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I never wanted to go to Indonesia.

Everything I had seen on social media about Indonesia was villas, smoothie bowls, flower baths.

And all of it was from Bali.

But I learned Indonesia is more than Bali.

Last year I got lost in West Sumatra. I arrived and didn't want to leave. It looks nothing like Bali.

Most of the population is Muslim, and I learned so much from warm, welcoming people who invited me into their homes and their culture.

When I hear the call to prayer, even at 5am it feels soothing. Because of the people I met and the stories they shared.

And yet I know there's even more to Indonesia.

There are over 280 million people in Indonesia on 17000+ islands.

And this year I wanted to see more of it. I am currently in Lombok, a small island east of Bali. They say it's like Bali from 25 years ago - before tourism took over.

And I love it here.

It's lush, green, rural. It's also 75% Muslim and actually I found that comforting as the sights and sounds are familiar to me.

But it's also different as it's next to Bali and there's much more international tourism.

In Indonesia women can wear whatever they want. Headscarves aren't mandated, women have equal rights and actually West Sumatra is a matriarchal society where land is passed down the women's side.

And you see women's clothing change depending on city vs village. And younger women are expressing tradition with a mix of fashionable clothing that puts me to shame.

Lombok definitely reflects this mix of tradition and international tourism. In beach towns most tourists freely wear whatever they like. Although some towns kindly ask tourists not to wear their bikini in town.

But regardless of what I've worn in Indonesia people have been kind, friendly, full of smiles and help finding local food.

So Will Lombok Change?

Nothing stays the same. But I feel some sort of responsibility to share the other side of places I visit.

You can have pizza and burgers or you can have nasi campur.

Lombok will change, just as Bali changed. But it may take a different path as the island has a different culture.

Lombok's biggest town in the south, Kuta, is a relaxed beach town popular for surfing.

Prices are very reasonable at $10-20 for budget accommodation. Everything is still low rise. But with tourist demand there are now fancy coffee shops with Chemex and cold brews - with prices similar to home.

And there's no shortage of pizza, burgers, beer and oddly...Mexican food. Business owners will give tourists what they want.

But I have also been thrilled to see that there is still lots of local food - which to be honest is better than the tacos and 1/4 of the price.

Outside Kuta is where the region shines. People may stay in town but they rent motorbikes to get out to surf and visit the beaches.

Tourism is still very local with family owned businesses. I still feel like I'm somewhere very special.

Because I am.

If you're planning a first time trip to Indonesia:

The best place to start is my YouTube Channel where I have videos on food, and travel basics like getting a visitor visa and renewing it.

​23 Dishes to Make You Fall in Love with Indonesian Food: classic dishes and soon I'll have more posts that break it out by region.

​17 Indonesian Dishes that are Vegetarian: Tofu and tempeh aren't just for vegetarians here, EVERYONE eats it

​Teh Talua - Sumatra's Famous Egg Tea: you have to try it.

Indonesians don't drink tap water. At restaurants they serve hot water or tea that has been boiled.

I ask for es teh tawar, which is cold tea with no sugar. It's refreshing and a weak black tea so just a bit of caffeine.

You can trust local drinks to use clean water.

Indonesia has a HUGE issue with trash and single use plastic so please bring a water bottle and use it at accommodation that provides water coolers.

And ask for no straws or tanpe pipet (TAN-PA PEEP-PET) as Indonesia uses over 90,000 straws a day.

A great documentary on plastic in Indonesia and how we ship our trash there is Plastic Island on Netflix.

Alcohol is expensive. Because most Muslims drink little to no alcohol you'll find beer but don't expect it to be cheap and spirits are basically the same price at home.

If you want you can take a chance on homebrew spirits but I don't recommend it unless you really know the source.

I'm currently working on a series of articles to provide more information on the cities I visited and regional tips, which you can find here.

If you have anything you'd like me to cover please let me know.

I'm happy to help!

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Keep life delicious,

Ayngelina

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