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| Shore-side-selfie :) |
[January 28]
Tuesday morning after a beautiful drive through Bali, we made it to the Harbor on the Eastern Shore, where we would be taking a fast boat to Gili Trawangan.
The Gili Islands are a small chain of 3 tiny islands off the Northwest coast of Lombok: Gili Air, Gili Meno, and Gili Trawangan (the largest and most western island off the coast of Lombok).
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| Aerial view of the Gilis (Photo taken from Gili Bookings) |
Immediately upon arrival to the rural harbor, everyone was bombarded by merchants and solicitors trying to sell us everything from jewelry, to clothing, to Pringles and other various goods. We managed to get past the vendors inside the "office" to purchase our roundtrip tickets on Eka Jaya Fast Boat Company. After haggling and bargaining the price of the tickets, we completed the transaction and returned to the crowded make-shift market. One woman selling fruit was very insistent that I buy some from her basket. I politely told her "No, thank you" only for her to keep insisting. I am normally one to be annoyed by this kind of forced sale, (and I was), but the gorgeous looking pineapple, mango, and watermelon package did look very enticing. I declined again, and even insisted that I didn't even have any more Indonesian Rupiah on me, She still insisted that I buy some and she even suggested that I just go ahead and pay her in USD. Although annoyed, I was hungry, and it did look good: and given that I hadn't had breakfast that morning, and I didn't know how long it would take us to get to the Gili's, I conceded and against my own better judgement, gave her $2.00. We had at least an hour before our boat was to leave, so Lauren suggested we talk a little walk around and explore. I popped open the package and had a few pieces of pineapple that were cut into cute little flower shapes. I went in for a bite of mango and as soon as it hit my tongue, I realized it was rancid! I immediately spit it out and became acutely aware of what I'd just done.... I found a bathroom and tried to make myself throw up what I'd already eaten, but it was a failed attempt. From that moment on, all I could do was worry and think about how stupid of a decision that was, and hope and pray I wouldn't get sick. But what was done was done. I sucked it up, and decided just to move on and focus on the next thing: which was that I was about to be on a boat in the ocean. Something new I had never done before!
I was nervous and excited all at once! I voiced my emotions to Lauren, explaining that I felt like I was beginning to slightly overcome my fear of that water. Given that I've only been in lakes that you could swim across, and I'd only been into the ocean maybe a handful of times; it's something that I've just never been comfortable in. It scares me. But I obviously wasn't going to allow my fear to dictate my adventures, NO! We checked our bags on board and before I knew it we were loading up on the boat! I truly didn't know what to expect the fast boat to look like, but it was basically like a cross between an airplane and a speed boat that you'd take water-skiing. We took our seats toward the back end of the boat, and we were off! I was nervous, but once we got going, it was a very smooth ride! It just felt like we were gliding over the water. I tried to look out the windows, but they were so high up that I had to sit on my knees to see out. It was so peaceful, I fell asleep and woke up to to the sights of beautiful Lombok! It was so beautiful with it's mountains and greenery. It was very crazy to then spot the Gili's. They are so small that you could see all 3 islands in one field of view. It was exactly like looking at them from Google Map! We docked on Gili Trawangan and I was giddy with the breathtaking sight of this little island. There was a vast difference between Gili T. and any other island I'd ever been on (I'd only ever been on Oahu and Bali...) There are no automobiles on the island which is cool, but the people get around by taxi carts pulled by ponies, which is not cool. Those poor little horses were clearly over worked and under-nourished, so it made me sad. Also, there are no dogs on the island! Only a bunch of deformed cats with weird ears and tails.
We got checked into our accommodations at Woodstock Gili, which was a little compound of adorable little bungalows! They were just the cutest things with the most basic of necessities: a platform bed, a bench, and semi-outdoor shower and toilet. There were a set of maybe 10 or so huts each aptly named after famous rockstars of the 60's and 70's. I stayed in the Jimi Hendrix, which was located right next to the "office".
