I must say that the vacation this time involves quite a lot of sporty activities. We go snorkeling every single day - normally after brunch - and when we are bored we take our rented bicycle to the centre of the town, which is actually not very far but enough to make us all sweaty.

Yesterday (day 2) we rode the bikes literally around the island. It is a small island anyway. Can't say how long exactly we had the tour since we stopped every now and then for a photo session or a drink. They say it takes 2-hour walk to go around Gili Trawangan, but we probably took more than that.

There are paths by the beach that surround Gili Trawangan. But not all of them are paved or cemented. Many times we just had to get off the bike and push it through the sandy path. I felt that this was harder than the act of biking itself. However, it was fun. And with all the energy that we spent, I'm curious why I haven't lost a kilo by now. hihihi...

Due to the location of our secluded hotel and with all the sporty activities we do at the day time, we don't normally have much energy left in the evenings. We would go to the nearest restaurant or even the hotel restaurant for dinner and then watch movies/TV series that Vincent downloaded and saved in his laptop.

It is indeed different than our wild vacation in Gili last year. But I enjoy it very much anyway.

Tonight, however, I'm wearing a flowery dress and sitting at the heart of the town and ready for a less quiet night than before!

travel

4:32 pm

Holiday season (for the Hindu's: Nyepi) has arrived. My boyfriend and I are having a four-day vacation at Gili Trawangan, a small island near the mainland Lombok island.

I've been here a lot of times, but with Vincent this is the second time. However, it was the first time we took a speedboat, though. It cut the long journey (4-6 hours by ferry + 1 hour road trip + 30 minutes small boat) to a mere one-hour rough sea trip. Gilicat at the moment charges each passenger Rp 600,000 for a one-way ride. But since Vincent is the employee of Bali Autrement, we've got return tickets for free (yay!).

The fact that it was quick was super nice. But I felt like being a poor sardine in a can that was being shaken all the time. Both Vincent and I took 3 pills for rough journey and I normally don't get seasick/landsick/airsick, but still....

Amazingly they said that the sea was calm and that it was a smooth journey.
S-m-o-o-t-h..... If that was smooth, I hope the journey back home is going to be like that or better.

One thing I learnt though, at the speedboat (especially a smaller one) it's better to take the back side since the front one gets rougher bumps. I banged my head on the seat several times.

Nevertheless, we are on this beautiful island, in a hotel in the quieter side where water is not salty like the other guesthouses here. The hotel - Aman Gili - faces the calm sea where is the spot of the snorkeling centre. It is not near from the madness but with a rented bicycle (Rp 60,000 a day) it takes only 10 minutes to get socialized or high (marijuana is sold pretty freely here despite Indonesian government's war against drug).

Warning: I saw a police chopter flew twice around the island. When I asked the hotel staff, they said that there was a drug raid 7 months ago.

Photos to come later. I'm at this "Warung Bule" by Villa Ombak and did not expect they provided laptops for customers who wanted to get in touch on the internet. I'm using the opportunity to check my email and blog, but I am not equipped with my card reader.

Till later.

travel

4:20 pm