Around Lombok, Indonesia

Wow, so much to write about since my last blog post. So after spending the 5 or so nights in Kuta to get adjusted, I decided to move east in order to escape the hawkers, crowds and traffic. On my way to Lombok, I took a bus to the little fishing/diving/ferry port village of Padangbai.Only stayed their one night so there is not really a lot to say about the place, but spent the night drinking terrible tasting moonshine Arak (made from coconuts but definitely not Malibu) with some local fisherman and dive guides. The next day I decided to make the journey to the Backpacker haven known as the Gili Islands just off of Lombok. I had my first experience with Indonesian Ferries which are not very fun. Sitting on the sundeck was blistering hot, but seemed like the better option than below with the funky smell, chain smokers and blasting US country western music from the 50’s. On the boat it was also evident the who the experiences travellers were because they were able to create tent like shade out of shalls and pick the best places where the sun wouldn’t hit. After the painfully slow 4 hour ferry, caught a bus to the next harbor and started to learn the meaning of rainy season. It started pouring like I have never seen before and at one point the van was driving through almost 2 feet deep water that kids were swimming in. It was also pretty epic scenery on the drive though and for the first time in my life I saw monkeys in the wild. Finally after another two hour layover (schedule determined by when the transport is full not when they tell you it is going to leave), we took the fishing boat to Gili Trawanagan. Gili T is the largest and most visited of the 3 Gili islands and has the reputation of beautiful beaches and good nightlife. It was definitely a nice change of pace because there are no motorized vehicles allowed on the island. Thinking back on it Gili T is a place where you sort of lose time. I had planned on staying there 3 nights and ended up staying a week, just snorkeling, reading on the beach and relaxing. The clubs were also very fun. The locals there sure like to party. It was kind of funny because the average Trawanagan is probably 4’6’’ so looking across the dance floor you could easily pick out the groups of travelers towering above. Another kind of funny thing that happened while there was the TV show the Amazing Race had the island as one of the stops. Originally walking by and seeing the elaborate set I asked and they said it was a corporate video, but I asked one of the local carriage drivers dressed in traditional garb rather than the usual surf T-shirt who was part of the transport and he said it was for the amazing race. Seeing a couple teams of two along with a camera men in toe walking back to town I think confirmed it (Inside info for Vegas bets anyone). I am just wondering how they are going to edit out all the white people walking around from their helicopter shots. After the week on Gili, I decided to head back to Lombok in route to the other Kuta Beach on the southern part of the Island. All I have to say is Kuta Beach Lombok is better in every way than Kuta Beach Bali. I don’t know what I was expecting, but I was pretty happy to getting dropped off to see just a small village of shacks on the beach and guesthouses set against some of the most amazing white sand beaches and coastal mountains I have ever seen even from post cards. Renting a motorbike and a surfboard here are about 4 dollars each so I have been spending the last few days just exploring and surfing. The surf here can get pretty heavy at times and the shallow reef is a bit scary too, but it is still fun. The drives to the beaches have some spectacular scenery too, but it’s unfortunate you can never look at it because the roads look like they have taken years of shelling form bombs and it is kind of like navigating a maze. Along with this you have to avoid the occasional buffalo or goat running across the road. Originally I had planned to spend a bit of money and do a 4 day sailing trip to Komodo to see some Komodo dragons, but the visa situation here is a bitch and I will not get back in time to extend my visa which you are detained and fined if you do not do. So it looks like I am heading back to Bali, extending my visa, then heading west to Java to trek around the Jungle a bit and where a reliable train system should ease traveling. Off to eat some Nasi Campur. Post again when I can.