Salt water, salt water, everywhere.....

K: We have arrived at our last stop in Indonesia, the Gili Islands, off the coast of Lombok. Comprised of three islands, sandwiched between the volcanic backdrop of Bali to the west and Lombok to the east, the islands are flat with beautiful white sand beaches. We chose Gili Trawangan, the largest of the three. There are no cars or scooters on the islands; transportation is by bicycle or horse-drawn carriage. It is a welcome relief from the business, in general, of Indonesia.

It is amazing how salinated the ocean here is. We rented snorkel gear from one of the many shops and walked right off the beach to the coral reefs to view amazing schools of fish so close to the shore. The snorkeling is effortless as you are literally kept afloat in the very salty sea. Our hotel is beautiful with individual bungalows in typical Indonesian style. However, the pool is salt water and the outdoor shower is salt water. I guess we won't have fresh water until we arrive in Australia.

Have I mentioned how far the rather weak US Dollar goes in this country? It is amazing. Just to give you a feel ...

1 22-oz Bintang beer: $2.50

Typical full course dinner: $6.00

90-minute full body massage: $10.00

1-day scooter rental: $6.00

One order of spring rolls: $1.00

Snorkel gear rental: $4.00

Gelato ice cream cone: $1.10

Sashimi dinner: $6.00 (best value yet)

Three-hour taxi ride: $25.00

Bottle of Hattan Rose wine: $15.00

4-star hotel with breakfast included: $70.00 on average


Sushi


Horse-drawn Buggy

Gili T

V: What a near-paradise this Gili T is! Absolutely beautiful snorkeling, wonderful sun, nice smiles on most of the people, a world polyglot of languages discernible each day--Germans, Dutch, Norwegians (!), Russians, and Eastern Europeans and other Westerners are here vacationing.

Kayaking across the strait to one of the other Gilis -- Gili Meno -- was a highlight, as we rolled on top of the waves, and paddled, and rolled, and paddled. Of course, the crashing waves rolling onto the shore made it... rollercoaster fun!

Oh, yeah -- Vikes versus Cowboys! Go Vikes!!!!!!!!!! woo hoo!