Gili & Lombok Islands
12.09.2011
86 °F
After our cultural experience in Ubud, we continued along the 'tourist track' towards the Gili islands. These are three small islands close to the northwest coast of Lombok (a giant volcano island) which are famous for their coral reefs. We stayed on Gili Trawangan and spent most of our first day biking the entire 8km around the island and visiting all of its beaches. As there are no cars or motos on the islands, we spent most of the time dodging poop from the horse-drawn carriages that go around the island! The next day we took a boat over to Gili Meno and did some off shore snorkeling. We were impressed with how much coral was right off the coast! There were tons of fish that we hadn't seen before and we even watched someone spearfishing.
Next we ventured to the Lombok, the huge volcano island, and were surprised to learn that we missed Obama's visit by a couple of days! The Senggigi beaches on the west side of the island are almost all black and a popular place to visit. Besides the usual beach visiting, pool side lounging activities, we did a tour around some temples and villages in the area. It was quite impressive because there was a large mosque, Hindu temple, and church very close to one another. In the middle there was a large worship area open to people of all faiths and the community built it to help support tolerance.
Our last couple of days were spent in some cute bungalows on the southern part of Bali. The sunset fire dance we saw was fantastic - it depicted a classic Hindu tale of good vs evil. The highlight was local monkeys stealing people's water bottles and hair clips! There were also lots of surfers to watch and some amazing cliffs lining the beach. Dave did make a new friend though:
Overall, we had a great time in Indonesia but if you are planning to visit, definitely avoid the main tourist areas! To see the real side, you have to go to the quieter areas.
Hot Mama, Jess! Lookin' good!
I miss miss miss you! (I think I write the same thing each time I post something.....all revolving around how much I miss you and want/need you here with me!)
I am so excited for you to be able to be a phone call away again! I know yall had such a good time and it must be hard knowing that the trip is nearing an end. But what an amazing experience - I hope I can go through ALL the pics yall took at some point!
When are you guys arriving back in the US? Is there ANY possible way you can make a pit stop in Asheville before you move to Oregon? I know that might be tight, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed!
I'm going home for Christmas for the first time in FOUR years, and I'm so excited! It's going to be a much needed vacation. :o) I can't wait to fill you in on everything that's been going on here when you get home!
Anyways, give Dave a hug from me! I love and miss you!!!!
12.12.2011 by Alison