gili T and kuta

The whole time I was trekking on gunung rinjani, I was thinking of how good it was going to feel when I laid out on my next beach…all the tourist literature talks about the gili islands, just off the northwest coast of Lombok, and I figured I really ought to see at least one of them…there are three, and each is supposed to have it’s own personality…I went to the one that has the cheapest accommodation, gili trawangan…also known as gili T…it’s also known for partying, and while I don’t do that, I’m also pretty good at ignoring it anywho…

There are several ways of getting to the gilis…the first is by fastboat, directly from Bali…there are a number of companies offering this service now…I wanted to see more of Lombok than just the gilis, so this wasn’t an option for me…plus, it’s super expensive, at least relative to me…plus, there are no motorbikes allowed on the gilis, so if I’d taken one of those fastboats, I would’ve had to leave my motorbike on Bali, and that definitely wasn’t going to happen…the second option is by boat from senggigi, through a tourist company called perama…the third option is to take a shuttle bus to a village called bangsal, and take the public ferry from there…a lot of companies in senggigi offer the shuttle bus option…they put you on shuttle ferries, so you still aren’t with the locals…this third way is the cheapest option, so you’d think that’s what I did...i was worried about where to leave my bike, and wanted to leave it in senggigi…I don’t know why I didn’t think I could do that, even with this shuttle bus…anywho, I signed up for the second option, the boat by perama, direct from senggigi…the advantage to this was that it’s a faster boat, and you don’t have to take a bus first…the ride was under an hour…and I was the only customer on the boat…woo hoo!!

The boat landed on gili trawangan, as that’s where I’d said I wanted to go…there are two other gili islands, gili meno, and gili air…gili meno is the least populated, and has the least tourist infrastructure…gili air is in the middle in terms of people, infrastructure, etc…but it’s closest to Lombok geographically…from all three islands you can see gunung rinjani, if it’s clear…(which only seems to be early morning, when no one is awake…after that it clouds over, and you can see the rain clouds coming)…from all three islands you can see each of the other islands…the distance looked swimmable to me, but I’ve always been terrible about judging distance…plus, as I was to learn, the currents are crazy strong, the swim would be a challenge to say the least…

While in senggigi I’d talked to a couple that had just come from the gilis, they said it was expensive, and they’d spent more money there than they intended…this worried me a bit, even though I know I spend less than the great majourity of travelers…I suppose I could’ve looked around for accommodation, but I was satisfied with the price and condition of the first place I checked…the entrance was just outside the port area, but the room was a ways back, so it wasn’t terribly loud…plus, without the motorbikes, everything was a lot quieter…I talked to the couple in the room next to me, they had some suggestions about laundry, but the prices were crazy expensive…at least to me…I knew all my clothes from the rinjani trek were just gross, and really needed to be washed, but I guess this wasn’t the place to do it…I saw a lot of signs saying that laundry service was offered, but prices weren’t listed, so I knew I’d have to bargain, and I really don’t like bargaining…I had all the dirty clothes in a bag in my pack, so they weren’t polluting anything else in the pack…

When you are on any of the gili islands you have your choice of beach activities…sortof…all the scuba and diving you could want…a lot of the hotels/resorts offer PADI courses, most of them have their own pools in which they start the classes…it’s a bit odd to be walking along the street and realize that you’re walking by a pool with 6 people on the bottom, and they’re not coming up anytime soon…since I can’t dive, none of that meant anything to me…

I made my way to a beach, and soaked up more sun…I was dark enough that my skin colour doesn’t really change even when I’ve been out in the sun all day…hmmm…it started raining around 1500, but I’d seen the clouds forming for a while, so I wasn’t caught in the rain…even though I’d been able to see the gili islands from the top of gunung rinjani, I wasn’t able to see rinjani from gili T…

After the rains stopped I went for a walk along the main road that circles the island…there are a lot of cafes and places to stay along a good portion of one side of the island, then all of a sudden there is just nothing…very few people, and no buildings…and lots of mozzies…I walked for a while, but just wasn’t enjoying it much, especially as the light was quickly disappearing…I’m still not so comfortable being outside by myself after dark…

Somehow, during that evening, I knew I didn’t want to spend long on gili T…despite it’s similarity to a number of other beach places I’ve visited and enjoyed, I just didn’t like it…originally I’d been thinking as long as four nights…howeva, I knew I wanted to spend more than just one night, simply because I hate packing, and wanted to put it off as long as possible…

