I´m not quite sure who said it but nevertheless, it´s true. It´s easy to find Bali in Lombok, but impossible to find Lombok in Bali. A few others said, Lombok is the better Bali, in terms of tourism. I don´t really know what it is about Lombok, but to me it felt good and more importantly it felt like home. After my friend I had travelled with left to go back home I had another three weeks to explore Indonesia on my own. And to be honest, the first few days were a little difficult but in retrospect I´d say that traveling on your own is the only real way of getting around. My feeling was that, if you journey as a couple, you journey in some kind of bubble that locals not necessarily want to enter. Going traveling on your own means that locals find it easier to connect. I saw things in a different way, I was able to do and not to whatever I wanted without making long decisions. Most importantly I was able to go to places and do things that I wouldn´t dare to do with my female friends without having a restless feeling of responsibility. On my own, I went to climb the second highest volcano in Indonesia, did my scuba diving license, went to far out places tourists seldomly go to and witnessed cultural events up close enough to get blood spatter all over. But more on that to come. Together with my friend, I spent some good days on the Gili islands, south Lombok and the west coast. Soon after she left I went to climb the Mt. Rinjani. A beautiful volcano with stunning crater lake. Starting in Sembalun Lawang on the higher north side we set of around mid day. The whole trekking business is purely commercial. And foreigners have to pay around six times the national park fees the domestic people have to pay. Sad enough it´s quite impossible to hike on your own. Groups of western people scramble the foothills, porters carry everything from personal belongings to food and camping equipment. I took my own gear with me. A good sleeping bag and thermarest mattress. The hike up to basecamp surely was exhausting but the view down and over the landscape magnificent. We reached basecamp shortly before sunset - the most difficult part yet to come. Ascending to the summit for sunset. The next part soon to come - stay tuned.
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