Lombok's Gilis

 

We had a later arrival in Lombok, getting to port around 1:30 in the afternoon so it was easy to watch the "sail in" for a change.  The bit of green in the center of the picture is just one of the many mosques on Lombok.

I thought this boat that had "We Love Indonesia" written on the side of it boded well for our day.

We never seem to get enough time to listen and enjoy the folk performers who often greet us at port as we're off to catch a tour bus or van.  Often we get a snatch of song, just a bit of dance, and a few photos as we did here.

To take some of the pressure off the port at Bali this modern terminal was built in Lombok just before the pandemic.  While the two ports are only 59 miles apart they are very different places from one another in some ways.

As we left port to head to our snorkeling experience we passed one of those many mosques that dot this Indonesian island where 95% of the inhabitants are Muslim.  We also spotted multiple small eateries on our way but since it's Ramadan, which means fasting for Muslims between sunrise and sunset, none of them had any business.

As always, my picture of Serenade from whatever vantage I can get it.

Fishing is a large industry in Lombok.  Those are fishing traps out in the sea that were visible from the road.  We also saw a lot of trash as we drove along which reminded us of being in India.

Lots of thatched roofs to be seen around the island, usually just over what looked to be a resting area rather than a house.

The biggest crop in all of Indonesia is rice and we're told they eat it at every meal.  These are a couple of fields in various stages of growth.  It takes about 100 days for rice to mature.  The number of harvests per year that they get depends on how rainy it is.  The side of Lombok we were on was more productive than the other side, usually having at least three crops to harvest.

We knew we were going snorkeling out at a couple of the small gilis, or islands, near Lombok, but we had no idea we'd be traveling in traditional Indonesian boats.  Rather than leaving from a harbor we went to a home and set out from there with our guide and two boats and drivers, even though there were only seven of us and we could all have easily fit in just one of the boats.  None of us had any issue with providing an extra job or two.

You'll notice in this photo and the next one how much trash there was along the beach here.  Supposedly there had been a storm that washed in ashore but there was so much it was hard to fathom that was the only source.

The view down the beach looking the other way.  There were plenty of boats available for tours.

Climbing aboard the boat meant walking through the trash that was strewn about in the water as well.  You had to wonder about the cleanliness of the water.

I was glad we were going to be snorkeling from the beach since this ladder wouldn't have been to easy to use to get back into the boat.  

If we hadn't done anything else but take a ride in one of these traditional boats the trip would have been worth it since it felt like such a authentic thing to do.  And just so you know, there was nary a life jacket in sight!

We were on this excursion with our friends Mike and Nancy Jacobs,

along with Dave McGehee.  Laura and Bob were in the boat with us and apparently I neglected to take a photo of them!

Notice the fancy anchor in the bow of the boat, simple but it worked well.  There were many of these floating huts anchored out on the water.  It turns out that they are fishing platforms that are only used at night so they were looking pretty deserted.

Each one had a generator that powered these bright lights that were on each side of the platform.  The fishermen would throw out their nets then turn on the lights to draw the fish to them.  It must have worked well as there were many of these floating structures.

Our boat was backed into shore so that it could be anchored out in the water.  The first stop was Gili Nanggu, which is also known as Paradise Island.  

Looking at this empty white sand beach and the green and blue waters that latter title is easy to understand.  Indonesia is known for having hawkers who badger you to purchase anything and everything but out here there is nothing like that, just other quiet boats and small groups of snorkelers.

The water was deliciously warm although a bit cloudy.  There were lots of different kinds of fish to see.  Karl found out you could feed them bits of soggy bread from a plastic water bottle and they would go crazy, into a feeding frenzy, with dozens of them surrounding you.  

Most of the coral below the water looked a lot like this along the shore.

As I came out of the water I was wishing that I had thought to put on my water shoes before I went in.  Broken coral is definitely not fun to walk on.

After we'd been there a while another boat pulled up and we were joined by more of our friends from Serenade.  My buddy Wyatt showed me this pretty hermit crab whose life he was trying to save he told me.

As I glanced up at one point I saw this view of Wyatt with his mom, Amber.  She's great at sharing teaching moments with her boys.  I loved this shot and went over immediately to share it with her, something she appreciated as she said it's not too often she finds herself in their photos.  I can relate.

As we headed for our next gili we passed this fisherman in his small outrigger.  Our boat driver said he was fishing for squid.

Another of the fishing platforms with a mosque in the background.

Here we were coming up to Gili Kedis, a mini island paradise.  If you could see it from the sky you'd see that the isle is heart-shaped.  There were softer shores here with just sand to walk on as you made your way in.

Not as many tropical fish to see here but there were a few.  What turned out to be more unique at this spot were the starfish.  This one was so bright blue it looked fake.  It's called a Blue Linokia and likes the shallow waters in this part of the world.

This specimen was the same shape but a different color.

I felt like this was my best find of the day when I found this crazy looking creature.  In doing a little research I'm pretty sure it's called a, kid you not, Chocolate Chip Sea Star!

Camouflaged in the sand is this White Ribbon Eel.  It had what looked like a filmy white fin all along its back that waved as it slithered along the bottom.  I saw it once and Karl was too far away to take a picture so I felt lucky to find it a second time so that he could get this photo.  The eel was probably about two feet long and maybe an inch in diameter.  It was lots of fun to watch.

Idyllic looking isn't it?  Just offshore our boat driver was in a small skiff doing a little fishing, catching a squid for his dinner.

The perfect spot for a little photo op!

Once we were done snorkeling we just enjoyed sitting on the beach, watching the sun sink lower in sky and feeling the breeze gently pass.

This was definitely a great way to spend an afternoon, beautiful scenery and fine friends.

Once upon a time this little place would sell you a drink, but no more.

Just a bit of perspective of where we ended up lounging.

Another place on the island, mostly now just a place for some shade.

This one is an "I was here" type of photo.

Karl found out that the name of our boat, Bintang Mas, meant Bright Star.

All good things must come to an end so we packed up and got ready to head back to port.

More fishermen with a mosque and minaret in the background.

Here was the view as we came back to where we began, super humble homes here.

Not sure what this lady was working on but I took her photo anyway.

Since sunset was officially past as we drove back to the ship there were many more people out and about, most of them heading towards places that were selling something to eat.

One final photo with the group, along with our guide Irwan (Eerwahn) there in the center, and our trusty driver to the right.  Definitely a memorable and enjoyable adventure!