The next day I repeated my “schedule”…though I did get to a beach earlier in the morning, and got into the water several times…the water in between the gilis has a strong current, I was quite surprised…I’m  a strong swimmer, far stronger than the average tourist, and the current was pulling me down the beach rather quickly…but the temperature of the water was absolutely perfect…it felt wonderful…the clouds came over at the same time in the afternoon, leading me to think that the afternoon rain was a daily occurrence, even though it’s dry season…that evening instead of going for a walk, I took my laptop (I guess the proper name for it now is notebook?) to one of the cafes along the main street…the power kept going out, which meant the wifi connection, though speedy, kept going out, which was just annoying…i didn’t think I was online very long, but apparently my waiter did, as he prompted me to order something else after a while…I said no, since I didn’t want to spend more, and packed up…

The next morning I took a ferry back to Lombok, then a bus back to senggigi…I’d chosen to take the shorter ferry back to Lombok, rather than the hour boat straight to senggigi…there was a LOT of waiting in between the ferry and bus, I wasn’t thrilled…I don’t know what we were waiting for, that was never explained…anywho, once in senggigi I picked up my bike, posted a few things at the post office, and started making my way toward the southern end of Lombok…I was aiming for kuta…

The drive was around 2 hours, and much more confusing than I’d hoped…there were a few places more than usual where I had to make a turn, without the benefit of signage…fortunately, people on the side of the road were able to point me in the proper direction…at my last intersection of question, the guy I asked wanted to sign me up for accommodation, which I wasn’t keen to do…I said I just needed to go to the beach, and wasn’t worried about accommodation just yet…

kuta Lombok is completely different from kuta Bali…there are very few people in kuta Lombok…it’s such a small place that lonely planet doesn’t have a map of it in the Indonesia guidebook…which of course makes me nervous, as I’m a big fan of maps…I love being able to point to a map, and know where I am…kuta basically amounts to two roads, though I didn’t find the second one for a couple nights…I found the first place listed in the guidebook, but the price was a lot higher than what was listed…and the place was a lot nicer than I expected…I said I’d keep it in mind, but would keep looking…I kept driving down the road, and pretty soon realized I was out of the village already…I turned around, the first place I came back to was the royal bungalows…the price was listed on the board out front, and it included breakfast…woo hoo!! I turned in, and asked to see a room…there were 9 bungalows in the area, each had a lawn chair out front…the bathroom of the bungalow was significantly larger than anything else I’d seen in recent history, woo hoo…a shower, a sink, and a western style toilet, and plenty of natural light…amazing…the sleeping room of the bungalow had a huge mosquito net all around the mattresses (two of them pushed together to make what amounted to at least a queen size bed)…a small bedside table, a lamp, and a fan…I was sold immediately…there was a small porch on the front, and two chairs on the porch…

instead of finding a beach, I laid out on the chair in front of my bungalow…yay…a few hours later I went for a walk, just to see where things were in the village…I walked along the only road I could see, looking for laundry, internet, postcards, petrol, etc…I got back, just after darkness had fallen…

the next day I went to one of the beaches to lay out…it was deserted, I was the only one there…again, yayJ…howeva, after not too long, a couple local kids came up to me to try to sell me coconut juice…which doesn’t normally bother me, as I’m used to saying no…howeva, even when I said no, the kids stuck around…they simply sat down very close to me, and kept trying to get me to buy the coconut…they didn’t understand when I said that I wouldn’t be buying the coconut no matter what, as I don’t particularly like coconut…after a while they went away…after a little longer, other local kids came up and wanted me to buy bracelets…I have enough bracelets, thanks…I don’t need any more…these kids sat down close to me for a while as well…not particularly enjoyable for me…especially since the sand mites kept landing on me, so I kept fidgeting…I stayed on the beach as long as normal, but I didn’t enjoy it much, with the kids and the sand mites…

after packing up my malong and hat, and putting on my skirt and tank top, I walked along the beach, and over some of the rocks at one end…I could see locals out in the water, fishing…awesome…and I could see another beach, just around the corner…also deserted…

that night I went for a longer walk, walking along the main street from the day before, as well as a ways back up the road I’d driven into town…

the next two days were a repeat, though instead of going to the beach, I stayed on the chair in front of my bungalow…that way I still got sun time, but without the kids and sand mites…nice long walks in the evenings, and I was a happy camper…the morning of my fourth day I road my bike around the area, looking for a couple beaches mentioned in the guidebook…the roads were in horrible condition, but I tended to think that was a good thing, as it means there isn’t a whole lot of development going on…I found one beach that was quite crowded with locals…which was neat to see, as I haven’t seen many Indonesians on the beaches I’ve visited…it was beautiful, just like the other beaches I saw that morning…white sand, blue water, does it get any better?

