Eating good Mexican food, sipping margaritas and smoking a
Cuban. I suppose there are worse ways to end a vacation. I just
concluded my two week excursion exploring the finer parts of Indonesia
and I can safely say I'm much darker for it.
I spent the first leg of the trip in the beautiful Kuta,
Lombok. Not only was it a beautiful place to travel, but I finally put
the surfer lingo that Ike, Ben and I learned to good use. I couldn't
bring myself to rent a board and try to surf though, so you guys won't
be hearing of any neptune cocktails in this blog post. Sorry. Renting a
motorbike and exploring the surrounding beaches was phenomenal though.
Pictured is Mawan beach (above) and atop a hill at Seger beach (below).
After getting hosed by a taxi driver and a fast boat
company, I made my way to Gili Air. The Gili Islands are a small string
of three islands off the coast of Lombok and are growing tourist
destinations. Evident by the ridiculous number of white people there.
Gili Air, my first stop, is the second largest island with plenty of
beach side cafes and small bungalows overlooking the water. Not the worst
place to relax and read A Feast For Crows. So pumped for Season 5.
Gili Meno (below) is the smallest and most....intimate island. Not
exactly the most exciting place for a single male traveling alone, I'll
admit. But the cafes still had plenty of Bintang, the best friend of
Indonesian travelers. After packing myself like a sardine in a public
ferry, I exhaled to find myself on Gili Traganwan. Familiar faces were
seen, the beer (Kilkenny, thankfully) flowed and laughs were shared.
Gili Traganwan was the largest and most visited island, but
international amenities are nice after a week of fried rice, Bintang and
water.
I rounded out the trip with three days in Bali. Making the
trek from Ubud to Seminyak was long, expensive and worth it. Dressing up
was a nice change of pace too. And by dressing up, I mean khaki shorts
and a tee shirt. My sense of style remains unwavering, to the
disappointment of many.
Ubud, the cultural hub of Bali, provided a couple days of
temples, shopping and much needed rest from such a demanding journey
prior. A crude jape to those who are heading to or are currently at work
right now, sorry.
I head back next week to the stress of preparing kids for their exams (yes, already). This year will have more interesting and intense challenges, but I look forward to the prospect of finding a new job and seeing everyone the next time I return. If you're reading, a shout out to the happy couple, Kenny and Whitney Lents. Already miss you guys and had a blast at your wedding. Many happy years ahead and please put down those ridiculous Rockstar orange juice/horse piss/energy drinks and have a diesel for me. 'Til next time.
