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Friday noon
from one of Pelangi's huts.21st May 2009
Bogor, 10am “Could I have a taxi to pick me up at Mataram airport?” I asked on the phone with Lombok Express Taxi. Then they explained that taxi with meter cant go in at the airport, so they asked my number and told me to wait in front of the airport. After I did they text me the taxi id that’ll pick me up. The flight wasn’t delayed, so glad that i wont be late to get Bangsal Harbour.
Mataram, 2pm When I turned on my cellphone I already got a text from the taxi driver. I walked about 5 minutes outside at the airport where the taxi was waiting for me. Now I feel bad to the tourists who have to pay twice to the taxi inside the airport. Next time, people, just walk outside the gate.
The driver was very friendly, we had chat about people, New airport, and how politics and terrorisms affect the tourism business in there, as they are majority Muslims.
We passed Gusuk, the hills area, closer to get Harbour where you could see many monkeys around. “If you want to hang out with our old relatives you have to
give some food to them.” I’m not much a fan of macaques since a traumatic experience when I was 6 years old, so we didn’t stop to say hi to the ‘old relatives’.
Bangsal harbour, 3pm “You think we could go in? I remember people around here are pretty aggressive.” I asked Pak Rohim, the driver. “It’s already afternoon, and you’re only one person, they will let you in for some thousands of rupiah.”
And they did. Surprisingly I found them very friendly, or probably it was after lunch (people are more friendly with full belly, hahaha).
The thing the public boat to Gili Air was already sailed, my only choice was waiting for the shuttle boat at 5 pm. I went to had lunch at the beach first instead. Lomboknese gado gado, with big crackers as the plate. How amusing. I miss it already.
There I found the locals were waiting for the boat too, so we joined to charter a boat. Doubled the price, 20.000 rupiah, which is about 2 dollars.
These women shop regularly to Mataram for the business at Gilis. Mostly are vegetables and fresh ingridients for the restaurants.
Gili Air, 4pm I think
Bangsal
on the boat to Gili the cidomo cart price is doubled now. I’ll just take it twice so I didn’t mind. Shared a cidomo with owner of Sejuk accommodation. Updated some changes since my last visit with him and the driver. Got to Blue Marlin, registered for tomorrow dives.
Walked to Northern area, the shore looks so far now. High and low tide has too far gap, they said. More accommodations with aircon, they cost about 200-250 thousands per night. Doubled on july and august.
Finally got to Legend Bar, I was pretty sure they already forgot me. But when I was walking there I heard a lady shout “ASTRID??!!” Ibu Haryati, the most friendly lady on the island. Her voice felt like home already.
We talked for a while (she thought id have already got married, and I also found out that Tahek is happily married for 3 years in Japan, now they’re waiting for the first baby), too bad their rooms was full, so she told me to go to the next one, Pelangi. She introduced me to Dani, the owner who was a very kind local guy.
“I thought you were a Singaporean.” He said. “Not a Russian?” I asked him.
Then
he showed the room. It’s very new, clean, big and already with tiles and walls. Very very nice, if they have aircon they could triple the rate. So I was glad they don’t, it was actually very cheap, I bargained and got cheaper price. But I paid normal price at the end because he was so kind.
After unpacking a bit I went to Legend and chat with Bu Harya with a watermelon juice. One hour and I already know the latest updates and gossips on the island. Then she took me walk inside the village to eat soto. What is soto in English, some kind of Indonesian meat rice vegetables soup. There I met the family and some of the locals. Bu Harya text Ali, the guy who I was hang out with on my first visit with my dad. Ali is already married, has 2 kids, has a café next to Sandy’s, and a daily surfer nows. We had laughs when they taught me some Sasak language and then we talked about how much weight I gained. When it was almost sunset we walked back.
I sat on a hut talked to Mama, Dani’s mom. Anto from Lombok
me
this kind of pic you'll get when youre traveling solo Indah introduced himself and asked Mama’s permission to use the open shower at Pelangi to shower after his surf. He was so funny mama was laughing so loud when he was making funny mimics. Anto was working at Southern Thailand for 2 years, half year in Bangkok then moved to Krabi. He picked up good Thai language there. But he said he missed Gili and his friends too much, so he moved back to his island.
7pm Dinner time, still so full from soto Bu Harya treated me. When I got to Legend, Pak Yadi , Bu Harya’s husband, called me to join on their table. They told me there will be a big party tomorrow. Legend Bar organizing weekly party of the island and regular dark moon party of the three Gili Islands. But the party tomorrow will be held by another accomodation. They have people coming to the island today. Pelangi was full too. Seems like a pretty big one. Legend’s Darkmoon party usually hold up to 500-600 people at night. People come by boat from other Gilis. Pak Yadi told me his Bar was rent the whole last year, but now he wants to have all
Pelangi
Breakfast the bungalows, restaurant and bar on lease. He asked if I know someone who interested to run a business there. That point I was thinking about robbing a bank. I think if I have the guts I would really do it. Hahah.
