Bali, Lombok, and Gili Air Island

We've been in Indonesia for about 11 days now, and finally we have found the Bali we've heard so much about from friends: Ubud. Just arrived last night, yet can feel this place is right. More on Ubud soon...first some updates since arriving in Indonesia.
After flying in on the 15th of December we stayed for 2 nights in Legion (just North of Kuta), Bali, 25 minutes north of the airport. This is, how should I say this, another Khao San Road of Thailand; a big party tourist area of Bali that feels nothing like the Bali I am sure everyone has heard about. It's loud, dirty, offensive, crowded, and sadly lacking any Balinese culture. I thought vendors in Thailand were relentless in selling goods...they are non stop here!

We walked the beach the following morning to find trash scattered everywhere, and offered everything from surfboards to chairs to sarongs to sunglasses to weed. A very sad sight (particularly seeing all the plastic waste).

The highlight of spending time in this area was meeting up with my brother Step, and his girlfriend Heather. Briana and I took a cab to his resort and spent a couple hours with them on the beach, and in their posh room (a huge upgrade from the places we've been staying in :)

We decided to spend a couple days in Pedangbai (a small coastal town in Eastern Bali) with Step and Heather, so Step arranged for a 2 bedroom bungalow in another upscale resort called Bloo Lagoon, which was marketed as a "green" and "sustainable" resort. We had a wonderful time catching up, jamming under the stars as Step played his guitar, snorkeling the local reefs, and savoring some delicious durian fruit (this fruit is addicting!.

After 3 days in Pedangbai, Briana and I left early in the morning to catch a 5 hour ferry to Lombok Island 25 km east of Bali. As we left the port, I reveled in the experience of being with the locals on the ferry. I truly love these moments listening to the music, the language, the guitars and drums, smelling the durian fruit fill the cabin, observing how 'chill' the locals really are, and interacting with Muslim women (am I allowed to look them in the eye? Do I give them my seat? What do I do if I bump into one of them?). One hour into the ferry ride, however, my cultural experience quickly turned into a more physical sensation of nausea as the swells picked up. Before we knew it the boat was leaning to the left and then to the right, mountains in the distance turning into water, then mountains again, then up and down, and creaking and crashing (you get the picture). We heard locals puking every 30 min or so, and the bustling life in the cabin was filled with silence. Luckily, we took some Dramamine as soon as the swells picked up and prevented any severe nausea from settling in. Yes, it was a long 5 hr ferry ride to Lombok. Seeing all the beautiful rice paddies on arrival made the trip well worth it.

After arriving into the port town on Lombok, we took a 1 hour minivan ride to Sengigi, where we spent the night. The following morning we got into another van and headed north to the Gili Islands, where we took another (much calmer) ferry to these tiny islands. For the next 4 nights we soaked up more sun, snorkled with turtles (I actually touched the shell of one of these beautiful creatures), ate pizza, nachos, and popcorn on Christmas Eve, and spent more time with Step and Heather (who opted to take the 1 hour ferry to Lombok from Bali instead of our 9 hour trip...smart call).

Yesterday, we left the Gili Islands and made the reverse journey to Ubud, where I sit and write currently. Step and Heather are spending another 2 nights or so on Lombok.

I have to be completely honest and say a couple things that have been on my mind lately.
1. We are not enjoying Indonesia as we did Thailand. Over the last 11 days there have been so many instances where people have tried to rip us off, that I have lost all trust in connecting with the locals, because I have been burned too often. For example, before we arrived on the Gili Islands some men started talking to me about the huge risk of Dengue Fever on the Islands, and how many tourists and locals have checked into the hospital because of the illness. So, of course, they do a fine job planting fear into my mind, and bring me to the 'only shop' that sells OFF (which contains DEET), and we pay over $20 for OFF (which only costs $2.50 on the islands and $1 everywhere else). Now, I wasn't too concerned that I spent a lot of money (relative of course...$20 here in Indonesia is a full day's travel for us including food and housing), but that locals made up a story to take advantage of us. We found out that Dengue Fever is not that big of a risk...no bigger than spending time in Bali for example. I cannot tell you how devastating this experience was for me because I got so down thinking about their motives: to trick tourists with an elaborate story, and ultimately rip them off. They try to become your friend, and then deceive you. It has happened every day since we arrived in Bali...this is just one story that sticks out. It's exhausting to say the least.

I understand that not everyone is out to get us, although it sure feels that way. Spending 1 day in Ubud, however, is softening this suspicion, which is very freeing. It's that sense of connection and trust that has been shattered, but I know can be healed. I am learning more about the immense greed that comes with the thought of making money, which is driving the dishonesty here.

AND...a lot is coming up for me with these experiences like practicing forgiveness for example. This is so hard to do sometimes, especially when someone knowingly takes advantage of you. Forgiving these scammers (as I like to call them) is the best remedy. I think about Ghandi all the time. Incredible man!

But like I said ealier...Ubud just feels different, and so far we like it here.

2. We have decided that we are done traveling. When I say traveling I mean the constant moving in and out of a guest house, which begins to wear on you over time. We are ready to either come home early (which probably will not happen), or spend time volunteering our time and services in one place, such as India. This is what we are looking into doing currently. Any ideas or suggestions? We have some places that we are trying to contact, so we'll see what happens in the next week here in Ubud.

3. Traveling has been amazing so far, and I have definitely gained the perspective that I wanted to see before we left, so no complaints so far in the grand scheme of things. I feel so grateful to have these experiences (good and bad) show up, because the lessons are immensely valuable and rewarding. Every single day I value the lives we live in North America. We are so blessed! We have so much! Politics may muddy the social waters, yet even so, life is incredible at home. Most people in Indonesia are too poor to even travel out of their country.

Wow! That was a lot! Whew...time to drink some more water because my shirt is completely drenched. Did I ever mention that it's very hot and humid here?

Merry Christmas everyone!