The past months compiled...

Boat rides from hell

South Lombok, a piece of paradise

Even though we were delighted so far about our stay in magnificent Bali, we escaped towards closeby and less touristic Lombok. We rented scooters and speeded down to the Southern bay. That turned out to be a great decision: we ended up in paradise. Our own bungalow on the beach, in a truely magnificent setting with ample snorkling opportunities closeby, what more could you want? Graham relaxed and played football with the local youth (ed: soccer for the Americans). They were all wearing European jerseys and it took surprisingly little effort for Graham to convince them that he himself was a famous European football player. Meanwhile Dimitri scootered around exploring the island, discovering extra-ordinary beaches and a gold mine, meeting locals and even crashing a wedding. One thing is for sure, we have never encountered so many friendly people as in Indonesia so far!

beautiful people - wedding ceremony, Lombok

Next up was the Gili Island Trawangan. Going the adventerous route, we took a public motorboat with forty passengers or so. After a few minutes, Dimitri pointed out that two people were smoking some cigarettes next to the fuel tanks which were clearly not airtight. We devised an exit plan and sat tight the rest of the way. The island turned out a lot more touristy than Lombok but we loved it there as well. The days were laid-back and we explored the island and nearby corals in the clear blue water, chilled on the beach while reading, chatting to the locals, drinking cocktails and playing chess.

The nights were... - well suffice it to say that we don't remember everything that happened at night. We met and hung out with some great co-travelers on this island, a few among many: Niki and Lou, English ladies who go crazy at very specific songs; Gilles, a Belgian DJ who was pronounced by Dimitri as the ultimate wingman and Jess, a funny English girl who dared to join the Belgian crew for a few days.

We heading back to Bali on the "fastboat". Nobody anticipated any problems but after about an hour on the water the boat was no longer sailing but flying. It violently crashed down as we jumped over enormous wave after wave. The passengers within were soon petrified and screams became less and less subdued as someone mentioned the word 'tsunami'. A look on the face of the crew pretty much told us that this was not exactly normal.

The boat rocked from side to side and waves surpassed the top of the boat. A quick count soon learned that half of the people (no exaggeration) were vomiting and two lay passed out on a bench. Vomit bags were passed around but they soon ran out. A nauseating smell permeated the large passenger cabin, frightened grown-ups started putting on life vests and retreated into what we imagine to be silent prayer.

some people just didn't care

As we have spent many days afloat during our trip developing our sealegs, we were hardly impressed of course and we observed the spectacle with a mix of horror, sympathy and amusement. We decided not to let it get to our hearts and enjoyed our last two days in Bali on some amazing beaches with some amazing company.

...more than "some" amazing company: (ltr: Graham, Jess, Gilles, Dimitri)

Balintensity

Most people believe we are having a relaxed life. It couldn't be less true. Days are stuffed with activities, nights are used to either socialize or travel further, our bodies are pushed to the limits. You just can't imagine. A brief week overview.

The diving cruise on the Great Barrier Reef was extremely intense. We did more than 10 dives/snorkels in three days (among which 2 night dives) and we hardly slept for more than 6 hours a night. The day after, we took two taxis and two planes, and we found ourselves in Ubud, on the Bali island of Indonesia. We walked around the village and we stumbled upon a few remarkable highlights. Ever seen a Holy Park with hidden temples in an 'Indiana Jones'-like jungle, invaded by hundreds of monkeys?

Monkeys everywhere! 

A few kilometers out of town, we got into a small alley with, compared to any other street in Bali, statistically way too many scooters, suggesting some kind of event. Under a sail, protecting a cheering crowd against the strong sun, we saw impressive cock fights. A local made us believe those fights became a tradition as they found this way more entertaining than just another ritual offer for their Gods.

A few kilometers out of town 

Cock fight 

That evening we went for a more peaceful ceremony in a temple, with traditional music and dance. We did some planning the next morning. We marked some highlights on the map and we headed out on two scooters for an amazing voyage through stunning green rice fields, black scattering beaches and ever greeting people in the small villages. Since we didn't want to be considered as mainstream tourists, we learned a few Indonesian catchy words. Eventually this helped us in the bargaining processes, resulting in (even more) cheap accommodation, food and... a traditional 'sarong', which we need every time to enter a temple.

Temple ceremony with traditional dancers 

That evening, we decided to triple the adventure level of the trip, and we decided to go for a hike on the highest mountain of the island, Mount Gunung Agung. We slept for 3 hours to be awakened at 11PM. We were pretty scared when, around midnight, a 4x4 arrived at the starting point of the trip, a temple bathing in moonlight. Not because these people were going to harm us, but because they started praying for our safety during the 6h climb and 6h descent! Blessed by the Gods, we hiked (or better: climbed) up to 3050 meters. The climb was extreme, but it was worth it, because we enjoyed an amazing sunrise high above the clouds, drifting around the mountain. It was one of the best experiences we had until now.

Sunset... a warm reward after a cold night trek 

After that adventure, we grabbed our scooters again and headed for the rest of Bali's beauty. Once introduced to us as a "touristy" place, we now consider Bali as one of the most surprising places. "Impossibly green rice terraces, enchanting Hindu temple ceremonies, mesmerizing dance performances and truly charming people." Lonely planet couldn't be more precise.