Lombok/Gili: Indonesian Paradise

February 23, 2016

After an amazing summer of traveling, we returned to Jakarta during the month of Ramadan. The once busy streets of our enormous metropolis were practically barren. With a week to go before work would resume and our community a ghost town, Andrea and I decided, "Kenapa tidak? Satu lagi libur!" Why not? One more vacation!

And so we began our adventure to the Gili islands!

Between flying to Malaysia, three different regions of Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia, flying to Lombok would be our 8th flight of the summer.

As we boarded a bus to our airplane, Penelope rushed to an end where two gentlemen sat alone. She introduced herself and won over their attention immediately. The gentlemen were carrying a variety of expensive looking cameras around their necks, which led me to believe they were photographers. They replied they were, in fact, artists, a musician and writer on their way to vacation with friends.

The gentlemen, Anji and Emka, were kind enough to offer us a ride to the dock where we would catch a boat to the Gili Islands. This was a long ride, roughly ninety minutes, so we appreciated sharing the transport and the good company.

We stopped for lunch at a traditional restaurant and enjoyed some delicious local cuisine, our hosts treat! As we sat, the other patrons of the diner continuously requested photos with our host, Anji Manji, apparently a famous singer/television personality in Indonesia. We had no idea, and laughingly accused him of being famous. He dismissed the attention and said that Emka was the more famous of the two. Apparently, Emka was a famous author and songwriter in Indonesia as well! I told them I was famous as well, a really big deal, but no one believed me.

Although predominately Muslim, Lombok is considered the sister island to the very Hindu Bali. During our travels in Northeast Bali, we would often see Lombok in the distance. Our friends often describe it as a "mellow version of Bali." And the Gili Islands off the shores of Lombok, were just a short boat ride away.

The snorkeling on the Gili Islands is quite thrilling, as there is a fairly large population of giant sea turtles one can see if they venture far enough.

The mellow surf was perfectly suited for our little one.

Andrea found some time to braid a local man's lengthy locks.

Perhaps we could retire and start a business in Gili? Nice braid!

There are no cars, nor motor vehicles of any kind on the Gili Islands, only bicycles and horse-drawn carriages...and sandy shoes.

Pea and I spent about 3 days straight building sand castles. Sadly, we have nothing to show for our efforts.

A human jewelry store...beautiful.

The Gili Islands are fairly small. It took me about 30 minutes to jog around the entire island, about 6 kilometers. I'm not bragging, just giving you an idea of how small the island was. Okay, there was a little bragging. You should of seen how fast I was.

Although Lombok and Gili have faced their share of invaders, from the Balinese, to the Dutch, and later the Japanese, it has largely remained a relatively untouched rural terrain. The Gili islands have only recently become a more popular tourist destination in the 2000's.

Relaxing on the beach was the daily event. At night, they showed movies in an outdoor theater. I think I want to go back now...but only if they are showing a good movie.

Penelope doing her thing in her Pea-kini...like a bikini but with Pea in it.

Naps on the beach were also mandatory.

We rented bikes for about 2 dollars a day, but one can easily walk the island as well. Or you could dance, or jump around the island, but ultimately that just made us very, very tired.

I recall this cappuccino tasted quite good and that is something everyone can be happy to know.

Dinner on the beach with pretty decent prices. Be weary of hamburger meat however. ;)

Hidup ini baik di Indonesia!

Pea, as usual, made a few little travel friends. There were people from all over the world visiting this tiny island including from France, Holland, and Ireland.

We stayed in a one bedroom home stay with literally no amenities other than a cold shower, and toilet. However, they had excellent fresh fruit every morning and a Wifi connection. The people were nice and the price was right! You can pay extra for nicer stays, but we spent the majority of our day outside anyway. So all we really needed was a bed.

My adventurous wife guiding a glass bottom kayak through an impressive Coral garden.

Having never been to Hawaii, this was our first experience with such crystal blue water.

With a great love for the beach, Penelope really enjoyed the island life.

Gili Bliss, an awesome health food restaurant with incredible smoothies, and a very nice couple running the show. We ate a healthy meal or drank a fresh smoothie there pretty much every day.