We then made haste down to the beach for a seafood lunch overlooking the most insanely beautiful water I've ever seen. And while the food was mediocre at best it was the sheer pleasure of feeling like my life was a dream or the cover of a magazine! It looked just like the pictures in magazines, where the water is so crystal blue that fades to turquoise and various shades of azure. The mountainous backdrop of Lomok and the sandy beaches of Gili Meno across the channel, made it especially picturesque. They warn very strictly; although it appears you can swim across to Gili Meno, don't try it, because the current is too strong and could pull you out to sea. Many people have died trying. While we were waiting on the food, Lauren and I couldn't help but run down and jump into that crystal blue water. And it was so unbelievably warm. I took it all in, and I kept saying, "is this real life??"
That afternoon, Lauren and I walked around the entire island, and checked out all the possibilities. There was such a stark contrast between the very third-world living conditions of the locals, to the swanky beach-front accommodations geared mostly toward the tourism brought by the posh Australians. It really made me uncomfortable. It's for reasons such as this, why I feel it is so important for people to travel: You learn very quickly, just how vastly differently people live, and how little they need to not only survive, but also be genuinely happy. It puts so much into perspective, and I think it's helped make me a better person, and learn to live with less. These people literally live in places with no walls, windows, or anything that would remotely resemble a house by our standards. They have chickens and cows in their "yards" and probably wear the same clothes for several days in a row. Yet they were so kind and willing to be of any service possible and they always met you with a smile.
After exploring, we went back to the bungalows for a little R&R before veturing out to dinner. We made friends with a girl called Mary Louise from South Africa. The three of us went to dinner at Scallywags, a popular seafood restaurant on the water. We enjoyed eachother's company and chatted it up with the slightly obnoxious group of young Australian guys at the next table, who were clearly there for nothing more than to get wasted drunk and hook up with girls. It was rather amusing. After dinner the girls wanted to go for a walk around the island and have a night cap, but I immediately noticed that my tummy wasn't feeling so good.
I declined the drink and walked back to the cabin. Within minutes of being back, I immediately experienced the violent wrath of sickness I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy. I will spare you the gory details, but all I know, is that in my entire life I've never been so sick and quite pathetic. I was feeling so miserable and helpless, and really just desperate for any sort of comfort I could find. I was able to stay out of the bathroom long enough to change into my one pair of sweatpants that I had with me, and wrap myself up in my cardigan before I crawled into bed. I was up sick and throwing up all night, crying and crying, and feeling so homesick for someone just to pat my back and tell me "it's gonna be okay!" There was nothing I could do to stop the sickness. I was shivering cold in a room that was 95 degrees. I took my temperature and I had a fever of 102. At one point, I almost busted my face in a race to not puke on myself while trying to free myself from my prison of a bed trapped inside of the secured mosquito net that was tied and tucked so tightly around it. I was just a hot mess. Literally. I can honestly say that I have never been more uncomfortable in my life. I was hot and cold all at the same time, staying in a room without full walls, nauseous from breathing in the fumes from a smoky mosquito-repellent incense coil at the foot of my bed. I could hear the roosters coca-doodling and the cows mooing all night long. Just when I was finally able to fall asleep around 3 am, I was startled out of bed by a sound I'd never heard before: A man's voice was chanting and yodeling over a loudspeaker in the middle of the night! I had no idea what was going on, until I realized that it was the 4:45 am muslim call-to-prayer. Our bungalows were just meters down the road from the muslim mosque. They pray over the loud speaker several times a day, beginning hours before sunrise. Finally after 20 or so minutes of chanting, I managed to close my eyes only to have to run to the bathroom at 6am. Needess to say, by morning I was exhausted and quite pitiful.
[January 29]
On Wednesday morning when Lauren came to get me at 6:45 for yoga, I answered the door and immediately started crying when I saw my comforting friend. I managed to squeak out a pathetic, "I can't go to yoga, I'm sick :( " before losing myself to tears. She was so sweet and got me medicine and told the care-takers of our bungalows about my condition. They brought me guava tea, which apparently helps with tummy ailments. She went to yoga and I tried to get a little bit more rest. Finally after accepting that sleep was just not going to happen, I bucked up and got out of bed.
