Island-hopping in Indonesia

Enjoying breakfast at Kenawa Hill with a breathtaking view of the sunrise.

THIRTEEN days, four districts and only RM900! That sums up my recent backpacking trip with two friends in Indonesia. Our journey started with island-hopping from Bali to Lombok before we docked at the main Java island to head to Jogjakarta and Jakarta.

From Pelabuhan Padang Bai in Bali, we took the six-hour ferry Lembar Post in Lombok. We spent five days in Lombok, taking in its charming countryside with quaint villages and rice fields of Sade Lombok, and a night at Pulau Kenawa.

We then returned to Bali and stayed there for three days. In Bali, we rented a scooter bike to visit Temple Sebatu Gunung Kawi, Temple Tampaksiring and Temple Besakih while Mount Agung was still active in the background.

For our next destination, we took a ferry from Jeti Gilimanuk to Banyuwangi Baru Station to catch a train to Stesen Lempuyangan in Jogyakarta. During the eighthour train ride, we met Universitas Islam Indonesia students who invited us to stay with them throughout our three-day stay in the city.

The new friends became guides and took us to interesting places like Malioboro Road, Candi Borobudur and Mount Merapi. We bade them farewell and headed to Jakarta for a short stay before flying home.

A villager along a road through rice fields in Lombok.

Balinese people worshipping at Temple Sebatu Gunung Kawi.

A shy schoolgirl at Kampung Sade, Lombok.