Plan Failed – Senggigi Beach, Lombok

The day started with us making a vow to one another not to spend any money.  The Plan was to walk up the beach, get some sun, and avoid the hawkers at all cost. Where we went wrong with this plan, and didn’t realize at the time, was not leaving our money at home.  It’s impossible to spend any money if you don’t have it.

It wasn’t more than ten minutes before The Plan had already started to fail.  We decided we needed to use “free” WiFi at a nearby restaurant, but the restaurant required us to make a purchase.  One Fanta – 13 500 Rp.  We both agreed this expenditure was necessary, thus rationalizing the purchase.

Everything was going great after this.  We managed to walk at least 2 km down the beach and shake off every offer for massage, bracelets, pineapple, t-shirts, pearl necklaces, pearl earrings, pearl anything, Lombok made bed spreads, transport, devil-sticks, sarongs, and manicures.  All the while answering countless questions about where we were from, and them not believing we were BOTH from Canada.  Apparently one of us looks Asian, and we’re pretty sure it’s not the one that looks like James Bond.

It was when we first sat down to take a rest that everything seemed to fall apart.  Our first spending relapse came in the form of peanuts.  Yes, peanuts!  And boy were they delicious.  Soft, salty, and even a little moist, we didn’t know how they were cooked, but they were no ordinary peanuts.  We managed to negotiate a 50% discount from the seller’s original asking price, thus felt obligated and not too badly about spending the money.  Two servings of peanuts wrapped ever so neatly in scrap paper – 5 000 Rp.

Seconds after the peanut-man had left, a nicely groomed, well-spoken bracelet designer sat beside us, as if he and the peanut-man’s visit were precisely coordinated.  Now, usually we shake off every jewelry seller like a pro, but since we were already sitting and well into our paper “bags” of peanuts, we obviously weren’t going anywhere.  Two beautifully beaded Mahoney bracelets caught our eye, and he knew it.  Sale complete!  Two Mahoney bracelets on our wrists and 30 000 Rp of “good-luck” in the pocket of our new friend.

Eating all of those salty peanuts left us quite parched, so we headed to the first place we saw to buy a drink.  Unfortunately for us, the first place was definitely not the cheapest.  We found ourselves in one of the most expensive resorts on the island, and paid a whopping 28 000 Rp for a can of Coke (21% government tax included).  Free WiFi though!  This ridiculous plan of not spending money was definitely not going well.

We decided we needed OFF the beach, and away from everyone that wanted our money!  We were headed straight to the hotel when we were accosted by two masseuses offering “cheap massas”.  Our first mistake was asking how much.  We should’ve known better, because it showed weakness.  Like a crack dealer, they saw this and took advantage.  They locked us in, and before we even set a price, the towels were laid and they were kneeled and ready to go.  We had relapsed again, however we were pretty confident that we got a sweet deal, so we didn’t feel badly.  We became even more satisfied with our “purchase” when we each ended up with 6 hands rubbing our bodies down.  You do the math.  Lying on the blanket remorse set in and The Plan obviously failed.

45 minutes and 60 000 Rp gave us some time to rationalize our daily expenditures.  Other than the ridiculously expensive Coke, we really didn’t feel too badly.  The peanuts were good, the bracelets were better, and the massages were orgasmic.  Trying to save face, the rest of our evening was spent making up for our previous indiscretions.  We opted for a local dinner (14 000 Rp), corn & tofu for a snack (4 000 Rp), and just Aqua to down it all (5 000 Rp).

Sensing the importance of posting this Travel Tale while it’s still fresh in our minds, we sit here now at The Beach Club sipping an 11 000 Rp Sprite and sharing a plate of 18 000 Rp French fries.  Plan definitely FAILED!

Lesson Learned: In Asia, if they want your money, they’ll get it one way or the other.

Total Day’s Expenditures:

Fanta – 13 500 Rp

Peanuts – 2 500 Rp x 2

Bracelets – 15 000 Rp x 2

Coke – 28 000 Rp

Massage – 30 000 Rp x 2

Corn & Tofu Snack – 4 000 Rp

Water – 5 000 Rp

Local Dinner – 14 000 Rp (Tip not accepted!)

Sprite & French Fries – 29 000 Rp

TOTAL – 188 500 Rp ($22.18 CDN)

Another Day in Asia – PRICELESS!!