Spending our last full day in Indonesia on the Gili islands was a beautiful end to a wonderful time in this incredible country. We went into town around 9 AM to try on our snorkel gear, and then walked a few feet from the snorkel shop to climb into the boat that would take us to the Gilis. It was a boat typical to the kind we have seen so frequently in Indonesia. Essentially it's a giant canoe, but the sides are straight rather than curved. There is a roof covering part of it, an outboard motor in the back and two long skids that run almost the entire length of the boat. The skids are wide, wooden poles that are attached to the bout first by a short pole that juts out perpindicular to the boat, then parallel to the boat so that the skids rest in the water. At first I wondered at this creation that makes the boats look like giant grasshoppers or something of the sort, but as I rode in one yesterday, I realize it's definitely for stability! I think the thin boat would certainly capsize otherwise.
The ride to the Gili islands was about an hour, and during that time we both had our eyes trained on Lombok as our view from the water gave us unlimited views of its natural beauty in totality. We could see to the very top of the cloud-covered mountains, the lush green valleys, and then to the gentle turquoise waters that were carved in places by jagged cliffs and ornate rock formations. I almost fell out of the boat trying to capture Lombok's wild beauty with my camera, but no photo will ever do it justice. As we moved further from Lombok and closer to the Gili Islands, their size and contour became more apparent. Gili Trawangan, the largest one, has the most topopgraphical variety, with a small hill in its center that gently slopes down to meet the water. Gili Meno and Gili Air, the two smaller ones, almost identical in size, are flatter but also covered in thick trees and vegetation. As we neared them, I realized how close together they actually were. Even a mildly-determined swimmer could swim from one to the other, barring strong currents and tides. As we slowly motored into Gili Trawangan, I marveled at the incredible clarity of the water. From my perch on the boat, I could see far below into the coral reefs and the schools of fish surrounding them. I couldn't wait to snorkel, and Landon kindly let me have the first turn when we were dropped off on the beach and he waited with our stuff and arranged the pick-up time with the captain.
I put on my gear and waded into the water, starting out with a few strong strokes to get me out to where the reef lay. I was stopped short by some curious creatures, small jellyfish the size of a tangerine that were completely clear other than four tiny orange circles near their tails. I tried to swim around them, but as I looked underwater, they stretched in a thick line in both directions. I was hoping these weren't some lethal kind of sea creature that would paralyze me on the spot with one sting, and though they did sting when they touched their skin, I realized no harm would come of them and continued to swim through and dive beneath them. I soon arrived at the coral reef, and stopped still in the water, stunned by the activity and life all around me. What I had seen from above the water was but a hint of the busy underwater city that lay before me. Giant coral rose like city buildings and skyscrapers in every direction, and its colorful citizens of fish of every size, shape and color created busy haphazard traffic that ran in all directions and planes. It was truly miraculous. I had never seen so many different kinds of fish, there must have been hundreds of different species that I saw in the first ten minutes. I snorkeled until I was dizzy from the activity, then tagged Landon for his turn to visit the underwater city.
While sunbathing and reading as I waited for Landon while he snorkeled, I was approached by a friendly young Indonesian man who wanted to practice his English and see if I might be interested in his business.
"Well what kind of business are you in?" I asked.
"The press." He said.
"Oh, like the newspaper? Magazines?" I asked.
"No madame. Press. You want me to press you?" He asked.
Now I was really confused.
"Press me?" I asked, bewildered. This was a little weird.
"Yes. I press you. Press your body."
"Ohhhh, you're a masseuse. I see. Um, no thank you, I don't need pressing today sir." I said with a hidden smile, which I had to contain even more when Landon came back and he was also offered the opportunity for "a press". He kindly declined, and we went off in search of lunch on Gili Trawangan.