The afternoon of my last day, I wanted to have a massage…the place I was staying had a full menu of spa options, but when I asked about a massage, they said no one was around…I was disappointed, to say the least…given the number of “employees” and massage rooms I’d been seeing over the past three days, I was surprised and disappointed that I wasn’t going to get a massage…but life goes on…

The next morning I got up early, paid my bill, and drove back to the port in lembar…the way back to the port was a lot easier, there was plenty of good signage…I didn’t get lost, and I didn’t have to ask anyone for directions…I felt like there must’ve been signs I missed on my way to kuta…I bought a ticket for the next ferry, back to padangbai, on Bali…

back to the beach(es)

Back in seminyak…I was pretty proud of making it back without any majour stories to tell…no wrecks, no majour getting lost, etc…no majour stories to tell either, but that didn’t matter much…I had a few good photos, and it was nice to be with the family again…I went to the beach that afternoon, and did it without getting lost…woo hoo!!  On the way home from the beach I shopped for bikinis…I have a good one, and I love it, but part of me wants another…do I need another? No…do I want one? Yes…since there is a lot of surfing all over Indonesia, all the majour surfing brands have shops here…and for some products, I’m a brand name junkie…since I didn’t have the cash on me, I didn’t buy anything…but I found a few I wanted…I have weight I want to lose, but I don’t consider myself huge…howeva, I’m usually wearing the largest, or 2^nd to largest size these stores have…what do most Americans wear?

The next morning I got up and went to a supermarket, getting full milk and mini croissants…I’d been dying to make chai again…it was yummy…so were the mini croissants, especially when they were dipped in “plain” (it said plain, but it was pretty sweet and tasted like vanilla to me) yoghurt…later that afternoon I went to the beach, and from there drove to jimbaran, on the bukit peninsula…I met angie at a mcdonald’s (it was a spot she knew I could find) and we drove to a fish market…lots of seafood available, to say the least…all different colours too…she picked out a couple snapper, telling me what she looks for when buying fresh fish…we also got some fruit that makes me think of snakeskins…the fruit inside tastes like a cross between a tart apple and a pear…YUM…I’d never had them, and after trying one, I suggested we get a kilo for dinner…woo hoo…

As soon as we got home, angie put anna and I to work…chopping up a bunch of stuff to add to the fish…she bbq’d the fish, and added to everything else, the meal was AMAZING…after dinner, all of us (willie, anna, me, angie, mom, dad) went to a movie…a family outing…we saw “driving angry” with Nicholas cage…definitely one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen…and it was LOUD…we couldn’t help but laugh at how bad it was…just awful…since it was so loud, after the movie was over, as we walked back to the van, we were all pretty quiet…shell shocked I think…just awful…

The next day I moved into kuta…it’s the crazy crazy crazy tourist centre of the island…nearly everyone who comes to bali spends a night or two in kuta at some point…there is a giant beach that goes for 8km or something like that, tons of accommodation in every price range, and shopping…not much else…I was lucky enough to get a room in the same place I stayed during both visits in 2009…it’s super cheap, but I don’t need much…(by comparison, the room I stayed in with the clark family was a palace)…since I’m on a motorbike this time, I’ve realized just how crazy traffic is around here, and just how many tourists are here…it’s nuts…fortunately, I’m able to ignore most of it…what always gets me is when I’m walking onto the beach, and someone offers transport…I’m walking onto the beach, does it look like I want to go anywhere else??????

Since moving into kuta I haven’t done much…beach time, reading time, online time mostly…a couple times I’ve met up with angie and anna, we’ve played badminton…it’s the national sport, which meant we got our butts kicked by the local kids…fun…and I was super sore after the first day…lol…I’ve also gone to play touch rugby, good times…rugby is the best sport, and the only one I know where a total stranger can rock up to practice, and be fully welcomed into whateva is happening…drills, scrimmage, etc…awesome…if I decide to stay on bali, it’s something I want to get into regularly, because I miss playing in seoul…

my fourth visit

my flight arrived in bali late at night...rather than pay for a prepaid taxi (ridiculously high rates) into kuta just to find a place to sleep, i spent the night at the airport...morning rolled around, the flies became more active, and it began to be warm...i hopped into a taxi that had just dropped someone off, so i got a metered ride into kuta, for less than half the price of a prepaid taxi...i stayed at the same place i had stayed in july, so that was convenient...

during this trip to bali, i started running...i've done a lot of running in my past, but i haven't done ANY running in the past year or so...after my first half hour of jogging, i slowed down to a walk, and realized that my legs felt like jello...no pain, but they were awfully wiggly...i sped up a few more times for a total of an hour or so of running...the next morning, when i started jogging again, it wasn't very easy...and didn't get any easier as i kept going...later, during that second day, i had problems everytime i wanted to go down...that is, step off a curb, sit down, walk down a hill, etc...my legs would pretty much give out at the very last second...NOT GOOD...so i took off the third day...

