Indonesia

Okay. So I know I've said how much I like it here in Taiwan, but anything would be a let down after spending 3 weeks where I just did. A steel town that smells eternally like sewage doesn't really stand a chance when you pit it directly against tropical paradise. Not even close. But soon enough I'll be back into my routine, having fun with my kids, spending my mornings reading over coffee in Starbucks, and my weekends partying...and maybe I'll forget the absolute bliss that was Gillie Trawangan.

Somehow I doubt that, but let's hope for the best.

The original plan for our trip to Indonesia was to spend 3 weeks in Bali. That plan was quickly averted. We spent our first 2 nights in Kuta. Although only a very small part of Bali, Kuta is the place entirely responsible for Bali's erroneously perceived identity as the surf and party capital of the world. Bali is not. Kuta is. We had a couple of debauchery filled nights here, and several amazing meals. Unfortunately we never quite made it to the beach those first couple of days. We spent our time drinking, or nursing our hangovers from drinking the night before. There wasn't much of an in between.

On a more serious note we spent most of our timing partying in a bar called Paddy's, whose claim to fame is being the location of the 2002 Bali bombing. I didn't realize that this was the bar until a small memorial for the 206 victims was pointed out to me. The realization that you're standing where 206 people were killed for being exactly like you is a sobering one.

And on a lighter note…

We left Kuta, spent one night in the quiet (but very nice) beach town of Sanur, and headed out the next day for a veeeeeeeeeeery extended trip to Lombok Island. We left at 9am. I expected to be there around noon, so you can imagine my surprise when we pulled in at sunset. We got held up waiting for other boats to dock, but the view at this time of day made the wait well worth it. Lombok was also a short-lived trip. The post-bomb climate of Bali and its neighbouring islands is tangible here. It's clearly been hard hit by a mass exodus of tourists. Obviously a once busy place, Sengiggi beach in Lombok is little more than a beautiful beach and strip with many closed-up storefronts, and many, many, many vendors absolutely desperate for tourists' money. You're treated like a walking ATM. The place has an ominous ghost-town vibe to it. The beach was beautiful, and the restaurants that remained open were delicious, so Steph and I stayed here for 2 days and enjoyed ourselves...but were happy to leave nevertheless. Our next stop was by far the best of the trip, and probably the best of my travels so far: Gilli Trawangan Island.

Ahhh...the Gillies...this is what I refer to as tropical paradise. No words or even pictures can really describe this place. Stunningly beautiful, tiny, remote, and a friendly atmosphere that makes you never want to leave. For real. I did a whole lot of nothing while I was here, and I loved every second of it. I got up at 9 or 10 each day and baked in the sun for a few hours. I had my lunches under a thatch hut over top of the turquoise water facing the mountains and read my books. At night we went to a few different bars and restaurants where we sat on big cushions by the water and talked to other travelers from all over the world, as well as some familiar faces from Kaohsiung. We spent 6 days here, and needless to say I was incredibly relaxed by the time we left.

And I would be damn glad I had it. Relaxation is not something that came easy in the days following our little jaunt to the Gillies. Not unless you like being serenaded by gunfire. Yep, while in the middle of absolutely no where we sailed right past the “Polisi” who decided to hold us for 10 hours for bribe money they would never receive. Long story short policeman (I use this term losely) fires gun, policeman takes our captain, policeman takes all paperwork off the boat so we can’t leave, captain starts crying, captain tells us bullshit reason why we’re being held, captain takes our passports, captain gives back our passports, policeman swears and yells in Indonesian, policeman gives back paperwork, boat drives away, Laurel starts breathing again. The rest of the boat trip was - thankfully - much less eventful, and a lot of fun. We did some snorkeling/swimming at some amazing coral reefs/beaches, and most importantly got to see live Komodo dragons in the only places in the world they live in the wild. They were amazing things to see in real life, albeit fairly sedentary. Every time I tell someone that I hear things like “oh, that’s too bad” or “that sucks”, but really, let’s think about this. I’d definitely rather see a Komodo dragon sleeping or walking very slowly than see one coming at me full tilt. I’m sure you agree. Our boat trip was topped off by a night in Lebuanbajo, Flores Island. It’s a port town that really has nothing to offer other than several run down hotels and a couple of restaurants for people, who like us, get stuck there en-route. We made the best of our surroundings and had a bit of a crazy impromptu night at a local bar. One thing led to another, and suddenly we were in the back of a pickup truck- not for hire - heading to a bar in the bush. We had barrels of fun. The driver, apparently, did not.

Our trip back to Bali would prove to be…interesting. We hopped on the ferry for the first leg of our 30 hour journey back. We bailed at the 10 hour point (2nd leg of 6) and booked a flight. If you woke up to 6 beady little eyes watching you sleep you’d do it too. I was willing to give up my first born for a plane ticket at this point, but apparently all it took was agreeing to the shittiest exchange rate of all time in the airlines' “head office”. Right. Head office. More like 3 sketchy little men sitting around waiting to rip off stranded tourists. Aaaaaand enter Steph and Laurel.

Once in Bali we ran into the same familiar faces that seemed to pop up everywhere we went. I also got to visit for a few days with Mattias, who I met a few months ago when I was in Vietnam. We met up in Ubud, the cultural centre of Bali, and spent a few days walking around, shopping, and watching the baby monkeys, which are officially the cutest living things on the planet.

We ended our trip in Kuta. The last leg of the trip can be summed up in one word: sick. No, maybe three words: sick, sick, sick. Heat stroke, dehydration, or whatever the hell it was that I had wasn’t fun. I managed to get in a good day of shopping before, but the sickness put a damper on my partying. I’m sad to say I did not leave Bali with a bang. I left it with a barf.

Problems aside, if any of you ever get a chance to visit Indo then you must go. It was such a great 3 weeks, and despite the images that the word “Indonesia” stirs up, what we saw of it was truly beautiful. The following are pictures to prove it.