Already August

Manusia Dunia Green Lodge, Gili Air

I have no idea how it is already August.  Time is a funny thing.  Some lazy afternoons seem to last forever and then all of a sudden the plans we made and adventures we dreamed up have become stories, and photographs, and memories.  Our neatly packed bags are strewn across islands, jammed with sea shells, horse shoes, maps, tickets, and a whole lot of life. 

I'm sitting on our porch on a tiny island called Gili Air.  Jay is sleeping in while I sip tea and blog to the sound of the rooster crowing.  We spent our last days on Gili Trawangan catching breathtaking sunsets and exploring life under water.

Exile Beach Sunset Point, Gili Trawangan

Jay and I love scuba.  I think Jay's as at home in the water as he is on land and scuba is the perfect fit for us.  On the Gili Islands, you take boats out to different spots and our first stop was Turtle Point.  The boat was packed with people and while heading to the spot the locals throw wetsuits, booties, fins, and vests at divers.  Do they fit?  Well enough.  They didn't ask for proof of our certification or number of dives.  The honor system is alive and well in Indonesia. 

The dive groups are small, and Jay and I had one other girl and a "dive master" accompanying us.  (I put that in quotes because we knew he was a certified dive master about as much as he knew we were certified at all.  Honor system.) 

When it was our turn we quickly checked our tanks and suited up, sitting on the edge of the boat like we'd seen others do.  Mind you, we entered from the shore on previous dives so entering the water by boat was new.  I asked a few questions and was quickly shushed by Indiana Jay.  "Just lean back!" he said.  And we did.  And we were fine. 

Turtle Point, north of Gili Meno

As quickly as we fell backwards off the boat, our dive master said, "Let's go down," and our adventure began.  Jay and I, pun intended, dove right in, feeling grateful that we were trained by the legend, Avandy.  We knew exactly what we were doing and had a great dive.  I tend to overthink things, and this trip has been a great lesson in running on instincts and just "doing".  

So many parts of life you can only figure out as you go.  I'm learning that more every day. 

Massive turtles and eels and colorful coral were everywhere.  I can't even put into words our time under water.  It makes us awestruck every time.  Tomorrow we will dive again off Gili Air, the smaller Gili Island closest to Lombok.  Stay tuned for that.

But how did we get to Gili Air?  Funny you should ask.  There are two boat options: slow boat and fast boat done by private charters.  You can imagine which one is the bargain price, and at this point probably know that Jay and I always take the bargain price.  For about $4 USD a person, we took the slow boat (40 minutes) from Gili T to Gili Air.  I don't know that "slow" is the right adjective for the boat; I like to call it the adventure boat. 

If the boat looks sideways, it's because it is.

But we made it to the Gili Air dock

My most vivid memories of those 40 minutes are water flying in, the boat careening side to side, and planks popping up as people walked down the middle of the boat.  You get what you pay for.  I eyed the life vests figuring out a strategy to float our bags and use that flotation system like a kick board to get to shore.  Luckily, this terrible idea never had to be tested.  

The shoreline approached, and the bluish green waters welcomed us to another beautiful island.  Gili Air is even smaller and more remote than Gili T, with all the charm that comes with that remoteness and simplicity.  We are staying at Manusia Dunia Green Lodge, where there are rechargeable lanterns because the electricity often goes out island-wide.  This happened twice during our dinner last night, and the live band just kept on singing.  Jay and I, having forgot our lanterns, walked home in the dark and fireworks erupted over one of the other Gili Islands. Life here doesn't seem real sometimes.  

As we head into the last two weeks of our trip, we're soaking it all up and missing all of our family and friends back home.  We can't wait to share our travels with you.  Thanks to everyone reading along with us- wishing you a beautiful August. 

Reading deck at Manusia Dunia, Gili Air

Peace on the porch, Manusia Dunia, Gili Air

Shells of Gili

Gili Air transport

Team No Stop

On the 4th of July, I hiked the Matternhorn with Indiana (Jay) Jones- it was really Mt. Batur, an active volcano in northern Bali, but it was an epic adventure that I'm not sure either of us was prepared for.  As I recount, Indiana Jay will be giving his two cents (found in italics).