while starting again, pretty much entirely from scratch, i realized that it really does involve your entire body!!! who knew your oblique muscles actually are used while running? back in high school when my cross country team did so many ab exercises i always thought it was silly...now i know there was actually a purpose!! and i realized that even though i can walk all day long, it doesn't translate much at all to being fit, and being able to run...i don't think i'd ever been that completely out of shape...embarassing...

my days were all pretty much the same...get up early, go running, go check email, lay out on the beach...eat dinner, read a bit, go to sleep early...

as i was walking from the beach back to my room one day i walked past a little stand set up to register people for a charity run taking place that weekend...the next day i went back with money, and signed myself up...the organizing company was hard rock, but it was sponsored by a number of other companies...the charity being benefited helped kids with cleft palates...the run was supposed to be a 5K...

by taking off that third day from running, i made sure i would be okay for the run on the 4th...and i was...it was just a loop around a really busy block of kuta...but it wasn't so busy at 0730 on a sunday morning:)...after everyone finished, (about 700 people had entered, they said it was the biggest run they'd had, and this was the 9th annual run) they handed out all the raffle prizes, as well as the auction prizes...all in all, it was a well organized event...perhaps one of the nicest parts was the free 10 minute foot massage i got at one of the sponsor tents...so nice:)...sadly, it wasn't a 5K, it was only a 4K...according to the organizers, the police who were doing traffic control turned everyone a little early, so that's why we had all had such fast times...hee hee...oh well...

the rest of my days followed the same pattern i mentioned before...i was tan as all get out when i left bali this time:)...

bali

this was my third visit to bali....the way i arrived was totally different from my other visits...this time i took the ferry from java....from the town of ketapan to the town of gilimanuk...it's a pretty quick ferry ride, less than an hour...i sat in a room that had a no smoking sign, but this is indonesia, where NOTHING is non smoking...within 5 minutes of me sitting in that room, i counted at least 10 men lighting up...i might as well take up smoking, for all the second hand smoke i've inhaled in this country...
the ferry arrived at gilimanuk, which is really nothing but a transit point...there is a bus station right next to the ferry station, so i headed that way, and only had to wait 1.5 hours for a bus to denpasar...of course while i was waiting, people tried to convince me to hire private transport, or to pay for the rest of the mini bus so it could leave immediately...i didn't, i'm cheap...i ended up arriving at a bus station in denpasar (the capital of the island) at 2 in the morning...not exactly the optimum time to arrive anywhere...i checked out the hotels near the bus station, but they were all full...so lucky me got to sleep at the bus station, which wasn't nearly as bad as i expected...early morning arrived, and i took a bemo to kuta, one of the best known beach towns...
kuta is crowded...very very crowded...bali has well and truly recovered from the bombings of 2002 and 2005...(it remains to be seen whether this year's bombing in jakarta will affect tourism over the rest of the country)...i arrived to find the town considerably more crowded than it was the last two times i visited...this time i had a much more difficult time finding a place to stay...i walked around to place after place after place, only to find places that were full, or WAY out of my budget range...i started to poke my head through every open gate, some were house compounds, some were temple entrances, and some were hotels...it was by doing this that i stumbled into the place i ended up staying...it was a bit dark, but i was getting desperate...and i got lucky...very very very lucky...it was cheap, and perfectly adequate...WOO HOO!!! kuta is crazy full, and each day i was there, i heard the hotel people tell lots of people that they were full...
kuta is in no way representative of indonesia...at all...it's a beach town, and a touristy one at that...on the beach there are no locals, unless you count the numerous vendors, surf instructors, massage ladies, etc...the beach is filled with tourists, in bikinis, boardies, etc...a few european men in speedos, older ladies in bikinis with skin WAY darker than can possibly be healthy...lots of backpackers...the area where people stay is filled with shops where you can buy everything you don't want...knickknacks, clothes, postcards, bus/train/plane tickets...there are official stores of various brands, like quicksilver, billabong and roxy...i bought two new bikinis, one of which i needed...the other i just couldn't say no to...there are also lots of knockoff stores...i laughed every time someone tried to tell me their wares were authentic...riiiiiiiiight...i now where authentic gurci sunglasses:)
there are LOTS of spas...i ended up treating myself to a couple foot massages, HEAVEN...it would've been very easy to spend a lot of money pampering myself...
i spent my days laying out on the beach...soaking up sun...(yes, i wore suncream AND covered my face)...occasionally cooling off in the water...the waves were good for surfing, at least it seemed that way from the number of people out there surfing...or trying to surf...or trying to learn to surf...lots of people seemed to think they could teach themselves to surf, which was entertaining for me to watch...hee hee...(i'm mean, i know, but it's funny to watch people wipe out)...watching all the people on the beach was also entertaining...some people really need to choose different beach attire...
i flew out of bali at 6 in the morning, which required getting to the airport at 4...not fun...but easy, and probably the least crowded i felt the entire time i was there!