Though the islands are certainly seeing more tourism in the last couple of years, they are still relatively unscathed by the crowds and developments that mark so many other beautiful islands around the world. Other than a few small, local hotels and eateries, the island is still mostly green forest, white sandy beach, and serene turquoise waters. We chose lunch at a Thai restaurant (gearing up for next week!), then met back up with our trusty captain so we could go snorkel at Gili Meno, the best snorkeling in the Gilis according to the captain. Instead of pulling up to the beach as we had done on Gili Trawangan, he plopped us off in the middle of the water between Trawangan and Meno, right above the largest section of coral reef. From there we spent over an hour-and-a-half, combing the endless expanse of reef below us, larger than several football fields. We saw even more fish, and Landon made the accidental discovery that by flipping a fin close to the reef, it sent a gush of water of the coral that caused the tiny anenomes and other plants on it to snap shut like a Venus-flytrap. I had to do it at least two more times, and laughed through my snorkel. We swam as far as we could, to where the reef ended and then the ocean floor steeply dropped to its depths. Wrinkled and exhilirated, we climbed back into the boat at the captain's urging, because rain was coming from every direction. We almost beat the storm, but it caught us as we pulled along Lombok's coast. By the time we arrived back at our hotel beach, we were soaked through and through. Rain water indistinguishable from salt water as the sideways rain had only been rivaled by the waves that crashed over the side of the boat. Hannah and Mom would have gotten so seasick!
We laid by the pool awhile, reading and enjoying the last hour of daylight. I love swimming in the infinity pool here, because if you are at eye level with the water, the end of the pool and the beginning of the ocean are indistinguishable. One deep blue flows into another, meeting at the point of the horizon which marked the setting sun. Our last dinner on the oceanfront terrace was wonderful, and we toasted the delicious Indonesian food before us, but most of all our fabulous and special time together, with some cold Bintang's (the pride of Indonesia, a slightly bitter but good Pilsner).
This morning we woke up to a cool tropical shower, and dragged ourselves out of bed to meet our last day in Indonesia. We fly to Bali, then will spend a few hours driving around in order to see the fantastic new year's celebration with the ogoh-ogoh's. Our flight leaves to Singapore around 9 PM, where we will be reunited with Cristine and Julie! I am so excited to see my darling friends again, and to continue our travels together. Though they are two of my closest and dearest friends at home already, traveling and working with them in India for the past month has made me realize even more what a blessing it is to have them in my life. They are extraordinary women. I have come to know that traveling strengthens the bonds of relationships in an accelerated fashion, pushing you beyond your limits and challenging you in many ways. When you go through it with people, your relationship emerges solidified and changed, for the better I think. I am really looking forward to traveling all together with Julie, Cristine and Landon. We will take a bus up the Malay Peninsula to Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, spend a day there, then fly to Thailand to begin a week of adventures there. I can't wait! I am already missing India very much, but being with my loved ones here and the constant excitement of each new day of travel brings even more joy than the one before it. I feel very, very blessed.
The ride to the Gili islands was about an hour, and during that time we both had our eyes trained on Lombok as our view from the water gave us unlimited views of its natural beauty in totality. We could see to the very top of the cloud-covered mountains, the lush green valleys, and then to the gentle turquoise waters that were carved in places by jagged cliffs and ornate rock formations. I almost fell out of the boat trying to capture Lombok's wild beauty with my camera, but no photo will ever do it justice. As we moved further from Lombok and closer to the Gili Islands, their size and contour became more apparent. Gili Trawangan, the largest one, has the most topopgraphical variety, with a small hill in its center that gently slopes down to meet the water. Gili Meno and Gili Air, the two smaller ones, almost identical in size, are flatter but also covered in thick trees and vegetation. As we neared them, I realized how close together they actually were. Even a mildly-determined swimmer could swim from one to the other, barring strong currents and tides. As we slowly motored into Gili Trawangan, I marveled at the incredible clarity of the water. From my perch on the boat, I could see far below into the coral reefs and the schools of fish surrounding them. I couldn't wait to snorkel, and Landon kindly let me have the first turn when we were dropped off on the beach and he waited with our stuff and arranged the pick-up time with the captain.
I put on my gear and waded into the water, starting out with a few strong strokes to get me out to where the reef lay. I was stopped short by some curious creatures, small jellyfish the size of a tangerine that were completely clear other than four tiny orange circles near their tails. I tried to swim around them, but as I looked underwater, they stretched in a thick line in both directions. I was hoping these weren't some lethal kind of sea creature that would paralyze me on the spot with one sting, and though they did sting when they touched their skin, I realized no harm would come of them and continued to swim through and dive beneath them. I soon arrived at the coral reef, and stopped still in the water, stunned by the activity and life all around me. What I had seen from above the water was but a hint of the busy underwater city that lay before me. Giant coral rose like city buildings and skyscrapers in every direction, and its colorful citizens of fish of every size, shape and color created busy haphazard traffic that ran in all directions and planes. It was truly miraculous. I had never seen so many different kinds of fish, there must have been hundreds of different species that I saw in the first ten minutes. I snorkeled until I was dizzy from the activity, then tagged Landon for his turn to visit the underwater city.