That afternoon after hydrating as best as I could, I did manage to wander down to the beach (it was much cooler by the water than it was inland). I wasn't going to let this sickness ruin my trip. When I was sure there was nothing left to throw-up, I decided maybe I was up for paddle-boarding! It was the perfect activity for the afternoon. It was such a lovely and leisurely activity! For 2 hours we paddled around the water. It was definitely a little bit of a core and upper body work out! This was much more my style than surfing :) Thankfully my balance was strong from all the yoga! After getting sufficiently sunburned, we turned in our boards for an afternoon milkshake....but I had to pass. I took it easy the rest of the day, and tried to pull myself together for a fancy dinner at Pearl, but the only thing I was able to eat and keep down was toast. [Which, by the way, it seemed that the toast in Indonesia is the best toast I've ever had in my life....but then maybe that's because it was all I was able to eat for 2 days...]
[January 30]
I had roughly endured another night in the bungalow and was woken up again by roosters and the mosque activities. But I was thankful that I was feeling significantly better. I still wasn't able to eat much, but I managed some tea and toast before Lauren and I went on a snorkeling adventure!
We took a really cool boat out to sea with about 25 other people. I was nervous/excited. We got in the water, and it took me a little while to get used to breathing with my head underwater.... but I'm so glad I figured it out. It's such a beautiful world below the surface of the sea. The coral, brightly colored fish, and sea turtles were such a treat to get to see! We stopped at 2 different places in the sea, and then had a long break on Gili Air for lunch. The thing I love about islanders, is that they live up to the true generalization, that they are never in a hurry. I bet we spent about 2 hours on our lunch break! We lunched at a wonderful beachside cafe. I was able to manage a little bit of curry, but I'll be honest, I was really afraid to eat anything that wasn't toast. We got back on the boat and were taken to our third and final snorkeling sight. I think by the end of the third spot we were all pretty beat and ready to get back.
By this time the afternoon rain was beginning. Lauren and I ended up at what had become our favorite little local coffee shop, Kayu Cafe. We enjoyed our coffee and cake as we made plans for the next part of our adventure when we would return back to Bali. The next several hours it poured rain well into the night. I rather enjoyed it. The rain cooled everything down, and it made it so nice to manage several more hours of sleep that night. My last night on Gili was the most comfortable I'd been in days. But that doesn't mean that I was not excited to get off this island and on to the next part of our journey.
[January 31]
Friday was our last day on Gili T. I was feeling much better, and was ready for 7am yoga at Gili Yoga. We had found this amazing little studio and it was just what I needed to make me feel human again. After 90 minutes on the mat, surrounded by the beautiful lush greenery, I felt revived.
We returned to the bungalows, packed up our stuff, and got our boarding passes for the speed boat back to Bali. I decided to go exploring the island and try to take some photos, since I hadn't really been up to it the previous days. It was a bummer that I didn't have my camera with me the first day, because that was the most beautiful blue sky day, but the rain storm had left nothing but dreary clouds and mud for our final farewell. While I was exploring, I noticed I was being followed by a local man. I wasn't really too bothered by it, as by this point I had learned that the locals are all very kind and non-threatening.... but this one did manage to be a creepy one. He followed me down to the beach and I finally acknowledged him, (to let him know that I was on to him). He asked the same question that every.single.indonesian.man.asked.me.
"You Indonsian?"
{After rolling my eyes to answer this for the millionth time}: "No, I'm an American."
"Oh, American, I see. You very beautiful"
"Oh, well thank you very much.
"Where you stay?"
"Oh, just down the road a little way. But I'm leaving today."
"Oh, you leave?" [Pulls out cell phone] "What's your Facebook? I find you."
"I don't have Facebook."
"What's your Twitter?"
"I don't have Twitter."
"What's your email?"
{Ugh, leave me alone...I'm just trying to take some pictures. my annoyance level is maxed.}
"I don't use email...."
"Oh then how I contact you?"
"You can't." (and I start to turn to walk away.)
"You come with me behind the mosque. I want to give you something."
And so that's about the time I decided my solo exploration time was done. I made my way back to Kayu Cafe were I met Lauren for lunch until it was time to get to the dock. We loaded up and took our seats toward the middle of the boat. The afternoon clouds had rolled in and it was beginning to rain. I was ready to nap the next couple hours on the way back to Bali, but I had quite another thing in store.
