Love at First Sight

We flew from Jakarta to Lombok via Surabaya.  Arrived at Mataram by mid-day.  We came out of the airport to a warm, humid afternoon air.  We hired a taxi, drove down to the port of Bangsal.  Cars were forbidden to go the last 500 meters from the car park to the port, mainly to force people to take the cidomo, the local horse-drawn cart, a way to support the local economy I guess.  We arrived late in the afternoon to find that only few people wanted to get across.  We than had to wait for a public boat, which would leave the port after another 23 people fit in the boat, which could mean a loooooooooong wait, considering there were only the two of us there.  But luckily we found other tourists who asked us to share the boat fee, just exactly what we were hoping for.  The crossing took 45 minutes.

Gili Trawangan is the largest of 3 islands off the northwest coast of Lombok, the others are Gili Meno and Gili Air, both are less developed.  The island is also known as Gili Tralala, the party island.  The center of the island, simply called sentral, is where all the travellers and party goers hang out.  The rest of the island is quite deserted.

Our villa, Almarik, was located far from the main jetty, we rode a cidomo, the only mode of transportation allowed on the island, well besides bikes, to get there.  On our right were the main sandy beach and the best snorkeling can be accessed just by walking straight into the water.

After checking-in, we took a walk on a sandy road that runs around the island along the beach.  We walked back toward sentral, where all the hotels, resorts, dive operators, restaurants, travel desks are located.  We passed all of them to quieter areas of the island.  On a quiet beach facing Lombok, we slouched around the sand, enjoying the view toward the main island, forgetting about the hectic life of Jakarta .. mmm yes, we fell in love with Gili Trawangan.  We continued walking before finally giving up on the walk itself. “How big could the island be?” That was my thought before we started walking.  Well, it’s bigger than we thought.  A cidomo came up from the opposite direction, full of coconuts.  The driver asked us if we wanted a ride.  Hell, yeah.  He said he’d be back after dropping off his cargo of the day.  So after more cidomos and a group of horse riders came passing, he got back to us.  The driver told us about the Japanese caves, dug out during the World War II to defend, I don’t know what, from enemy forces.  He also told us about the cidomo cooperatives on the island and how the trade was regulated, and how they change the paint colour of the carts to reflect the winning political party at the general election.  Far they may be from politics in Jakarta, but they carry their colours proudly on the cidomo.  We passed some resorts, run down villas, and a resort with a restaurant in the shape of a ship.  And yes, even on a cidomo, the ride around the whole island was longer than we thought.  Had we continued walking we would probably arrive back at the hotel sometimes before the next morning.

In the evening we ate at a restaurant called Frenchie’s.  The food was lousy, but the movie was OK.  With a free movie shot on a wall, expect sore eyes afterwards.  We had problem walking back to the hotel, partly because of the movie and partly because it was pitch dark, electricity on the island goes out after 6 pm.  Add to that a cloudy sky and a light drizzle, and we couldn’t make out where was the road, a light from a warung or a light reflected on the sea.

The next day we went around asking about dive trips. In the end, we signed up with Blue Marlin, one of the more decent ones.  You see, some ‘dive centers’ didn’t have supporting facilities, like a dive pool, or didn’t look like they have any equipment at all.  But the better ones are quite a thing. They don’t just offer dive trips and dive lessons, they also have a small store offering expensive equipments, but more importantly, they also have an adjacent hotel, with a small number of rooms, and an outdoor restaurant, beautifully located next to the pool and stretching to the sea front.  The pool is a dive pool.  That is, deeper than your average hotel pool.

After lunch we went snorkeling.  There was plenty of coral just a few meters from the shoreline.  Unfortunately the coral was bleached fron El Nino which passed through here a few years before.  But, it was still quite amazing being a few meters from the shore and seeing so many fish.

That evening we had dinner and some drinks at Ryoshi, we ate a stomachful of sushi.  We stopped by at Frenchie’s to watch another movie.  But we were really tired and so left early.  This time the electricity was still on.

On the last day, we woke up early and did some packing.  Soon we would leave this hideaway.  After a quick breakfast, we walked to the main jetty.  It was a bit late to catch the sunrise, but we still could see the lofty peak of Mount Rinjani in the distance.

If only I could continue living on a beautiful, near deserted island and not having to worry about work or any of the other hassles in life, and the only worry is just where we are going to have dinner that night!