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Published: September 10th 2010
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After 2 days at sea, I have finally arrived on the very small (and very touristy) island of Gili Trawangan! The mini three-island chain is minutes off the coast of Lombok, Bali's gorgeous island neighbour that I will unfortunately have to save for another visit. A little reluctant to come here thanks to the absolute lack of culture and flocks of oil-soaked, bikini-clad tourists, I'm actually happy I did. The high season finally seems to be winding down, and that means more room on the beach and shorter bathroom line-ups at the bars.
From Flores, I hopped aboard a tourist boat that sailed the course of Sumbawa, the large island that lives between Flores and Lombok. We didn't see much of it besides the coast, but the boat was a wonderful way to make the otherwise very lengthy overland journey back west. The first night for me was actually the third night for most people on board who were making a 5 day loop to and from Lombok, and to welcome us newbies aboard, the crew threw everyone a party complete with bottles of arak (local palm wine that's 75% alcohol and virtually undrinkable) and multiple rounds of the Macarena.
It was hilarious to see the local guys cut loose, as they made up most of the population on the dance floor, and it was a great way to get to know the others on board.
We spent the night in the harbour and early the next morning set sail for Rinca, the small island next to Komodo that is also home to the infamous dragons. Set against a dry backdrop of sweeping hills and sporadic palm trees, the island itself was vastly different to nearby Flores and it wasn't long before we spotted our first lengthy lizard. Quite used to tourists lumbering about, they didn't seem to be too bothered by us, or interested in chomping off our legs for that matter. Still though, I didn't plan on getting too close to the beasts who's saliva alone is some of the most venemous of venemous reptiles.
The Komodo dragon is the largest living lizard on the planet, a fact that is thought to be attributed to island 'gigantism' because they are the only carnivorous animals on these islands. They can grow to almost 3m long, though I'm sure the ones we saw were no more than 2m.
The males are larger than the females, and more aggressive except around hatching time when the mothers must defend their eggs from preying adults - the Batak aren't the only Indonesian natives with cannibalistic tendencies.
After a sweaty and dragon-filled hike, we climbed back aboard the boat for another day and a half of snorkeling and sailing, eating delicious meals and lazing about on deck. We arrived in Lombok for a one-night stay before most of us ventured forth in search of white sandy beaches and overpriced accommodation a la the Gilis. I took a shuttle that skirted along the coast of Lombok to the northern harbour, confirming the island as a must-see destination for future travel. Then it was a short 30min boat ride to Gili Trawangan, squished in between the chickens and the boxes of produce shipped daily to the islands.
After bargaining a decent price for my room (apparently I did quite well!), it was time to enjoy effortless travelling and stop denying the fact that I too, am a tourist. (Ick.) And so the days that followed were full of relaxation, lying on the beaches that had happily emptied out thanks to September's timely
arrival, snorkeling with sea turtles, diving a couple of times (this was no Komodo - not by a longshot, but I did see a large squid that changed colours), and eating delicious food that, for the first time since my arrival, didn't involve rice!
Though the cultural aspect was a bit dismal, it was still a beautiful place to spend a few effortless days on a nice beach with good company. A bunch of people from the boat were around so there was a nice group of us for dinner one night, and I met a lovely pair of English brothers while diving, so we were able to spend some time together. I was also lucky enough to run into another couple of Brits, the lovely John and Miranda whom I had been running into repeatedly in Sumatra. It was a happy surprise to find them on Gili T about a month later, so we celebrated and swaped travel stories over a feast of grilled fish. We continued the evening sampling some of the other fine 'delecacies' Gili has on offer. It was a ridiculous night to say the least, and a great memory from this crazy little island.
But all too soon I found myself aboard yet another boat, this time headed to Bali - my final island destination in Indonesia.
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