Gili Islands & Lombok

What a long week - I have only been able to access a computer now. It's been a very, very different week than my time in Bali... No classes, no running around, just pure vacationing and relaxation...

Gili Trawangan

There are three Gili islands off the coast of Lombok, Bali's eastern neighbor. Each one has a different vibe and purpose. Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno, and Gili Air. I stayed at Gili Trawangan, which is known for its endless nightlife :) it is a very lively island, and its only modes of transport are either bicycle or horse carriage - there are no cars or motorbikes. There are also amazing opportunities for snorkeling and diving.

The only thing I did my first night was watch the sunset. I've been told that here, you want to watch as many sunsets as possible. And wow, are they worth it. My jaw was to the ground.

The dangers of Gili T

I stayed in my first night but woke up from the panting sounds of my roommates who just had a scary run-in with locals regarding a drug scheme. Long story short, their night was spent running away from a whole gang of locals chasing them on bicycles with KNIVES and throat cutting threats, because one of them didn't pay for something. Their chase around the island went on for hours in the middle of the night, and they had just turned the corner to our hostel to safety - needless to say I couldn't sleep anymore that night in fear that the locals would come barging in, demanding money. Thankfully they didn't show up. That was an unsettling start to my time on Gili T... "Lombok people, not like us," I remember Ketut saying.

The surprises of Gili T

I had a mouth ache after my first night, some problem with my wisdom tooth. I thought, I have to leave this island, go all the way to Lombok and drive to the best hospital or dentist on the island because there was no way I could find one here. My stomach sank. I told the hostel receptionist that I needed to see a dentist, and he said, "clinic?" and I thought no way they would have what I need, but why not. I go to this tiny clinic stall which is like a tiny pharmacy of a glass case with a bunch of random types of medicine stored in it. This young teenage boy opened the door. "Hi, I think I have a gum infection and need--"
"Amoxycillin?"
Oh my god! This young guy knew exactly what I needed and right away, and he had some!! I couldn't believe it. He didn't even ask me any questions about it. He just gave me a big pack, which I was even able to negotiate down to half the price to 100k R. (literally $7 USD!!) I wish it was this easy in the States. They make it way too complicated (and expensive).

Snorkeling

My first stop was snorkeling! And I was able to get amazing photos with my new underwater camera. It was an incredible experience to also find sea turtles in the open ocean and swim with them. I definitely caught myself saying "WOW..." - looking at this amazing turtle, just swimming - FLOATING - across this endless, deep blue expanse. It was actually very moving. I also got to feed some fish, spotted a few squids, and even an eel. One of the more memorable snorkeling experiences I've had...

Look at him go!! I had a difficult time keeping up with him though. He was fast

amazing snorkeling location

After the snorkeling, I made a bunch of new friends at my hostel, hoping to see the sunset again. This was one of the most amazing sunsets I'd ever seen, with the pinkest sky, and the calmest water... A moment I will always remember. It was so picturesque. I also took a moment to enjoy a gleaner walking across the water to pick up seaweed as the sun was setting, with Volcano Batur in the distance...

A gleaner walks across the shallow water to pick up some seaweed, with volcano batur in the background at sunset

Friends from my hostel and I went out that night to amazing bars with amazing dance music, and I can't remember what time I went to bed, but I do remember that it ended with a beautiful view of the Milky Way and fast-moving shooting stars...

Jiggy Boat Party

This reminded me so much of my time in Cambodia when I was on the Khmer New Year boat party. The only difference was this was just a fun boat to be on for a Saturday where nearly half the island's backpackers all come onto the boat to meet each other and have an amazing time!!! While I had a really fun time, the current was so strong by the end of the day that I was desperate to get off the boat in fear of getting sick. It was a really scary way to get off the boat too - people were transferring 50 people at a time to literally leap from our giant big rocking catamaran to another smaller boat. But overall, amazing dancing, swimming, and getting to know fellow travelers.

front row center hehe 0:)

The following day was just spent on the beach and in high open-air huts found above some trees facing the ocean. A very lazy day, but with amazing nightlife again.

The streets were absolutely packed with people dancing, playing games, high on life and the summer night breeze. I went to this reggae bar called Sama-Sama, where there is live music every night. They sang covers of popular songs and sang Amy Winehouse - Valerie -- the main singer spotted me in the crowd and gestured me to come over. "Me?!" I looked behind me. "Yes!" he motioned. So I happily got near the stage where he passed me the mic and I sang Amy Winehouse Valerie for everyone! Another night I will always remember. Friends and I took a break on the beach to listen to the waves, watch the boats dimly light up from the bars' strobe lights behind us, with the pulsing beats of the music as we also watched more shooting stars above our heads. All that paired with an ice cold bottle of Bintang beer, and my feet buried in the sand...

I decided to leave Gili Trawangan and go to Lombok's southern coast the following day...

A place to play "beer pong"...