22nd of May 2009
7.30 am tea, banana pancakes and fruits from Mama. Yum yum. Then I walked to Blue Marlin. Very psyched about my first fun dive. Then I met my dive guide, Tony. They really take good care of the customers. I felt very safe diving with Tony. For the first time underwater, I paid attention to the creatures around. Before I was just too busy with my regulator, gauge, mask and weight belts. I found it was so much easier to control buoyancy when I wanted to focus on something to watch. But still, I’m very new, they had to weight up my belt to 8 kilos. Such a balloon. There were 2 girls snorkeling with our boat, while we were diving they saw 4 sharks. Then the boatman told them to get on the boat. Not sure what species, but no divers saw them.
First dive I saw a turtle, hundreds of
butterfly fish, garden eels, starfish and so many so many. It was nice, I was underwater for 43 minutes, then the boat went back to the dive center.
11am Only 2 dives are available on Fridays because the Muslims prayer at noon. Mama told me she’d take me to eat nasi inside the village. So I walked back to Pelangi and met Mama there. Then we walked not far, it’s actually in front of Tahek’s place. So I makan nasi and hang out for a while there. Then walked back to the dive center. The second dive was amazing. nudibranches and gardens of corals. Turtles, morays, boxfish, giant clams.. totally in love with underwater world. I just saw that turtles keep their buoyancy when they’re eating with flapping their feet it really looked like they’re flying. So cuuuute. I tried that too when I saw them and it didn’t work well for me. And they’re so slow, lazy and calm.. very relaxed. Still I have this problem on safety stop. I just couldn’t keep my buoyancy, Tony had to hold my hand to keep me from going up. For three minutes without conversation. But things were great. I just
stayed 39 minutes this time and had to go up first.
After walked back to north side I took some movies and pictures, I went to shower and took a bit nap.
8pm People seem so ready to party. I hang out at Legend with everyone plus my chicken cream spaghetti while party people passed around us. But seems everyone was still trying to heat up at Legend and Mirage, the next bar with live music, waiting for the party to be more packed.
After some Marleys’, Chess playings and laughs, me and Bu Harya went to check the party. Stopped by at Mirage Bar because drunk Jo was singing Suzy Q when we passed by. Then long dark walk on the sad between the trees, I was so glad that she thought about bringing a torchphone. We were getting closer to the trance music sounds, after passing some people, cidomo carts and horses, I found that they were having a rave party there. Hmm, my first Gili’s rave party, and I was so tired already. Am I getting old? Who isn’t?
After 15 minutes I decided to go back to sleep. So we walked back, but then we
met everyone was hanging out at Mirage Bar. Very nice live music. The band comes from Senggigi weekly to sing. So we sat down and had a really good night. I met Taka here, he seemed very surprised and asked why didn’t I stop by to meet him and his wife first at his hotel. I told him I was looking for it until I got lost in the village. Taka seems well, he does some hotel business in Bali too now. Drinking Sprite, I really enjoyed that night. This is some of the list they were playing and I’m not making this up: Free Falling, Sweet Home Alabama, Sympathy for the Devil, Could you be loved, With or Without You, High and Dry, Englishman in New York. The Trawangan beachboys stopped by too and they (sama sama band) played some of the songs they made. After Pak Yadi and Bu Harya went home, Andi from Harmony sunset bar was joining us later. He’s a funny guy, but that night he was damn drunk he got hilarious. He made jokes all night long. After lots of yawnings I told them to have fun at the party. Taka walked me to
i dont know what it is
a decoration at rave party my bungalow made sure that I was safe and okay, and then he went home. What a great night. At that point, I couldn’t be more enjoying my holiday. Until the day after that.
23rd May 2009
8am Woke up and I could hear the rave was still going on the other side of the island. Three dives for today. And great sites too. One named Nudibranch reef, I couldn’t be more excited about going to nudibranch reef. But we went first in the morning to Halik Reef which was the shallow part of Shark Point. I couldn’t dive at Shark point because its deeper than 20m. Think I’m not ready for an encounter with any shark, either. I was diving with Tony, we saw a giant turtle. It was as big as my kitchen table. I know the visibility of size changes underwater, but I compared the turtle with Tony. It was way bigger than him. I wonder how old is he already. I mean the turtle, not Tony.
It’s so easy to find swimming turtles around Gili. I went to snorkeling once and I met a turtle family reunion going on. Gili Meno has the most
Tony
Saved me from a triggerfish.. Tony said it’s almost overpopulated. They have turtles reservation where they take care of the baby turtles and let them go to the sea when they’re big enough. I think I have the photo on my blog of Gili Meno.
We saw very very big lobster. Is it lobster? I don’t know, it’s so big. the antenna was as long as my arms! And I did, measured that too, from a distance. I could only see it’s head because it was hiding under the rocks. Tony could see what animals around from far distance. He could suddenly dive faster to show me a big frogfish. He taught me signs for species too. Once he made sign for boxfish to me, I didn’t know what the sign for, so I replied with underwater sign for “ I LOVE YOU TOO”.
It was really a good site, we passed savannah of young white corals, saw some nudis, and plenty of school fish. So pretty!
Tony had lunch and took a break at noon so I had Dedi as my guide. He’s a very good experienced diver, Nudibranch garden! There was some currents and it was pretty difficult to dive, but still the
After diving
in front of Blue Marlin site was beautiful and I got to see nudibranch with flower on its back kind. Haha what is it called? They are very cute. Big cuttlefish made me hungry. I told Dedi before about my necessity of 3 minutes holding hands on safety stop, he was just laughing at it. And then I think he was laughing underwater when we did that. He even told Tony to added up my belt 2 kilos on the next dive.
The last dive was the best. Meno Wall. So beautiful. We dive with Mike who is an experience diver expat from Jakarta. He gave me some tips about buoyancy before we dive. When we got down, that 8 kilos belt drown me away and I totally forgot to pump my bcd. I got some kind of coral sting my feet, but it was nothing. Mike said I could’ve hit a triggerfish nest on the bottom and attacked by them. Tony was saving me when I got too close to a triggerfish too, I didn’t know that they were aggressive guys, I’m sorry.. I’ll learn more about the new world.
Meno Wall is huge, colorful and saw may school of fish. Lots nudibranch I
bird
front of hotel gili air saw, a giant grouper, and a family of Lion fish. I saw one was sleeping. Or probably his date was ditching on him. I used my oxygen for 53 minutes this time, so I felt bad to Mike who still had some. So many things to pay attention to, but what’s down there is so much worth it.
Back at the dive center, I asked for some log papers because I wanted to write down what I saw too. I end up drawing funny things and asked them what they’re called. I think it’s so much fun to writing on the dive log. I saw more often fish guide and abandoned the birds field guide I already brought from home to learn.
I said bye and thanks to people at the dive center, and thanks for the discount they gave for a slow demanding Indonesian beginner like me. Hopefully I will go back soon. I really hope so.
5pm Walked back and drink at Harmony sunset bar with Michiel and Nancy the diver couple I dive with. Andi was there and he hold a baby. It’s his baby, Arjuna. 8 months and very very cute. So friendly and always
Legend Bar
Before Sunset smiling. His mom was there too, she used to work at Trawangan before get married, she’s very nice and makes good jokes too.
8pm Woke from sleep and walked to Legend to have dinner. They have the best curry, I tell you. Jo was playing chess again. I think he takes the chess thing so seriously. Pak Yadi said he always loses, but always win when he put a bet for money or cigarettes. How easy humans can be motivated by material things. Hahah.. And Im still thinking about robbing a bank until now.
It was raining so we all moved to a hut. There Jo and Harry was jamming for me. They sang for me a song for my last night. And then another song, and so on until it was late. It was raining, with all the hospitality and sincerity, these people never let me feel alone. Harry mixes some of his songs with jokes. I know he does overexcited promotion on shrooms, but when he plays guitar and sing he’s very amusing. Dani was playing chess with other customer. I chat with Pak Kadir about Komodo. He went to Flores probably already 50 times. He gave
Chess
relax play when marley is playing, but getting serious when they play trance music. good tips which I definitely will check into. Later I found out that Pak Kadir is Tony’s uncle. But everyone in the island is relative with everyone. That’s very Eastern Indonesia. All people is just a big happy family.
So hard to leave. I never feel so attached to any other place before. Maybe other people don’t see it like I do, but with all the friendly laid-back people welcome you and say hi everywhere you go, it’s really a different kind of high for me. Its not my first time to leave the island, wont be the last too.
my videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/natanoja
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suangela
non-member comment
Thank you
Hello Astrid, I really like reading your blogs - it's lovely to hear from a local's point of view. I will be going to Indonesia for the first time in September 2009, and I am so looking forward to seeing your beloved Gilis. They sound so perfectly suited to me that it will probably be an effort to prise myself away and visit somewhere else!!! :-) Thank you, Su