More on the gili's

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Upon arriving to the Gili’s we asked the locals if they knew our friends and asked for Lachie, the groom. They tried to pronounce the name a few times and then scurried off. We stopped at a café and ordered some lunch and then a local comes back with a very short Indonesian man named “Loki”. They ask “is this your friend?” We giggle and thank them for their help but say no, he’s not the friend we are looking for but if he wants to be our friend too that’s okay. ☺ It was cute.

We had only spent three days in the Gili’s and maybe it was enough but we had already made friends with the locals. I particularly liked Tino. He worked in a clothing and jewelry shop. At first he was trying very hard to get me to buy but after a while we got beyond that and he would love for me to just come into his shop and sit and chat with him. Sometimes he would leave his shop unattended and sit on the beach with my friends and I. I bought a bracelet that he made. It’s very simple, just some weaved blue string and a pretty seashell on top but it was very affective and I like buying from people that are good people. It’s a very relaxed atmosphere here.

The night before we left the Gili’s Joey and I decided to have a couple of drinks at one of the cafes. We had tried the food before and that was good but not the drinks. The staff were friendly and while we were waiting for our banana daqueri’s I remembered how to make a white rose and stem out of a napkin! I gave it to one of the waitresses.

Our coffees came first. No-one has soymilk on this island or even has heard of it. They don’t do takeaway drinks either. I was starting to get withdrawals for a soy mocha in a take away cup with choc powder on top! Mmmmmm…. but it’s usually safe for me to buy a coffee in Indonesia since they don’t use milk much anyway, if at all. You will just find that sometimes there’s an “American Breakfast” menu or “Western Menu” section but then even it’s still an Indonesian version of the thing we are used to at home. Sometimes their version actually pulls off though. Joey ordered a hot dog and the sausage was cut open and grilled. It was flourishing with greens and other ingredients, cheese and the bread was something from a baguette, not a cheap-ass hotdog from ikea. It looked great.

When my coffee arrives it has milk foam on top but not to worry, they don’t really know how to make a cappuccino – what they have done is make black coffee and put a centre of foam on top. Joey scoops up the foam and then I can enjoy (kind of) the local coffee – which doesn’t take that great but is drinkable and doesn’t over tax or burn out my body like coffee from home can. It’s funny to see on the money that they have different types of coffee. Lombok coffee being the cheapest, it’s about 50c for a cup. The “better” coffees are Nescafe and the waiters try and upsell you to have the Nescafe “premium” coffee. ☺ It’s cute.

Joey and I are waiting quite a while for our cocktails. We have been waiting for about 20minutes and we want to leave soon. We ask the waitress what is going on and if we can cancel it or have something else instead. She explains that they ran out of bananas for the cocktails and it can’t be changed now as someone will be here in a few seconds with the bananas. A guy on a bike rocks up a few moments later with bananas strapped to the back and front. He hands them through the window to the waitress and she runs out the back. He can hear a blender a few moments later and then our drinks appear. ☺

On the way home I am asked by a local if I want to feed four 3 weeks old kittens. They are sleeping behind a coke vending machine. They tell me I am allowed to take them into a café and feed them fish at the table. I am disappointed that I miss out on that experience as I already ate but the next day I come back with left over fish and feed the kittens. They can’t see very well yet. They eyes are open but still glazed and they bob their heads trying to work out what I am. The ginger one hisses at me like a psycho kitty. I put the fish down into little pieces and they growl and hiss at each other, almost fighting over the food. I have to put the fish in different areas around the vending machine so they don’t get into a fight. At least they have their survival instincts!

After a few hours we organize a boat to head out of Gili and into Lombok. I really enjoyed my stay at gili’s. The people, the animals, the food, they culture and the beach were all beautiful.

Next: Lombok – where we prepare for a traditional muslim wedding ☺

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