The Start Of A New Journey: Tuti And I - Chapter 4: That Lombok Backpacking Trip

In The Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful

It did not take long to reach Gili Meno. It was a bumpy 45-minute boat ride to Meno. Upon reaching, we were able to catch sight of the three islands all at once. We were instantly grateful that we made Meno our choice among the three Gilis. Gili Tranwangan was a party haven. Loud music, endless bars, alcohol and overpopulated. Gili Air was second to Trawangan. When we got to Meno, it was the most peaceful and laidback beach ever. You could count the number of people sunbathing on the beach, couples strolling under the shady trees. There were beach shacks here and there. The one thing that we were most grateful for was that there was no ear-deafening music. Once we alighted our boat, we managed to easily find our lodging, Hotel Gazebo Meno. The hotel was more resort-like with classy bungalows scattered around its compound. At the front, was the restaurant and a small salt-water pool. Hahahaha! Cute! Mokhs and I were dumbfounded when we were shown to our room. It was a bungalow situated right at the back of the compound. We got the most secluded bungalow of all. No complains about the interior. It was definitely worth the money we paid for the room. However, we had actually hope that we would be staying a little up front. It was a little eerie but we settled.

There was not much to do at Meno. Lonely Planet mentioned that the island was suitable for honeymooners and it was right. It was THE place for us. We discovered rows and rows of cozy eateries. What was outstanding about the eateries were that most of them had shacks by the beach. Every bamboo shack was simply decorated with cushions and sitting mats. There were short-legged tables for food and drinks. What more could you ask for when you could have the gorgeous sea view and dig in to glorious Indonesian food at the same time! Well that was exactly what Mokhs and I did for dinner. After surveying the area near our bungalow, we had dinner at one of the eateries by the beach. There was no need to do anything at all. All we had to do was relax and enjoy. It was heavenly especially after we worked ourselves to death climbing Mount Rinjani. We were more than happy to relax our tired muscles and enjoy pure bliss.

Gili Meno is a really small island. You could walk from the diameter of the island quite easily. Despite its small size, the island houses a few small kampungs and a Bird Sanctuary. So Mokhs and I spent the first half of our morning snorkling and the second half exploring the island. Snorkling was great. I had never seen so many turtles before in my entire life! We even got to meet the only kind soul on Meno who rescues baby turtles. The Bird Sanctuary was not so heartening though. The animals there were not very well taken care of. And it broke my heart to see macaques and a baby Komodo Dragon caged up. They were filthy and really not very heartening to look at. I wished I could do something but really, what could I do?

After getting the feel of kampung and walking along the salt lake, the sun was setting soon and Mokhs and I wanted to find a great place to relax, have dinner and catch the sunset. We did! Again, we found ourselves a comfortable restaurant by the beach, bagged a shack and got our cameras ready to click away at the magic hour. We chatted about our climb, reminiscing about how much we learned and how much we envied Tuti. We were talking about Tuti and the mountain most of the time. I guess we were both so truly inspired by his passion and undying spirit towards Mount Rinjani. Then I let slip, "Maybe I should write a book about Tuti and Mount Rinjani." At that time, the climb was still so clearly imprinted in my mind. So I took Mokhs's journal and penned down a simple story. It came out naturally like a children's story since I have always been an avid children's books reader. It did not take long for me to finish the story. It did not take more than a few seconds for me to even come up with the title. Mokhs and I were actually quite proud of it! I even sketched a few pictures of Tuti, Edleweiss and Mount Rinjani herself! Then Mokhs said that I should get the story published. I was like, "Really? I mean how can we do that?" Very positively, he said that we could seek help from his brother who works with a publisher in Malaysia KL. All of a sudden, I was filled with hope. Me? Write a book? Publish my own book? Wow! It seemed so far-fetched. Nevertheless, that pursuit never left our minds even after the vacation.

The day ended with the beautiful sunset and us getting home on a horse carriage. There are abundance of horse carriages in Lombok. A horse carriage is called a Cidomo in Lombok. It was pitch black when the horse took us back. We were amazed and intrigued as we could not even see our hands in the dark! The horse had no problems taking instructions from the 'driver' and we reached our room safe and sound.

Wow, what a day! And it was that day, that 'Tuti and I' was frst penned down in its raw form and it was that day that we realised how much we missed Tuti and his mountain.