Introduction: Going diving in the Ring of Fire

by Ashwant 1 Comment

Ask any diving enthusiast about Indonesia, and you’ll probably get them started about Lombok and the Gili Islands. I’m no pro, but I always wanted to see what the hype was all about. So early this year, I started working on an itinerary which would take me diving, snorkelling, and surfing in the blue waters around Bali. A week later, my Bali trip from India was all chalked out. On my way back, I chose a long layover at Hong Kong to catch up with a friend over breakfast.Bali trip from India

But the universe had different plans. Just a couple of weeks from my departure, a deadly earthquake rocked the islands, causing significant damage and death. Lombok and surrounding islands were evacuated. As a result, my plans went for a toss. I could have cancelled the plan altogether, but to get a few days off is a luxury that I was not planning to let go off. Now, the idea was to move about mainland Bali possibly go snorkelling near the Nusa Islands.

Flights

a map of the world with red lines

The complete trip was booked through Jet Airways, though I flew on Jetstar Asia Airways and Hong Kong Airlines metal as well. I could’ve flown directly to Bali on Garuda Indonesia, but booking a one-way international ticket didn’t make much sense from a cost perspective. I travelled economy and here’s the itinerary:

  • 14/Aug 9W12 Mumbai to Singapore on Jet Airways departing Mumbai at 01:15 am and arriving in Singapore at 09:25 am
  • 14/Aug 3K245 Singapore to Bali Jetstar Asia departing Singapore at 3:10 pm and arriving Bali at 6:00 pm
  • 23/Aug HX708 Bali to Hong Kong on Hong Kong Airlines, departing Bali at 01:30 am and arriving in Hong Kong at 06:30 am
  • 23/Aug 9W 77 Hong Kong to New Delhi departing Hong Kong at 12:10 pm and arriving in New Delhi at 3:35 pm

Stay
When I travel solo, I prefer staying at hostels. You end up meeting folks from around the world and I love the social aspect of staying at one. Travel hard, party harder – that’s the motto. I used hostelworld.com to book my stays. You can also try your luck on OTAs like booking.com or Agoda.

Flying coach? Not staying at a branded hotel? Yup this trip report is different. I explored the islands not as a vacationer, but as a backpacker. Believe me, it is an enriching experience. Waking up early, riding all day on a scooter and eating locally. That’s my kind of holiday. And you can supercharge this experience with miles and points.

Stay tuned for more!

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