Gili Air, Lombok, Indonesia

We're back in Kuta, Bali after six days exploring other parts of the island... and, as it turned out, other islands. Sorry that we were not able to return emails!

On a whim (and because you can do things on a whim when you've quit your job to travel), we decided to take a small boat to the Gili islands, about 4 hours by sea off of Bali to the east, very close to Lombok island. Through a series of accidents and miscommunications, we picked the island closest to Lombok, Gili Air, as our surrogate home for 5 days. This trip was one of those travel experiences where you drop all previous cultural points of reference and just sort of go with it. We arrived after 10 hours of travel by bus and boat- crazy waves and seasickness on that boat, I should add- while the sun was setting. Even as you are arriving at the Gilis, you can still see the silhouette of Agung volcano, the most holy of Hindu sites on Bali, towering at 3,014 meters (approx. 10,000 feet) over the Bali Sea.

When we arrived on Gili Air, the sun had just dipped below the horizon, and everything was darkness under the coconut trees (the sunset put on quite a brilliantly colored show which we watched on the top of the small boat). There are no paved roads, and no vehicles, so we were transported to our bungalows the way locals travel- by cidomo, or horse-drawn cart. The carts all have bells attached to them, and sound not unlike Santa arriving with gifts as they approach you down the lane. The horses are really more like ponies and I feel for them, straining under the weight of our American frames (and American packs).

The path was only lit by the occasional window-side candle, and everything was awash in moonlight or black shadow. As poetic as this all seemed, later, we learned that this darkness, while not uncommon, was attributable to a power-outage... apparently the generator off of which all electricity runs on Gili Air is always acting quite fickle. The next morning and following day we followed a routine which was to stay the same for the next four days. Wake up, have a simple breakfast sitting on pillows in a wooden hut on the beach, take a walk around the island (about 45 minutes), lie on the beach, and chat with locals. It truly was practice in the "art of doing nothing" and such a marked change of pace from the past four years- well, really the past 10 years- that it felt strange at first, being okay with having a simple routine and being okay with just thinking, and not really having to do. Not sure if that really makes sense, but that's the best I can describe it. Sort of like a mental detox.

We didn't just sit around thinking and relaxing in Gili Air, though... we had the pleasure of meeting a wonderful couple from California, Jeanne and Ron, with whom we enjoyed a tasty dinner of fresh fish, and great conversation. Talking with Jeanne and Ron was like learning how to be social again after a week of random exchanges and thoughts, reading and listening to ipods. Catt and I had finally run out of conversation topics, and it was great to swap travel stories, and get advice from an older, wiser team Jeanne and Ron, thank you for the great dinner, and we will keep in touch!

A few random logistical details and accomodation info:

Gili Air: we stayed at Gili Air Santay bungalows, 90,000 Rp per night (about $10) for simple room with Western-ish style toilet, mosquito net, bungalow and porch hammock. The food was great value (especially the Thai curries and pad thai). Travel was by Perama boat, to and from.

And here are some more pictures: