Paradise off the Coast of Paradise

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Deciding to take a vacation within our honeymoon, we have now gone on two day-trips to the Gilis, three small islands sitting just off Lombok's northwest coast. Our route took us north from Senggigi along the breathtaking coastal road, which follows the shoreline through a series of scallop-shaped bays of white beaches, turquoise water, and thick palm forests.

Our first visit took us to the closest island to the mainland: Gili Air, which somewhat oxymoronically translates to "Water Island." We spent the morning snorkeling (with, in Linz's expert opinion, good quality equipment) off the beach. The water was ankle-deep for the first several yards out, and the seabed was made of vengeful dead coral. But after a few painful minutes, we reached water deep enough to swim in without grating ourselves raw. Giving in to the extremely fast current, we soon spotted a rainbow colored lobster, a needle-fish, and several species of fish.

After lunch in a cushioned beach cabana, we hitched a ride with a group of divers into deeper waters. There, the snorkeling was easier (and with the jagged coral some feet below us, a lot less nerve-wracking). We saw enormous velvety blue starfish, a red octopus, and a very responsive clam among many amazing sights.

Our second, and slightly more eventful trip took us to the slightly more distant Gili Trawangan. Because the morning's driver took those scallop-shaped bays a little too aggressively on the way to the port, and the wind made the sea a little too choppy, Jordan's stomach made a convincing argument for a chill day on Trawangan's white coral beaches. One broken sandal and one broken camera later, we still made it back to the mainland happy, exhausted, and well-fed.

We are now enjoying our last evening in Lombok before our departure to Bali in the morning. Once in Bali, we'll be transitioning into what will be our more normal routine for the remainder of the trip. Our hotel for the next few nights, though nice, will be of the $15 variety. We're guessing it won't come with the (censored) HBO, semi-weekly mosquito fumigation, and in-house cover band (we recommend their rendition of "Tequila Sunrise") that we've grown accustomed to, but it will be nice to start feeling like we're actually starting our trip and returning to the more interactive style of travel that we've always loved.

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