Having never been to Indonesia, last July, Huong Chi, from Thanh Hoa, booked a flight to travel on her own and explore the archipelago for 8 days. Backpacking is a form of self-sufficient travel that allows you to plan and execute your own itinerary at a low cost and experience local life as closely as possible.
Instead of staying in Bali and joining the bustling international tourist scene, Chi flew from Hanoi to Bali and then the next day traveled by speedboat to Lombok. Bali's "neighboring" island is less famous but just as beautiful. The most popular attraction in Lombok is Mount Rinjani National Park with the 3,762m high Mount Rinjani volcano.
"With the criteria of saving as much as possible but still having many interesting experiences on my first visit to the archipelago, I did not book a homestay but looked for a place to stay with locals through Couchsurfing (an application for backpackers around the world). I was surprised that my friends who had never met me were very enthusiastic in giving me directions and letting me stay," said the female tourist.
Chi's host, Aditya Ramadhan, let her stay for two nights in Mataram, the capital of Lombok Island. "Although I only texted him a few times, he agreed immediately when I changed my arrival date and asked to stay for two nights instead of the one night I originally planned. 'Go ahead, Chi, you can stay at my house for as long as you want,' Aditya replied."
Lombok is known as the "Island of a Thousand Mosques" with more than 87% of the population following this religion, every neighborhood, village, or town here has a mosque. And Aditya is also a Muslim, he lives alone in a house with 3 rooms, one for himself, one for Couchsurfing guests and one for relatives when needed.
Aditya has been a host since he was a student in Yogyakarta (Java island) before returning to his hometown Mataram to work, so he has experience welcoming hundreds of backpackers to Indonesia. This is the first time he has welcomed a female guest from Vietnam, and it is also the first time Chi has stayed and traveled to Indonesia.
The feeling of staying at a Muslim home in Mataram city is a mixture of familiarity and novelty. After only 3 days here, the Vietnamese girl noticed very "Muslim" cultural features such as praying 5 times a day, the custom of not eating pork, eating with the right hand... But Mataram also has many images familiar to Vietnamese people such as traffic jams in the city center, rice fields and lush green coconut trees in the suburbs.
Chi said: "On the last night, Aditya invited me to eat at a traditional grilled chicken rice restaurant that the locals love. After ordering, the waiter brought out two large bowls of water. Looking at Aditya, I realized that the water was used to wash our hands before and after eating. Each of us had a portion of rice, grilled chicken, a plate of mixed vegetable salad with spicy and sweet sauces to dip with. Eating with one hand was not difficult but not easy either because the chicken could be torn and held more easily, but the rice and mixed vegetables had to be more skillful so that they wouldn't fall apart when dipped."
Her impression was that Indonesian chickens are quite small, the size of pigeons, so each person ordered a chicken that was just enough to eat. The grilled chicken was crispy on the bone, served with white rice and a very spicy dipping sauce. Meanwhile, to balance the flavors, their salad included some vegetables, peanuts mixed with sweet and sour sauce (the sweetness comes from coconut milk).
What's more special about staying at Aditya's house is that he not only lets Chi stay, but also lets her use the kitchen, laundry area, and come and go as she pleases. Aditya said that the doors and gates can always be closed to avoid the heat, but he never locks or bolts them. In addition, despite his busy work schedule, Aditya still takes the time to eat and chat with guests. He really makes the Vietnamese girl feel "at home".
