Blogs from Gili Air, Lombok, Indonesia, Asia - page 7

The best day of our life will probably pass us by without us realizing. Was it the morning after I lost my virginity and tasted appreciatively the sour memorable lick of pink grapefruit, when for the first time I listened to Etta James’ At Last and felt the words were mine? Did it come about on holiday in a small fishing village on Crete’s south coast, posing with my sister and my best friend draped in bed sheet togas against ruins light gold by a lingering sunset, sunbathing in the nude that afternoon among a flock of shaggy haired goats, dining that evening on fresh seafood, delectible cakes and much laughter? Was it a perfect day the summer of ’96, my coming out, in Berlin, bathing on the flachdach with Mariluz, drinking strong coffee, smoking Gauloise, ... read more

Braving Indonesian seas in the Rainy Season! Wednesday 4th February 2009 When we left the port of Padangbai in Bali, the sea was blue, the sun was shining and the public ferry, despite being ancient and tatty, didn’t give us too much cause for concern. Once the shelter of this pretty Balinese bay was left behind, however, we knew that we were in for a very rough crossing. These old ferries don’t seem to have stabilisers and she rolled about relentlessly on the grey swell. John was OK but I had to stop myself looking at the horizon, which disappeared from view every time the ship dipped and rose on the swell, to avoid throwing up (pleased to say I didn’t). It wasn’t too bad on deck but when the rain lashed down and one had ... read more

A not so fair trade coffee, a not so famous scientist & less than perfect weather Several major domestic airlines connect the archipeligo, including Garuda, Batavia, Mandala, Merpati, Adam and Lion. You might recognize these names from news headlines. A disproportionate number of fatal air accidents occur in Indonesia. Planes slide off the end of rain-soaked runways or collide into the side of volcanoes. They have the adverstising slogans to prove it: such as Batavia; "Trust us to fly". Less recognized regional carriers exist in excess, connecting many of the same destinations as the big guys but at lower prices. However, bookings are usually done exclusively at airport agents, are often restricted to the relative port of disembarkation, flights are cancelled regularly and without a doubt safety standards are far below western standards. For this reason ... read more

Having traveled extensively since a young age I have grown somewhat weary of routine tourist package tours. Riding in an air conditioned bus all-day and visiting butterfly farms really doesn’t do it for me anymore. I was discussing my plight with Eddie and Afid at Go-Go’s when they hung a particularly shiny apple before me. Eddie’s father is a fisherman. Not only that but he runs a three boat fleet with 50 guys in a netting operation. For 250,000 Rupiah ($22 US) they offered me a chance to fish with the big boys. This was no fly fishing trip with gear by Orvis. I pictured myself hauling in nets laden with monstrous reef fish. Smokin’ and jokin’ with the guys. Maybe a sarong and turban thrown in for good measure. I bit hard and signed on ... read more

For the past two days the island has been atwitter with the news of a wedding scheduled to take place today. Karen and I had been made aware of this when a half dozen islanders personally invited us to the nuptials. Even if we hadn’t been invited the recent slaughter of a cow and the steady stream of Indonesians arriving from Lombok by boat would have clued us in that something big was going on. Soop our waiter, repairman and all round go-to guy took us to the village at 9:30 AM. We walked through the rear of the hotel where a well-trodden path led us to a large L-shaped open tent. Next to the tent a dozen women cooked in large pots over open fire trenches. A molehill of coconut husks rapidly gaining mountainous proportion ... read more