The street and the bar entrance - people just everywhere

Lombok - Kuta

Lombok is completely quieter than Gili T, and often overlooked, which I find bizarre considering it is so close to Bali. But WOW it is so beautiful!!! It is the most lush, green environment I may have ever seen. We were winding down and across hilly mountains that were so thick and dense with different tropical plants I don't think anyone could walk through it unless they were the size of a macaque monkey. I couldn't snap a picture of the jungle areas since they were mostly seen by car, but there were other equally amazing landscapes - Kuta is on the southern coast and is mainly a really beachy area with amazingly scenic drives.

Where I stayed!!! "Kuta Cabana"

facing away from the shore

Had lunch at this amazing place

I also couldn't help but stop near my hostel my first day in Kuta when seeing a bunch of local kids playing soccer, who were actually really welcoming in letting foreigners play with them!

There are also beautiful bays to visit in Kuta, as well as amazing (and completely deserted!) beaches where the only people in the water were local fishermen, catching small fish for their families.

another swing! and enjoying a fresh young coconut.

a giant plateau rock you could climb, dividing two differeny bays

I thought the sand looked really interesting, like perfectly circular beads

women selling sarongs near the shore

the near-deserted Mawun Beach

Later that evening, I stumbled upon a local spot - completely at random - because I was trying to get away from really scary feral dogs. The dogs on Lombok are REALLY scary, they have a high chance of having rabies, and really act like non-guarded attack dogs that are ready to strike at any moment. They have chased some people before and I was not taking any chances since I didn't get my rabies shot. So I ran into this local place instead... It was so cool - there were maybe only a dozen locals in there, all listening to Indonesian karaoke tracks, and they were all drinking a local palm wine called "tuak". It didn't taste very good though, a bit like a non-bubbly mimosa...

Sade Villages & Sasak People

During my time in Lombok I also had the chance to go and visit a Sade village, where sasak people live - they are predominantly Muslim and are famous for their traditional hand weaving and cutely-shaped huts! (mainly shaped in that way because in the above compartment they store rice).

a cutie in mid-slumber!!

There was a very touristy sade village which I quickly skimmed before finding a different one tucked away  about 1km further out. In this one, I got to sit with a bunch of locals (29 families in total live here, and they are less than 160 people total). They told me that they welcome visitors and encourage visitors to spend one night in one of their huts for free. I got to learn a lot about the way that they live here, as they chatted with me over some special Ramadan cake made with palm sugar, and sun-dried snacks made with coconut, eggs, and onion. They also told me to stay for a cup of Lombok coffee!!

Fun facts:
1). Weaving a sarong from beginning to completion takes 1 month to make.
2). A woman has to know how to weave before she can get married.
3). Once married, a man and a woman can sleep in the same house together, but once they have their first child, then the woman and baby sleep inside, and the man sleeps outside.
4). If a family has a son, the son sleeps inside until age 10 after which he joins the father to sleep outside.
5). If a family has a daughter, she sleeps inside until marriage.

so cute!!

she gave me all the snacks :)

One of my last nights in Kuta ended at Barrel Sports Bar, which is a quiet surfer bar but where the atmosphere is incredibly fun. I ended my night singing amazing songs with a local playing all of the chords to any song request on the spot. It was one of my favorite nights so far!

One of my biggest surprises in coming to Indonesia is how nice they all are - they all look out for you and your belongings, and also integrate themselves with tourists while enjoying a drink or two. We are always intermingling with each other and it makes for a great time where I feel so immersed in their worlds. But another surprise, which isn't so great, is how terrible they are at doing laundry. I swear everything that I've given them that is white is now a rusty brown due to some kind of chemical. Not only that, but I've already lost one of my bathing suit bottoms and one of my only tank tops, one that I really really liked, too! :( They have a tendency to do laundry and mix it up with other peoples' things. It makes me dread doing laundry now and I'm really upset that I lost two very important things since I brought so little on my trip.

One last surprise - every. single. foreigner. in lombok. is french. They are absolutely everywhere, I can't escape them!!

Yoga on a hilltop

My last day in Kuta was spent taking this unbelievable "yin yoga" class where I actually fell asleep twice, it was so peaceful. not a bad view for Yoga...

I thought of papa when seeing these plump yoga lady statuettes...

Where I am Now

I am back on Gili Trawangan for one more night, largely in part because I wanted to see if I could find my top and bikini bottom somewhere at my old hostel and laundry place but to no avail - they're gone forever. Tomorrow I leave back to Bali for another two nights to explore a few more areas, before taking a flight over to Java to hike the amazing mount bromo...

I am already so surprised by things that have occurred on this trip. Someone once asked me what I hoped to get out of this trip, and my best response was actually inspired by what a good friend told me from my first SEAsia trip - that I'd rather be surprised by what I get out of this trip, than have expectations... It has been filled with so many unexpected encounters, experiences and stories thus far. And I'm not even halfway done...