Indonesia has about 17,000 islands, like a string of pearls west to east just south of the equator. If you don't like one, try the next one. With that in mind we quickly left the soul-sucking circus of Kuta on the island of Bali. A 6-hour bus/ferry trip to the next island east --- Lombok. Seemed much better, but just to make sure we went to islands OFF of that island, like thrice removed. The first one was much too Party. The second one was much too bare. But the third one was just right. Gili Air ("gili" means island in Bahsa Indonesian) is a throwback to barefoot, rough-and-ready. Robinson Crusoe just left yesterday. In short, I love this place.
Despite a rusty old dock, you jump ship into crystal tropical waters. The (400,000 rupiah=)$20 "cottages" are thatched bungalows with terrace, garden and chickens, cold open-air shower, and banana pancake breakfast served by gracious Tamaria. Not a car or motorscooter on the whole island!! Only your feet or pony carts to move around. All sand or dirt roads, not a foot of pavement. The locals are welcoming and not pushy to sell. You'd better get here fast --- there are signs that all will change soon. More lavish accommodation being built. Many dive shops in many languages. Electricity by undersea cable from the mainland, not by generators that stop at 10 pm. But in the meantime you have a meal and watch sunsets from bamboo platforms on the beach. You stroll the gentle sand paths with only the jingle of pony bells passing. Lots of seafood of course. We walked around the whole island in an hour and saw women harvesting something from the tide --- looked like fuzzy red tennis balls but apparently will be in tonight's soup.
Even the cloudy weather is a nice break from the hot sun of all the previous countries. The storm today included a scary mini-tornado that ripped sand up into a sharp funnel right in front of us. The rains made the whole scene a genuine castaway postcard. Just wonderful --- they even paid their internet bill so this post could get out! We're staying til the cows go home.
P.S. Today, Feb 14, is a 4-Star occasion. It's a full moon over the sea. It's half-way through February and we're already thinking of being home next month. It's Valentine's Day and we hope you are loving or being loved. And it's one year since we got engaged on that monarch mountain in Mexico.
Despite a rusty old dock, you jump ship into crystal tropical waters. The (400,000 rupiah=)$20 "cottages" are thatched bungalows with terrace, garden and chickens, cold open-air shower, and banana pancake breakfast served by gracious Tamaria. Not a car or motorscooter on the whole island!! Only your feet or pony carts to move around. All sand or dirt roads, not a foot of pavement. The locals are welcoming and not pushy to sell. You'd better get here fast --- there are signs that all will change soon. More lavish accommodation being built. Many dive shops in many languages. Electricity by undersea cable from the mainland, not by generators that stop at 10 pm. But in the meantime you have a meal and watch sunsets from bamboo platforms on the beach. You stroll the gentle sand paths with only the jingle of pony bells passing. Lots of seafood of course. We walked around the whole island in an hour and saw women harvesting something from the tide --- looked like fuzzy red tennis balls but apparently will be in tonight's soup.
Even the cloudy weather is a nice break from the hot sun of all the previous countries. The storm today included a scary mini-tornado that ripped sand up into a sharp funnel right in front of us. The rains made the whole scene a genuine castaway postcard. Just wonderful --- they even paid their internet bill so this post could get out! We're staying til the cows go home.
P.S. Today, Feb 14, is a 4-Star occasion. It's a full moon over the sea. It's half-way through February and we're already thinking of being home next month. It's Valentine's Day and we hope you are loving or being loved. And it's one year since we got engaged on that monarch mountain in Mexico.
Happy engagement anniversary! :) xoxo
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