Immediately starting out, it was apparent that this boat ride was very different than the first one.... As soon as we pulled away from the dock and got into the open sea, we were slamming up and down into the water. Everyone was looking around and squealing as we were bouncing around in our seats. There was a cute little English couple to my right. We made nervous smiles at one another, and I said, "I feel like I'm on a scary ride at Disneyland!" I was sure it was just going to be rough until we got going, and then it would smooth out. But it only got worse. We were literally slamming into the water. The earlier squeals of excitement from the passengers had turned into screams and shouts of panic. People were bouncing up out of their seats. I looked to my left and Lauren was so calmly sitting back in her seat with her eyes closed (She was more focused on breathing and trying not to get sea-sick), while I was sitting on the edge of my seat with a death grip on the seat ahead, wide eyed with panic and fear. The conditions were definitely not getting better, and I remember beginning to freak out. I kept saying, "I don't like this, I don't like this at all!" I was sweating and had to take off my long sleeved cotton shirt. The crew didn't seem bothered at all, yet I didn't take comfort in that. Instead they passed out seasickness bags to everyone on board. We continued to slam into the waves, and I pleaded out loud, "Please slow down, please slow down!" As we got further out to sea, in between slams into the water, we began to tilt sideways. Lauren, the British couple, and I were sitting in the emergency exit row with a large window, and when I looked out to my right it would be nothing but grey sky, and then nothing but white capped water. People started getting sick. The British girl beside me was in full on tears, and my panic heightened. I told her boyfriend, "You better be ready to open that emergency exit window!" I had already been studying it in case I needed to do it myself. It looked rather complicated...nothing but bolts and screws, and not even so much as a pictogram of instruction. I then began to scan the boat for something heavy like a fire extinguisher that I could use in case I needed to break out of a window. The only thought running through my mind was that we were going to capsize in the middle of the ocean, and I'm going to be trapped in a sinking boat with 120 people. I was preparing my exit plan. It was fight or flight at that moment, and I was prepared to do both! I didn't care who I was going to have to step over, I was ready to bolt at any moment! I normally do pretty well in tense situations, but not when it involves 2 of my major fears: 1) the ocean 2) drowning. At one point when the conditions were at their worst, I had gotten myself so worked up and freaked out I began hyperventilating. Lauren calmly reached over to me and reminded me to come back to my yoga breath. I was praying incessantly for Jesus to calm the water just like he did when he was on the boat with the disciples. For the next 2 hours of being tossed around like a toy in the ocean I kept praying and praying and praying, then after what seemed like days, the water finally started to calm down a bit. I never did relax for a second on that boat, and I wasn't fully calmed down until I could see the mountains of Bali out the window. Ahhhhhhh finally we had made it. And I was alive. With shaky legs I scrambled out of the boat and I promised myself that I would never set foot in an enclosed boat in the ocean ever again. Ever. I've experienced it, and my mind is made up. It was by far the scariest thing I've ever experienced and I have nothing to compare it to.
Immediately we were all bombarded by the vendors begging us to buy their goods. I spotted the woman who sold me the rotten fruit and gave her the side eye. We waited about 20 minutes for our shuttle that was to take us to Ubud. During that time, I was approached by a woman selling sarongs, begging me to buy one from her. I repeated "no thank you" to her and tried to walk away. I actually really did want to buy one, but but I wasn't prepared to make an offer on what I was willing to spend, and I was still a bit off from the boat ride. Needless to say, I was not in the best frame of mind. I was just coming down off of the adrenaline rush, I had a pounding headache, and was exhausted. After a couple of minutes, I spotted another woman who was also selling the beautiful sarongs. I made up my mind to buy one, and had my money ready to barter. She showed me her collection, and I picked out a royal purple cloth with beautiful gold woven into the design. We settled upon 70,000 Rupiah (which was about $6) and made a quick exchange just as our shuttle taxi was ready for us. Proud of my purchase that I had draped over my arm, I was looking for Lauren and maneuvering though the crowd when the first woman who had tried selling me her sarong approached me and was furious. She pointed her finger at me and poked me in my chest and yelled at me for buying from the other woman, when she had been the first one to ask me to buy from her. I lost it. I shouted at her, "Do NOT touch me!" She was still in my face and again tried to make her point that I had betrayed and offended her, and again I told her she was not allowed to touch me. Before I really lost my temper I rushed to Lauren's side as our shuttle was loading up. The angry woman had followed me and just as I was about to get into the van, she got into my face and told me very matter-of-factly, "You have a beautiful face but you have an ugly black heart." The anger I had immediately melted away into sadness. That actually really hurt my feelings. Lauren's eyes got wide and she asked me, "what did you do?" It was really just the icing on a really bad day. I was over it. And at this point, I was kind of ready just to come home.
