the sand, making the water murky.
Contacts:
– **Surabaya Driver** (Average English): wxid_z1thyv1qxw0g22
– **Bali Car Rental** (Speaks Chinese, doesn’t drive): wxid_1fdc7t3shbnr22
– **Lombok Motorbike Rental**: Apayalupa14
Finally, regarding the often-debated topic of motorbikes: I found them incredibly easy to handle—no kicking required, more like an electric scooter capable of reaching speeds up to 70 km/h. However, this is subjective. Here’s some context about me:
I learned breaststroke in two lessons, taught myself freestyle, and now maintain a 2km-55min pace. In high school, I rode an electric scooter to class and would get bored, weaving between the white lines on the road.
