Our travels in Indonesia began after a one night layover in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. After getting totally ripped off by a cab then staying at a hotel where people screamed in the halls all night long, we were regretting that we didn’t just tough it out in the airport for the night. We travelled over to the Gili islands immediately upon arrival, where we met up with Danielle and Steve! We travelled by way of “fast boat” which was a one hour speed boat ride, compared to a 4-5 hour ferry ride that was our other option. It was very bumpy and choppy to say the least.
The first island we stayed on was called Gili Trawangan. Here we swam in the bluest waters we had ever seen. The first night we walked across the island to watch the sunset with some Bintangs. The combination of the lit up sky and the tidal pools at low tide was beautiful. The following morning we snorkelled with too many turtles to count. The bigger ones were so calm that you could just float overtop of them a few inches from their shells. They were eating sea grass and looked like cows grazing in a field. The snorkelling was easy because you would walk up to one side of the island and the current would carry you all the way around, so you didn’t even have to swim. At the part where the ocean all of a sudden turns much darker on the surface, there is a massive drop off in the sand below sea level. Watching the fish and turtles swim down into the abyss was both eerie and humbling (it makes you feel very small).
Unfortunately, coming back in from the water, I was hit by a wave and got a big sand burn on my back. One of many small injuries I’ve collected traveling here. That night we all hung out in a little bungalow on the beach (essentially a flat wooden surface above the sand, with a table, cushions, and straw roof. Lots of stray cats joined us for dinner.
We watched the sunset a second time, and ended up walking back in the dark. We navigated our way through herds of cows and little frogs jumping all over the place. The full moon guided us back – a journey that Danielle, Steve and Alex were much more confident about taking than I was. Walking through the dark jungle with a dim flashlight? Not my forte.
After another day of lounging on the beach and eating Indonesian noodles (Mie goreng), we headed over to the second island – Gili Air. This one was less touristy than the other, so it was a nice change of pace. We stayed in large bungalows made completely of bamboo, and were woken up every morning by the dozens of chickens running around. We could see them run underneath us through the cracks of the floor. Lots more beach lounging, stray cats, and a really nice dinner on the sand at this island.
Finally, we made our way over to Kuta beach in Lambok (not the same Kuta you would find on the island of Bali). Right when we got there we were given motorbikes to make our way around the island with. When Alex was taking the bike for a test drive, he crashed it into the ditch. After a heated bartering session with the owner of the home stay he ended up paying $250 for the damage to the bike. Luckily we got to the beach and several young puppies came to hang out with us for the day, and made us feel better. We fed them coconuts.
The next day Steve took us one by one on the other motorbike to a beautiful lookout point over a beach with huge waves. I was the first one to be dropped off, and while Steve went back to get the others, a huge herd of water buffalos surrounded me. They were some of the most docile creatures I’ve ever seen. This day also happened to be my birthday, and Alex surprised me with a pre-planned vegetarian feast and a homemade birthday cake. The dinner was at a place called Mario’s, and our hosts were some of the sweetest people I’ve met the entire trip. To top it all off, he got me a bracelet with an elephant charm (because we are heading to an elephant sanctuary at the end of our trip). So, he’s out of the doghouse for the motorbike incident.
A funny side note that happened at that dinner was when Danielle helped me put the bracelet on. I guess the charm must have fallen off onto her plate, and she ended up eating it! Luckily she found it before she swallowed it.
Overall Indonesia has had the most beautiful beaches so far. Can’t wait to see what happens in Bali, where we are heading via ferry right now.
20somethingcollegelife 