But I still had a week until I'd be back home in the good ole, US of A, so I decided I needed to change my attitude and be ready for the good days that remained in Bali. It was off to Ubud, next! I was ready to put this damper behind me, and excited to see what Ubud had in store!
*Several days later we learned that we were out at sea in a really bad storm, and several other boats had turned around due to the adverse conditions, and that the fast boats didn't run for several days after. The locals told us that sometimes the boats may not run for up to 11 days during rain season! As awful of an experience that I had for those few hours on that boat, I can honestly say that I'm glad ours didn't turn around and go back to Gili! I was more than ready to be outta there. The lesson learned, is that deserted islands are deserted for a reason: hard to get to, hard to live on, and hard to get off! I hope that if you ever get an opportunity to go, GO! Don't take my slightly negative experiences to heart, I just had a rough time and I'm not cut out for the island life :) But I'm glad I did it, and I will always have these memories!!
**All photos taken from iPhone and Sony NEX5R camera, unless credited to another source.
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| The first and last time we taxied on these poor creatures. |
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| What happened to your tail, Kitty? |
We got checked into our accommodations at Woodstock Gili, which was a little compound of adorable little bungalows! They were just the cutest things with the most basic of necessities: a platform bed, a bench, and semi-outdoor shower and toilet. There were a set of maybe 10 or so huts each aptly named after famous rockstars of the 60's and 70's. I stayed in the Jimi Hendrix, which was located right next to the "office".
We then made haste down to the beach for a seafood lunch overlooking the most insanely beautiful water I've ever seen. And while the food was mediocre at best it was the sheer pleasure of feeling like my life was a dream or the cover of a magazine! It looked just like the pictures in magazines, where the water is so crystal blue that fades to turquoise and various shades of azure. The mountainous backdrop of Lomok and the sandy beaches of Gili Meno across the channel, made it especially picturesque. They warn very strictly; although it appears you can swim across to Gili Meno, don't try it, because the current is too strong and could pull you out to sea. Many people have died trying. While we were waiting on the food, Lauren and I couldn't help but run down and jump into that crystal blue water. And it was so unbelievably warm. I took it all in, and I kept saying, "is this real life??"
That afternoon, Lauren and I walked around the entire island, and checked out all the possibilities. There was such a stark contrast between the very third-world living conditions of the locals, to the swanky beach-front accommodations geared mostly toward the tourism brought by the posh Australians. It really made me uncomfortable. It's for reasons such as this, why I feel it is so important for people to travel: You learn very quickly, just how vastly differently people live, and how little they need to not only survive, but also be genuinely happy. It puts so much into perspective, and I think it's helped make me a better person, and learn to live with less. These people literally live in places with no walls, windows, or anything that would remotely resemble a house by our standards. They have chickens and cows in their "yards" and probably wear the same clothes for several days in a row. Yet they were so kind and willing to be of any service possible and they always met you with a smile.
After exploring, we went back to the bungalows for a little R&R before veturing out to dinner. We made friends with a girl called Mary Louise from South Africa. The three of us went to dinner at Scallywags, a popular seafood restaurant on the water. We enjoyed eachother's company and chatted it up with the slightly obnoxious group of young Australian guys at the next table, who were clearly there for nothing more than to get wasted drunk and hook up with girls. It was rather amusing. After dinner the girls wanted to go for a walk around the island and have a night cap, but I immediately noticed that my tummy wasn't feeling so good.
