A Week In Review

Last week as the surf started to drop, Nick, Mariah, Josh and I decided to check out some of the other islands in Indonesia. 

A fast boat took us from Sanur to Nusa Lembongan. The island is very small, 8 square kilometers to be exact. Upon arriving we saw hundreds of small canoes scattering the shore, most of which were propelled by a man standing on the front bow maneuvering himself with a long stick. On the island the main cash crop is seaweed and on a low tide you can see the seaweed plots divided with stakes (you want to avoid the stakes with your surfboard at all costs!) 

We had heard that the island might have waves, so with a little optimism we brought our boards. There are a few different breaks on the island, Playgrounds, Lacerations and Shipwrecks. All of the breaks work best on a high tide. Just in front of the bungalows where we were staying is Shipwrecks. To get out to the break you either pay 10000 rupiahs ($1) or you paddle. Josh and I paddled. By the time we got to the break we were freezing...yes! freezing! There must have been a cold current coming through because after an hour my toes turned white. Mariah, a Mainer', kept laughing at us calling us babys. 

After our surf we rented bikes and decided to ride around the island. We stopped at Mushroom Bay and took pictures on the bridge to Nusa Ceningan. Josh and Mariah were in a hurry to get back to the fruit stands in town. Every day they make me try a new fruit, every one smelling worse than the last. Josh's favorite is a durian. Apparently in Thailand you can't bring it on most buses because it smells so bad. When we got off the speed boat in Nusa Lembongan, the locals were saying in Indonesian, "look at the tourist with the durian." J and M also bought a 20 lb jackfruit the other day, which broke the refrigerator shelf. 

After two days on Nusa Lembongan, we took a different speed boat to  Gili Trawangan. We found the island to be a little funky. With no cars on the island, you either walk, ride a bike or take a small horse carriage. The island is mostly known for its superb diving and magic

 mushroom milkshakes. Unfortunately we didn't partake in either, just a little snorkeling. Mariah and I decided to cycle around the island, and while the island was much smaller than Nusa Lembongan, the roads consisted of 4 inch sandy stretches. It felt like we were walking our bikes through the desert. After two days and no surf we headed back to Bali.

After spending a few crazy nights in Kuta, we packed our things at headed back to the Puri

 Uluwatu villas on the Buket Peninsula ( that is a pic of the villas that overlook the surf!). Nick and I rented mopeds and drove, while Josh and M took a taxi with all our bags and boards.  

The tide was too low this morning so Josh, Nick and I took our mopeds down to the temple Pura Lehur just a few minutes drive away to mess with the monkeys. Mariah started work as

the manager at the villas today so she didn't get to partake. If you're not wearing pants they make you wear a sarong and sell you food to feed the monkeys. And trust me, you want the food so you can barter with the monkeys when they steel something. ie cameras, sunglasses. I played tug o war for my camera and one monkey ran off with Nick's sunglasses. The pictures we took are classic, check out the sequence of the monkey tricking me!

A few more weeks in Bali, then I'm off to Thailand on the 9th of Nov. We surfed this afternoon at Ulu but the waves are a little inconsistent. We are pondering riding our mopeds two hours north to Ubud for a few days, before the surf picks up again on Monday. Fingers crossed!

Aloha