While sunbathing and reading as I waited for Landon while he snorkeled, I was approached by a friendly young Indonesian man who wanted to practice his English and see if I might be interested in his business.
"Well what kind of business are you in?" I asked.
"The press." He said.
"Oh, like the newspaper? Magazines?" I asked.
"No madame. Press. You want me to press you?" He asked.
Now I was really confused.
"Press me?" I asked, bewildered. This was a little weird.
"Yes. I press you. Press your body."
"Ohhhh, you're a masseuse. I see. Um, no thank you, I don't need pressing today sir." I said with a hidden smile, which I had to contain even more when Landon came back and he was also offered the opportunity for "a press". He kindly declined, and we went off in search of lunch on Gili Trawangan.
Though the islands are certainly seeing more tourism in the last couple of years, they are still relatively unscathed by the crowds and developments that mark so many other beautiful islands around the world. Other than a few small, local hotels and eateries, the island is still mostly green forest, white sandy beach, and serene turquoise waters. We chose lunch at a Thai restaurant (gearing up for next week!), then met back up with our trusty captain so we could go snorkel at Gili Meno, the best snorkeling in the Gilis according to the captain. Instead of pulling up to the beach as we had done on Gili Trawangan, he plopped us off in the middle of the water between Trawangan and Meno, right above the largest section of coral reef. From there we spent over an hour-and-a-half, combing the endless expanse of reef below us, larger than several football fields. We saw even more fish, and Landon made the accidental discovery that by flipping a fin close to the reef, it sent a gush of water of the coral that caused the tiny anenomes and other plants on it to snap shut like a Venus-flytrap. I had to do it at least two more times, and laughed through my snorkel. We swam as far as we could, to where the reef ended and then the ocean floor steeply dropped to its depths. Wrinkled and exhilirated, we climbed back into the boat at the captain's urging, because rain was coming from every direction. We almost beat the storm, but it caught us as we pulled along Lombok's coast. By the time we arrived back at our hotel beach, we were soaked through and through. Rain water indistinguishable from salt water as the sideways rain had only been rivaled by the waves that crashed over the side of the boat. Hannah and Mom would have gotten so seasick!
We laid by the pool awhile, reading and enjoying the last hour of daylight. I love swimming in the infinity pool here, because if you are at eye level with the water, the end of the pool and the beginning of the ocean are indistinguishable. One deep blue flows into another, meeting at the point of the horizon which marked the setting sun. Our last dinner on the oceanfront terrace was wonderful, and we toasted the delicious Indonesian food before us, but most of all our fabulous and special time together, with some cold Bintang's (the pride of Indonesia, a slightly bitter but good Pilsner).
This morning we woke up to a cool tropical shower, and dragged ourselves out of bed to meet our last day in Indonesia. We fly to Bali, then will spend a few hours driving around in order to see the fantastic new year's celebration with the ogoh-ogoh's. Our flight leaves to Singapore around 9 PM, where we will be reunited with Cristine and Julie! I am so excited to see my darling friends again, and to continue our travels together. Though they are two of my closest and dearest friends at home already, traveling and working with them in India for the past month has made me realize even more what a blessing it is to have them in my life. They are extraordinary women. I have come to know that traveling strengthens the bonds of relationships in an accelerated fashion, pushing you beyond your limits and challenging you in many ways. When you go through it with people, your relationship emerges solidified and changed, for the better I think. I am really looking forward to traveling all together with Julie, Cristine and Landon. We will take a bus up the Malay Peninsula to Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, spend a day there, then fly to Thailand to begin a week of adventures there. I can't wait! I am already missing India very much, but being with my loved ones here and the constant excitement of each new day of travel brings even more joy than the one before it. I feel very, very blessed.
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