Warming Winds, Rising Tides

INDONESIA!

One of the main reasons for coming to teach English in South Korea is that I will have the opportunity to do some traveling during my vacation periods. I have only been here for 4 months and this opportunity has already presented itself.
One of the many places to see on my big to-do-list was Indonesia. July month was going to be ideal weather conditions and I had only 2 weeks off to make this journey.
I was extremely excited to go traveling and more so knowing that Clementine would be joining me. Clementine arrived 3 days prior to the trip and we took off for Jakarta Indonesia as the Saturday morning calm came to an end in Korea. Two weeks in Tropical Indonesia – Lets GO!

We arrived in Jakarta at night and boarded a connection flight to Mataram in Lombok. It was dark and the beautiful landscapes and lush green vegetation had not presented itself yet. A complete different place to the South Korea we left that morning. In the dark we were exposed to busy streets with people, scooters, children and street vendors. Dark alleys with potholed roads and street dogs not chained up as in Ganghwa. I could smell the fresh air and my level of excitement grew as we neared the ocean.

Mellow In Meno

The Gili Islands are tropical islands North-West of Lombok with no roads, no cars and no scooters. An Island surrounded by turquoise water with numerous beach bars and even more tourists. To get around the Gili’s you need to walk or take one of the many horse carts available.













We opted to stay on the quietest of the three islands – Gili Meno. Meno is known to be the honeymoon island; apparently the most relaxed of the three Gili’s.
Beautiful beaches, warm water and affordable accommodation make this a great spot to come and relax for a few days.
There are many snorkeling trips available in and around Gili Meno and we saw several sea turtles, small fish, a sea snake and some colourful coral. The coral is not in great shape and rather average as the colours seems to be fading as the coral is dying.















Speedboats to and from Bali contribute to the huge influx of tourists to the Gili’s, especially Gili Trawangan – ‘the party island’. It’s an easy alternative as to making use of public transport and takes only 2 hours opposed to traveling a full day otherwise.

Tourism is huge in Bali and the tourist infrastructures in place make it extremely easy to travel around. I never expected it to be this easy. My most recent references were traveling in Africa, not being able to communicate well in South Korea, Hitchhiking or taking non negotiable trains around Taiwan. Traveling does not always have to be difficult. In Bali it’s really easy, too easy at times. One thing that not all people will find easy or comfortable is that all prices are negotiable.
Bargaining – a tiring experience for some, rewarding for others, a rip off or sometimes a bargain, an art form, a skill, a shortcoming for some, but a must do when in Indonesia and many parts of the world. It keeps you alert and aware. You win some and you lose some, but you always have to partake.