Day 124, Year 3: Finally . . . Gili Air
Date: Hari Rabu (Wednesday), Bulan Sèptèmber 10, Pada Tahan 2008
Weather: Sunny Day with Clouds Over the High Mountains
Location: Teluk Naré (Kombal), NE Lombok, West Nusa Tengarra Province, Indonesia
We finally made it to Gili Air today. We had read that it is a cross between Gilligan’s Island and Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville. That’s not exactly the way I would describe it, but however you describe it, it is a wonderfully delicious place to visit. The village part of the island is just like any of the villages we have visited. But there are no cars or motorcycles on the island. The only modes of transportation are walking or riding in a cidomo (horse and buggy). Of course, that only makes the place all the more charming. The east side of the island is the resort side, and there is everything from luxury villas to bamboo thatched huts. But everything is simple and it feels delightfully refreshing. There are not hordes of children begging for money. You are just left alone to enjoy the beauty. We had a great day eating and drinking our way from the northeast part of the island to the southeast. Mark made a mid-day stop at the internet café on the island and it was just as fast as the connection in Mataram. That is still not great, but he was able to accomplish a couple of tasks that we have had on our “to do” list. We had a late afternoon swim at the beach to cool off before dinner. We ate at Wiwin and the food was wonderful. We just had a great time, and some of us are hoping to return tomorrow to do an all day snorkeling trip on a glass-bottomed boat. We have reserved our places, but we are not sure we can find transportation across. We asked Muhammad’s brother, Abdul, to try and find us a boat and he promised he would do so and call us as soon as he has one for us.
So hopefully it is back to Gili Air tomorrow, work on the boat on Friday, attend the Lombok Sail Indonesia Opening Ceremonies on Saturday, and then head for Bali. In only seven days Justin and Jo will be joining us. Can’t wait.
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| 080910 Day 124 Lombok, Indonesia–Day Trip to Gili Air |