Chantal and I got to bed early that night because we were getting picked up at 1:30am by our favorite driver, Gung (who we met when we were in Bali in February). The adventure to Mt. Batur was about 2 hours away, and we slept through most of the ride. It was really intense arriving to  crowds of people at the base of the volcano, who we later found out were all tour guides who hike Mt. Batur every day. Paying our entrance fee, we were handed baby flashlights as we embarked on our journey up the mountain in the pitch black.

Mind you, neither if us had considered bringing flashlights and had debated trying to skirt the tour guides and hike by ourselves.  We would probably still be out there somewhere.  Although there was a path, there were different trails winding off of it and our flashlights were likely made by Mattel, not REI.  This was not a winding climb; this was an intense hike up loose boulders, sliding gravel, and sand that slid you back a foot with each step.  The last half hour was nearly vertical.  Our guide in the lead, I followed Indiana Jay- though he was bounding up like a gazelle and I was seriously questioning my proclamation to the guide that we "hike all the time". Despite this, we managed to make it to the summit in an hour and a half (most people take two).  Our guide kept asking if we were okay- it was too dark for him to see us lie the entire way up and say we were fine, but we made it. 

As we were sweating to death up this mountain, a lot was going through my mind. I was convincing myself that we were going to make it even though our legs said no more. As Chantal mentioned, the tour guide kept asking if we needed a break every 10 minutes. I was like, "NO, WE ARE TEAM NO STOP!" Anyway, we could have been the first couple of people at the top since we passed all the "Team Must Stop" people. It was freezing and our guide parked us on a bench hanging off the cliff as he scurried away in a little hut. Chantal and I used our body heat to keep warm on this stiff, unfriendly bench until we said screw it! Let's sit in this hut to hide from the winds. Time went on until we had 20 people, guides and tourists, in this hut meant for 6.

There's a reason why we were cold.  We hiked miles UP a mountain, before sunrise (hence the name "Sunrise Hike").  I convinced Indiana Jay at the last minute that a tank top and shorts would not suffice, so he threw in a windbreaker and long sleeve shirt. I had a long sleeve shirt and sweatshirt over my tank top, also in shorts- I'm not sure why I was so smug.  We were both Balinese Popsicles.  Going up the mountain we'd been burning hot in tank tops, and in Indiana Jay's quest to pass EVERYONE on the mountain we made epic time.  What we didn't factor in (in addition to the flashlight and warm clothes) was that getting up quicker means waiting longer for the sun to come up.  Thank goodness for the hut that housed the rest of the under-dressed tourists.  

Being at the top watching the sunrise with hundreds of other people was absolutely breathtaking. The clouds and fog rolling through beneath us, the huge lake, all the villages, and other mountains gave us perspective on our journey. We took it all in as we stayed up there for an hour or so before we fell all the way down. Just kidding, but I could count on 2 hands how many people wiped out attempting to get down this beast of a mountain. Chantal and I were mind blown on the way down as it shocked us what we actually hiked up in the dark that we couldn't see originally. Our tour guide was awesome and the experience was priceless.  

Sunrise at the top of Mt. Batur

Fog rolling through

Priceless, but not enough for Indiana Jay.  After 4 hours of strenuous hiking as "Team No Stop" (running on a can of Pringles that we split) Jay convinced our driver to find a series of hidden waterfalls.  That 2 hour expedition around dirt roads and villages led to another hour trek down wonky stairs and steep terrain, but the rice paddies surrounding us were almost as beautiful as our destination: the elusive Fiji Waterfall and Sekumpul Waterfall. We joked about living down there in a little hut, half because it was so spectacular and half because our legs were screaming "Team Stop Forever".    

Indiana Jay

These waterfalls were absolute magic. We got to swim in the base of each waterfall and it was the freshest water I have ever been in. The energy and power from these waterfalls were incredibly strong and it almost felt like we were fresh and reenergized after frolicking in them. I felt like the happiest kid in the world swimming in these pools and getting knocked around by the pressure of them. Pictures don't do it justice as Chantal and I both agreed that it was the most magical place we have ever been to. These waterfalls and the volcano are must dos if you come to Bali!

Pure bliss at Fiji Waterfall 

Happy 4th of July!