Gili--Our Vacation from Our Vacation

Watch out, these guys move fast!

Beer wagon

What kind of a place has no cars or motorcycles, but pony carts, three miles of beautiful white sand beaches, scantily-clad Western tourists with a mix of headscarf-wearing Muslim tourists from Jakarta, dirt roads, 22 dive schools, mosques, no dogs, but lots of tail-less cats,and a vibrant outdoor nightclub scene?

Mt Agung in distant background over Gili Trawangan

Going snorkeling

The answer?  Gili Trawangan, the largest of the three main Gili islands.  They are located between Bali and Lombok Islands, about a three hours by the 'fast' boat from Bali's east coast.  They are definitely not Bali, especially the Ubud area where we have been staying.

Ticklish fun on the fast boat

Not ones to sit still in one place for very long, we thought we would take a four-day excursion to this popular Indonesian tourist hotspot.

We rented a one-room cottage in the heart of town, about four blocks back from the waterfront along dirt roads and ordinary homes.  (Cost? $34 per night).  The constant sounds of chickens, crying babies, playing children, the blaring mosque loudspeaker, and non-motorized streetlife came free of charge.

Our Street

We rented bikes (the best rust $2.50 per day can buy), chartered a private boat and gear for snorkeling ($50), walked around a lot, watched the sunset near Bali's sacred Mt. Agung, ate like kings at the waterfront and the night market and drank our share of Bintang  beer. We also had long naps every afternoon because of the oppressive heat and humidity.

The squid satay was fantastic

Night market--so many choices!

Waiting for the sunset @ Plucking Good Chicken

Sunset over Mt. Agung

It's been interesting being back in an Indonesian Muslim culture. The people are very friendly and we can more easily understand their dialect of Indonesian.  They are not as reserved as the Balinese.  We've had some fascinating conversations in Indonesian with locals who have migrated from other parts of Indonesia to work.  However, unlike Bali, the place is devoid of of art and adornment.  The standard of living and cleanliness is much lower.

Also, except for the Jakarta tourists, we seem to be the oldest people here.  It paradoxically made us feel both younger and much older at the same time.  One young man shouted out to us in Indonesian from a waterfront food stall, "Hello Mom and Dad!"  To his surprise I replied, "Hello, little child!" All three of us got a good laugh out of it.

Sunset over Lombok Island

As Kathy said in her Facebook posts, "...Ah, the island life! Tonight promises free viewing of young travelling westerners exhibiting exotic mating rituals which seem to require alcohol, tiny disco balls and loud music. Somehow I doubt we will blend in...We are, after 2 days' observation, officially the oldest tourists on the isle. Too tired  to party at the bars until dawn. 

And as a nod to our Peace Corps training about being  CI (Culturally Insensitive) she went on to say: "...Have to stifle urge to tell young'uns to "put on a bra, Dearie, cover your bikini bottom as you walk down the road, your mother would be shocked.  And are you wearing enough sunscreen?"  

We've done all there is to do here, except for get sunburned and destroy more bain cells at night clubs long past our bedtimes.  So, we're cutting it short by a day and returning to Ubud Bali later this morning.  Nice vacation--especially to get away from cars and motorcycles, but it will feel good to be "home" again, if only for four more nights.