I declined the drink and walked back to the cabin. Within minutes of being back, I immediately experienced the violent wrath of sickness I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy. I will spare you the gory details, but all I know, is that in my entire life I've never been so sick and quite pathetic. I was feeling so miserable and helpless, and really just desperate for any sort of comfort I could find. I was able to stay out of the bathroom long enough to change into my one pair of sweatpants that I had with me, and wrap myself up in my cardigan before I crawled into bed. I was up sick and throwing up all night, crying and crying, and feeling so homesick for someone just to pat my back and tell me "it's gonna be okay!" There was nothing I could do to stop the sickness. I was shivering cold in a room that was 95 degrees. I took my temperature and I had a fever of 102. At one point, I almost busted my face in a race to not puke on myself while trying to free myself from my prison of a bed trapped inside of the secured mosquito net that was tied and tucked so tightly around it. I was just a hot mess. Literally. I can honestly say that I have never been more uncomfortable in my life. I was hot and cold all at the same time, staying in a room without full walls, nauseous from breathing in the fumes from a smoky mosquito-repellent incense coil at the foot of my bed. I could hear the roosters coca-doodling and the cows mooing all night long. Just when I was finally able to fall asleep around 3 am, I was startled out of bed by a sound I'd never heard before: A man's voice was chanting and yodeling over a loudspeaker in the middle of the night! I had no idea what was going on, until I realized that it was the 4:45 am muslim call-to-prayer. Our bungalows were just meters down the road from the muslim mosque. They pray over the loud speaker several times a day, beginning hours before sunrise. Finally after 20 or so minutes of chanting, I managed to close my eyes only to have to run to the bathroom at 6am. Needess to say, by morning I was exhausted and quite pitiful.
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| My bed by night-time |
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| The muslim mosque on our road |
[January 29]
On Wednesday morning when Lauren came to get me at 6:45 for yoga, I answered the door and immediately started crying when I saw my comforting friend. I managed to squeak out a pathetic, "I can't go to yoga, I'm sick :( " before losing myself to tears. She was so sweet and got me medicine and told the care-takers of our bungalows about my condition. They brought me guava tea, which apparently helps with tummy ailments. She went to yoga and I tried to get a little bit more rest. Finally after accepting that sleep was just not going to happen, I bucked up and got out of bed.
That afternoon after hydrating as best as I could, I did manage to wander down to the beach (it was much cooler by the water than it was inland). I wasn't going to let this sickness ruin my trip. When I was sure there was nothing left to throw-up, I decided maybe I was up for paddle-boarding! It was the perfect activity for the afternoon. It was such a lovely and leisurely activity! For 2 hours we paddled around the water. It was definitely a little bit of a core and upper body work out! This was much more my style than surfing :) Thankfully my balance was strong from all the yoga! After getting sufficiently sunburned, we turned in our boards for an afternoon milkshake....but I had to pass. I took it easy the rest of the day, and tried to pull myself together for a fancy dinner at Pearl, but the only thing I was able to eat and keep down was toast. [Which, by the way, it seemed that the toast in Indonesia is the best toast I've ever had in my life....but then maybe that's because it was all I was able to eat for 2 days...]
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| I love this picture if for nothing more than the beautiful ombre' effect of the water :) |
[January 30]
I had roughly endured another night in the bungalow and was woken up again by roosters and the mosque activities. But I was thankful that I was feeling significantly better. I still wasn't able to eat much, but I managed some tea and toast before Lauren and I went on a snorkeling adventure!
We took a really cool boat out to sea with about 25 other people. I was nervous/excited. We got in the water, and it took me a little while to get used to breathing with my head underwater.... but I'm so glad I figured it out. It's such a beautiful world below the surface of the sea. The coral, brightly colored fish, and sea turtles were such a treat to get to see! We stopped at 2 different places in the sea, and then had a long break on Gili Air for lunch. The thing I love about islanders, is that they live up to the true generalization, that they are never in a hurry. I bet we spent about 2 hours on our lunch break! We lunched at a wonderful beachside cafe. I was able to manage a little bit of curry, but I'll be honest, I was really afraid to eat anything that wasn't toast. We got back on the boat and were taken to our third and final snorkeling sight. I think by the end of the third spot we were all pretty beat and ready to get back.
