Indonesia’s Archipelago

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Arriving in Bali after whirlwind tour of Borneo, it was time to hit the beaches once more. First stop Kuta, a tourist resort for Aussies, great surf, Indonesian food, but lacking the Balinese culture, with Bintang (the local beer) singlets everywhere. To sample the local Hindu influences of this island we rode up to Ubud, a small town in the middle of the rice paddies. Temples at every corner, authentic Balinese shows, rituals and art to hook you in, all with a friendly smile.

Unfortunately our stay here was a short one, as we raced to the idyllic island of Lombok (meaning “chilli” in the local tongue), home to some of the best beaches in the world. Jetting off from Sengiggi, a beach town launching pad to the Gili islands, we got to know all the locals in the neighbourhood, due to their friendly nature, in 24 hours. First stop on the Gilis, was Gili Trawangan or Gili T, a paradise island where the only mode of transport is on foot or by horse and cart, taking you round the sandy paths and jungle. We whiled away the hours snorkelling off the white sands and sipping cold drinks in front of the crystal clear waters.
To celebrate Vicky’s b’day we went for the more sedate Gili Meno, an even quieter island of the 3, where stretches of beaches were isolated and only the odd tropical fruit seller would disturb the serenity. With only a few shacks for accommodation and eating this really was the Robinson Crusoe island we had been hoping for. To complete the round trip the final island of Gili Air gave us a more hippy vibe, with Bob Marley playing at every corner and the appropriate supplements to go with.

To complete our Indonesian experience and add to the island hoping we booked a 4 day tour of the Kommodo Islands and see the illusive dragon only to be frequented on these shores. The trip entailed living and sleeping on board a small noisy boat complete with live in chickens kept fresh for dinner on the last night. The scenery and experience was from the land that time forgot - desolated islands with carpet green hills and pristine white beaches for views, not to mention the coral gardens and marine life we got to experience face to face underneath the boat, Our best day was the third day, where we got to see the endangered Kommodo dragon in it’s habitat. Even the guide was surprised to see the beast as we were the only group to have seen one that day, it was later on a separate island that we could see the watering holes of Buffalo and the dragons lying in wait to capture their prey, something that I thought only Attenborough and his team could experience.

After the first freshwater shower in 4 days we could look forward to the white knuckle ride of flying back from Flores to Bali aboard Trans Nusa Airlines.

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