Gili Air, Lombok, Indonesia

Apologies for not posting lately, we had little to no Internet connectivity for the last few weeks... but we just found the only internet cafe on the island... so here it goes.

After pickup truck, ferry, minibus, and taxi rides we made it back to urban Bangkok - a brief interlude before we set out for the island nation of Indonesia.  The only eventful happening at the Hilton (goodbye to the last of my coveted frequent flier points) was fortunate access to the 31st floor Executive Lounge - not exactly backpacker country.  Pulling out the finest clothes from our rumpled stuff sacks, we rode the elevator to the roof, marveling at the Bangkok skyline as we sipped wine and ate hors d’oeuvres with the Asian business elite and well-to-do.

We hopped a flight to Bali (Indonesia) with a layover in Singapore.  The modern airport had high end shopping, TV lounges, electronics charging stations, and free WIFI... the Singapore amenities were so enticing Ken actually wished our layover was longer!  Arriving into Bali on a tropical rainy night, we mentally set our expectations for rain.  Winding through narrow streets along the Legian beachfront, we reached a small courtyard guesthouse expecting to stay one night (we heard the southern beach was too crowded to enjoy)... we ended up staying three nights and soaking up intense heat by the pool, cheap massages, and $4 dinners.  One hundred degree blistering afternoon sun squashed our fears of wet weather.  Heat wave!!

Being the lonesome wanderers that we’d become, we yearned for a secluded location (ok, I wanted seclusion, Ken wanted scuba diving) so we compromised catching a minibus and speed boat to the nearby island of Gili Air, a series of three tiny islands off the larger Lombok island - about two hours from Bali. 

We couldn’t believe the enchanting island location.  Why was everyone crowding onto Bali with this treasure in its backyard?

There were no paved roads, only a dirt path around the outer edge.  About ten horse drawn carts were for hire for heavy luggage; the horses sported jingle bells around their necks, announcing their presence.  It took about 60 minutes to walk the 3-mile perimeter of the island.

The white sand beaches reached out to crystal turquoise waters with prime snorkeling five meters off shore.  The only place in the world we had seen clearer water was on the Australian Whitsunday Islands, but given its jellyfish infestation, we decided Gili trumped Australia.  We’ve also gushed about our love for Thailand, which while gorgeous, was more about the Thai hospitality and friendly customer service than the unspoiled nature of its beaches.

Gili Air, by contrast, had simple breathtaking beaches which are destined for an onslaught of tourism.  We couldn’t decide if it was off-season or if the island hadn’t been discovered, but the beaches were essentially empty... at most a few hundred people which was negligible -- we had the entire western beach completely to ourselves for sunsets.

Our accommodation was one part tree house, one part outdoor house... on the ground floor was an open-air living room.  Behind the living room a door shielded an outdoor shower and toilet (hidden behind a half-fence, netting, and trees).  Climbing up the latter to the second floor (like you’d climb into an attic), you reached a balcony overlooking the tree tops to the ocean.  The bedroom had a vaulted ceiling.  An oddity though, was that the island didn’t have fresh water, so only salt water flowed from the shower and faucets - hmm... we couldn’t decide if the shower actually cleaned us, but it was so deathly hot that we didn’t really care.

Our typical days went something like this:

Breakfast: eat at our guesthouse restaurant on the beach (scrambled eggs, fruit, and coffee) 

Morning: rotation of scuba diving (Ken), yoga (Hillary) or laying on the beach

Lunch: walk five minutes into the interior of the island to a local food stall (full plate of chicken, squid, vegetables, tempe, and rice for the bargain price of $1/person)

Afternoon: snorkel, read a book, take a nap and/or jog around the island

Dinner: eat at the Zipp Bar next door (grilled tuna kabobs with salad, vegetables and a cocktail or fruit shake = $4/person)

Evening: watch a movie on the iPad and fall asleep to the waves (and crowing roosters and moo’ing cows)