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| This family on our boat was so excited to be there. |
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| Lauren and me with our snorkeling guide on Gili Air (Lombok in the background) |
By this time the afternoon rain was beginning. Lauren and I ended up at what had become our favorite little local coffee shop, Kayu Cafe. We enjoyed our coffee and cake as we made plans for the next part of our adventure when we would return back to Bali. The next several hours it poured rain well into the night. I rather enjoyed it. The rain cooled everything down, and it made it so nice to manage several more hours of sleep that night. My last night on Gili was the most comfortable I'd been in days. But that doesn't mean that I was not excited to get off this island and on to the next part of our journey.
[January 31]
Friday was our last day on Gili T. I was feeling much better, and was ready for 7am yoga at Gili Yoga. We had found this amazing little studio and it was just what I needed to make me feel human again. After 90 minutes on the mat, surrounded by the beautiful lush greenery, I felt revived.
 |
| (Photo courtesy of giliyoga.com) |
"You Indonsian?"
{After rolling my eyes to answer this for the millionth time}: "No, I'm an American."
"Oh, American, I see. You very beautiful"
"Oh, well thank you very much.
"Where you stay?"
"Oh, just down the road a little way. But I'm leaving today."
"Oh, you leave?" [Pulls out cell phone] "What's your Facebook? I find you."
"I don't have Facebook."
"What's your Twitter?"
"I don't have Twitter."
"What's your email?"
{Ugh, leave me alone...I'm just trying to take some pictures. my annoyance level is maxed.}
"I don't use email...."
"Oh then how I contact you?"
"You can't." (and I start to turn to walk away.)
"You come with me behind the mosque. I want to give you something."
And so that's about the time I decided my solo exploration time was done. I made my way back to Kayu Cafe were I met Lauren for lunch until it was time to get to the dock. We loaded up and took our seats toward the middle of the boat. The afternoon clouds had rolled in and it was beginning to rain. I was ready to nap the next couple hours on the way back to Bali, but I had quite another thing in store.
Immediately starting out, it was apparent that this boat ride was very different than the first one.... As soon as we pulled away from the dock and got into the open sea, we were slamming up and down into the water. Everyone was looking around and squealing as we were bouncing around in our seats. There was a cute little English couple to my right. We made nervous smiles at one another, and I said, "I feel like I'm on a scary ride at Disneyland!" I was sure it was just going to be rough until we got going, and then it would smooth out. But it only got worse. We were literally slamming into the water. The earlier squeals of excitement from the passengers had turned into screams and shouts of panic. People were bouncing up out of their seats. I looked to my left and Lauren was so calmly sitting back in her seat with her eyes closed (She was more focused on breathing and trying not to get sea-sick), while I was sitting on the edge of my seat with a death grip on the seat ahead, wide eyed with panic and fear. The conditions were definitely not getting better, and I remember beginning to freak out. I kept saying, "I don't like this, I don't like this at all!" I was sweating and had to take off my long sleeved cotton shirt. The crew didn't seem bothered at all, yet I didn't take comfort in that. Instead they passed out seasickness bags to everyone on board. We continued to slam into the waves, and I pleaded out loud, "Please slow down, please slow down!" As we got further out to sea, in between slams into the water, we began to tilt sideways. Lauren, the British couple, and I were sitting in the emergency exit row with a large window, and when I looked out to my right it would be nothing but grey sky, and then nothing but white capped water. People started getting sick. The British girl beside me was in full on tears, and my panic heightened. I told her boyfriend, "You better be ready to open that emergency exit window!" I had already been studying it in case I needed to do it myself. It looked rather complicated...nothing but bolts and screws, and not even so much as a pictogram of instruction. I then began to scan the boat for something heavy like a fire extinguisher that I could use in case I needed to break out of a window. The only thought running through my mind was that we were going to capsize in the middle of the ocean, and I'm going to be trapped in a sinking boat with 120 people. I was preparing my exit plan. It was fight or flight at that moment, and I was prepared to do both! I didn't care who I was going to have to step over, I was ready to bolt at any moment! I normally do pretty well in tense situations, but not when it involves 2 of my major fears: 1) the ocean 2) drowning. At one point when the conditions were at their worst, I had gotten myself so worked up and freaked out I began hyperventilating. Lauren calmly reached over to me and reminded me to come back to my yoga breath. I was praying incessantly for Jesus to calm the water just like he did when he was on the boat with the disciples. For the next 2 hours of being tossed around like a toy in the ocean I kept praying and praying and praying, then after what seemed like days, the water finally started to calm down a bit. I never did relax for a second on that boat, and I wasn't fully calmed down until I could see the mountains of Bali out the window. Ahhhhhhh finally we had made it. And I was alive. With shaky legs I scrambled out of the boat and I promised myself that I would never set foot in an enclosed boat in the ocean ever again. Ever. I've experienced it, and my mind is made up. It was by far the scariest thing I've ever experienced and I have nothing to compare it to.
