La Recessionista Files

We are back in Ubud and livin large at Tegal Sari. Our new 'home' is an ultra chic villa with a private pool. That's right, I didn't stutter - I said private pool. And to this I say - full moon and skinny dipping.

The villa comes with ipod speakers. Why is this so exciting? Because my ipod was stolen back in South Africa and to add insult to injury, the speakers were stolen somewhere between India and Thailand. Music... i've missed you so much!

                 

Today I said goodbye to my faithful LBD. After 14 countries the wear and tear for my standby dress started to show.

She will now reside here in Bali. I hope her retirement involves something exotic like being tied to a line in the rice fields to scare away birds.

Thanks LBD - you've been a gem.

The realization that I was experiencing my last beach day of the trip was... well rough! I didn't want to leave the turquoise waters, the sounds of the waves or the sand between my toes.
I made the most out of my last day on Gili Meno; walked the beach at sunrise, spent QT snorkel time with the underwater sea world, slept, read and otherwise stayed on the beach all day.

Ignored some minor food preparation health violations and had a great seafood dinner on the beach. It is here that we met the grandson of the King of Bali. Great guy - an interior designer, he is in the middle of building a villa on Meno. His travel stories made me regret not visiting Papua New Guinea on this trip.

Hung out for a bit at a small party on the beach - bonfire and guitar, much more my scene. I learned how to twirl fire batons and I didn't even singe my hair. A great way to say goodbye to a beautiful island.

           

The sunrise here on Gili Meno is so spectacular it inspired me out of bed and on the beach at the crack of dawn.

There are tons of coral reefs here which makes for great for snorkeling and shell collecting. It also makes for great music. The early morning tide combined with layers of coral washing upon the shore created a beautiful symphony that sounded like tinkling glass. Add to that the call to prayer and you've got yourself a symphony.

       

We wanted to explore the nearby Gili islands so we reluctantly gave up our lux Lombok digs and headed out to sea. I'd negotiated a ride from Lombok to the Gilis with one of the many captains on the beach. Zull turned out to be a great choice, he knows the islands well and imparted all sorts of knowledge along the way. In return we gave him tips on expanding his business by securing an online presence. I'd signed on to take him to an internet cafe to get him started but then he mistook my friendliness for romantic interest (and he is married) so he'll have to go it alone.

Did some snorkeling along the way, perhaps the most beautiful snorkeling experience I've had. The water is absolutely crystal clear and the ocean calm. Even without the fish (which are also beautiful) I was enthralled with the coral and other pretty things on the ocean floor. Take for example the star fish in electric blue. We saw two sea turtles. It's funny how they can appear both clumsy and distinguished at the same time. It was a great time until we were surrounded by jelly fish. That was a scare. There are also little strands of jelly fish that you can't see that were stinging us along the way. Visiting Mother Nature comes with a price.

After snorkeling we checked out Gili Meno, population 350, in search of a place to stay. We toured several places but didn't find one that was just-right so we boated over to Gili Air which is about twice the size of Gili Meno. With high-season in effect all of the desirable places were booked so we ended up back on Meno in a little shack, right on the beach. It turned out to be a great choice - I love being this close to the water. It is a bit of a dump but again, sometimes you have to pay Mother Nature's price.

           

Here we are enjoying our last sunset on Sengigi beach. We snagged the beach-side bed for a prime sunset viewing location. Who knows, maybe we'll stay another day. It is hard to leave.

         

Lots of birds on Lombok's Fantasy Island - parrots and cockatoos but the oddest one of all is the Indonesia's largest bird called something like Kerasik. It looks like a cross between a prehistoric ostrich and peacock.

It was really hard to get a good photo of the Kerasik so you'll have to use this montage to piece together his total look. The point on his head is hard, like a hoof. His feet are huge compared to his body and he uses them as weapons. His red waddle is comical and when he opens his mouth you can see straight down his esophagus. What an oddly beautiful bird.

       

Barking deer make the oddest noises - almost like they are trying to form a sentence. I forget the name of my favorite deer so i'll just call him big daddy (because he is a dad). We had a great time together. His favorite game is to lock horns and he likes to eat corn and young flower buds.

Poppo is 5 months old and a total renegade. He swings as far as his chain will let him and uses the metal box as a platform to stand when he wants to reach low-hanging branches. I wanted to hold him but he bites - not hard but he does have big sharp teeth and the thought of going home with rabies dissuaded me.

I pinched some corn and coconut from the barking deer's bowl (yes, there are deer that bark) to feed Poppo. I thought this created a bond between us but the little bastard got a crazy look in his eye and jumped at me. Occasionally I need to be reminded that cute, furry things are also unpredictable WILD animals.

Mammo is an older male. I think he has given up on personal hygiene at his age because he peed all over himself. Despite this I wanted to bond with him. I was fascinated by his thin black fingers - they feel like a dry,  papery version of human fingers. I fed him corn and coconut (this time pinched from a different barking deer) thru the fence. I thought things were going great between us and then he suddenly jumps at me! I was able to snap a photo as the old bastard slammed himself against the fence.