From Gili Trawangan to Senggigi, Lombok

Well, it's been a while since I've blogged... and I suppose I should talk a bit more about Gili Trawangan, my home away from home for the past 10 days.

After Monique went on to Bali (and had her own adventures - all on her blog), my time on Gili T pretty much revolved around diving. Every day, I would wake up at stupid o'clock (the fault of the Mosque and the roosters), put on a bikini and a sarong, then wander to a sort of wooden pagoda thing facing the cobble stone street and the beach, where I would drink my coffee (and share it with three mangy inbred island cats) while I watched people wander by. Then, the hustle-bustle around the dive shop would start: People getting tanks and gear ready.... I never had to worry - my name was always on the board for the next dive. We'd dive in the morning, generally from 9 to 11 (from getting ready to getting back), followed by the habitual half-hour chat about what we'd seen, funny things that had happened (like the guy who scared away a 2.5 metre shark by belching at it), as we flipped through fish identification books and filled out our logs.

After lunch and a bit more relaxing (hey, I'm on vacation), the whole process would start again for the afternoon dive. Afterwards, I'd have a shower, relax and read some more (hahaha, spent a lot of time chilling out), then wander around to find a place to eat.

Except for a few evenings, I had mostly early nights in, watching the constellations from my balcony, writing in my journal.

I don't think I've ever, in my life, been able to do nothing so well. I mean, when I went to Cuba or Mexico, I was always figuring out what the next day's activities would be. Even last year in Malaysia and India, I was always on the go.... I'm blaming Ty for this new-found ability to relax. Even my shoulders feel looser.

And now, I find myself in Senggigi. I left Gili T in a rickety boat (NO lifejackets) this morning and arrived at .... a sort of shack near some palm trees. Perplexed, hopping off the boat, I was ushered into a pony cart (!!!) and taken to the "bus terminal".... meaning an open dirt field full of hawkers (who are always yelling "Nice hat, Cowboy!" at me because of my cowboy hat), confused tourists and stray dogs. Somehow, with a maximum amount of chaos (and they do this everyday?), each confused tourist was loaded into the appropriate rickety white van (NO seatbelts). The drive was gorgeous, chugging along a road that follows the top of a cliff, with waves crashing down below and bay after bay lined with palm trees.

I was deposited in Senggigi in front of a sort of internet place/tourist information/tattoo studio, where I met Zed (?) who filled me in on my hotel options. Then, he was like, "I will show you the choices. Leave your bag here and come with me", and motioned to his motorbike. I left my big pack (not my little one with all my money and important stuff in it) and hopped on the motorbike behind him (actually, it's quite common in Bali/Lombok to take this form of "taxi", so don't worry Mom) to book my room.

Senggigi is a place that, if I can believe my guidebooks, was supposed to be Lombok's "resort city", but it didn't really happen. Although there are many gorgeous resorts from large chain hotels (i.e. Sheraton), the rest of the place is a bit run-down. The sidewalks are crumbling or overgrown with vegetation. The whole infrastructure is here, the empty restaurants are all dark-wood tables and white tablecloths with fancy fountains.... but where are the tourists? Now, keeping in mind that I'm here in the off-season... but still.

Nina will arrive on her boat from Bali in about an hour or so. We'll probably see about renting scooters and exploring a bit (I want to check out a cliff-side temple where they sacrificed virgins to sharks), or taking a few day trips.

It's going to be a whole different scene from my past week and a half of total leisure.