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| Seeing Bali outside the window was the most wonderful sight!! |
Immediately we were all bombarded by the vendors begging us to buy their goods. I spotted the woman who sold me the rotten fruit and gave her the side eye. We waited about 20 minutes for our shuttle that was to take us to Ubud. During that time, I was approached by a woman selling sarongs, begging me to buy one from her. I repeated "no thank you" to her and tried to walk away. I actually really did want to buy one, but but I wasn't prepared to make an offer on what I was willing to spend, and I was still a bit off from the boat ride. Needless to say, I was not in the best frame of mind. I was just coming down off of the adrenaline rush, I had a pounding headache, and was exhausted. After a couple of minutes, I spotted another woman who was also selling the beautiful sarongs. I made up my mind to buy one, and had my money ready to barter. She showed me her collection, and I picked out a royal purple cloth with beautiful gold woven into the design. We settled upon 70,000 Rupiah (which was about $6) and made a quick exchange just as our shuttle taxi was ready for us. Proud of my purchase that I had draped over my arm, I was looking for Lauren and maneuvering though the crowd when the first woman who had tried selling me her sarong approached me and was furious. She pointed her finger at me and poked me in my chest and yelled at me for buying from the other woman, when she had been the first one to ask me to buy from her. I lost it. I shouted at her, "Do NOT touch me!" She was still in my face and again tried to make her point that I had betrayed and offended her, and again I told her she was not allowed to touch me. Before I really lost my temper I rushed to Lauren's side as our shuttle was loading up. The angry woman had followed me and just as I was about to get into the van, she got into my face and told me very matter-of-factly, "You have a beautiful face but you have an ugly black heart." The anger I had immediately melted away into sadness. That actually really hurt my feelings. Lauren's eyes got wide and she asked me, "what did you do?" It was really just the icing on a really bad day. I was over it. And at this point, I was kind of ready just to come home.
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| I managed to sneak a pic after the crowd had thinned and the angry woman had left.... |
But I still had a week until I'd be back home in the good ole, US of A, so I decided I needed to change my attitude and be ready for the good days that remained in Bali. It was off to Ubud, next! I was ready to put this damper behind me, and excited to see what Ubud had in store!
A few more photos taken on Gili Trawangan
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| Sayonara, Gili Islands. Thanks for the few good times we had, and thanks for the lessons learned in the bad. |
*Several days later we learned that we were out at sea in a really bad storm, and several other boats had turned around due to the adverse conditions, and that the fast boats didn't run for several days after. The locals told us that sometimes the boats may not run for up to 11 days during rain season! As awful of an experience that I had for those few hours on that boat, I can honestly say that I'm glad ours didn't turn around and go back to Gili! I was more than ready to be outta there. The lesson learned, is that deserted islands are deserted for a reason: hard to get to, hard to live on, and hard to get off! I hope that if you ever get an opportunity to go, GO! Don't take my slightly negative experiences to heart, I just had a rough time and I'm not cut out for the island life :) But I'm glad I did it, and I will always have these memories!!
**All photos taken from iPhone and Sony NEX5R camera, unless credited to another source.
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