An Indonesian Honeymoon

Days 0 - 8: Gili Trawangan, Lombok, Indonesia

Our first time setting foot on the grand continent of Asia, and its immediate wide-eyed OHMYGOD! - we are whizzing through Mataram, the small yet undeniably mad capital of Lombok, an island just east of better-known Bali, and immediately in a "cab" screaming through a type of traffic we've never seen. Motorbikes and mopeds, taxis, semi-trucks, horse-drawn carriages (doing a solid 25mph . . . just picture a horse-drawn carriage and a semi- sharing the same lane on a major U.S. highway, and then picture the horse-drawn carraige actually passing the semi when the latter gets bogged down in traffic. WHAT!?!), rickshaws, wheelbarrows, children everywhere, a cow or two . . . and all of this flowing in and out of two pot-holed lanes in a constant game of chicken (and yes, a moped will take on a semi-truck head-on here in Indonesia) . . . plus, to make it even more exciting, small, gray monkeys jump out into the road every few hundred feet, like they are exepcting to catch a ride or something. All of this with a sunset-lit reel of urban-meets-rural, pastoral street life passing by: pristine rice paddies; openair, Javanese and bamboo furniture workshops; smoking satay skewer stands.

From wild cab to peaceful boat taxi and we arrive just after dark in Gili Trawangan, about 20km off the Lombok coast, a true paradise island of white sand, green water, coral reefs, bungalows, a few backpacker bars (some offering "bloody fresh magic mushroom cocktail" with a rasta vibe to prove it), more horse-drawn carriages, thousands and thousands of inter-bred cats, and, best of all, no cars . . . just quiet peace, world-class diving, and the giant volcanoes of Lombok and Bali in the distant background. On the Gilis (Trawangan is one of three of these tiny islands), we quickly shifted into honeymoon mode at the wonderful Desa Dunia Resort, a collection of 7 traditional Javanese joglo huts facing the Java Sea. Activities included floating in our infinity pool, papaya and pancake breakfast on the beach, backgammon and Bintang beers, fresh seafood in a private beachside hut which the lovely caretakers decorated in fresh flowers and candles, snorkeling with turtles, biking through sandy trails around the island's perimeter (only about 6 km), and, of course, sleeping in. Ahhhhhhh. The stress of planning the trip, the wedding, years in graduate school, moving . . . it is starting to disappear.

Breathe in, breathe out, in, out, squeeze nostrils, equalize, clear mask - but, don't forget to LOOK AROUND - since a giant turtle is floating by and he looks like a DINOSAUR. And then, look up. Yup, that's 60-feet of dark ocean water above me. And there is a forest of purple and pink coral sliding by. It visibly breathes and moves - like swimming past the alvioli of a giant's lungs - plus, thousands of fish from the size of a quarter to a boogie board, and they seem seem completely unamused by my awkward appearance. Me, the SCUBA dork, with bulky tank, dangling hoses, bubbles bursting upwards, inefficient fin maneuavering, and then look over there . . . compare the mighty lion fish (see photo), with bold stripe patterns extending into long whiskers just like a lion's mane (obviously) . . . and I know what he is thinking about me: "you're ugly." But I am OK with that because I am breathing underwater. I'd like to see how he does on land.

Well, after four days of diving, including classroom work, four open water dives and a multiple choice final exam that rivalled the Bar, led by our trusty instructor Simon, and calmed by the goofiness of his assistant, Ben, plus accompanied by a lovely mix of Brits and a Swede, we are truly new fish in the sea - but with a PADI license. We are already planning more dive trips, and I (Jacob) am trying (failing) to convince Al that we should blow the travel budget on a live-aboard multi-day boat dive somewhere in the South China Sea. It really is that cool. Luckily, though, Al controls the budget. So hopefully we can make it for croissants in Paris in July.

Days 9 to 15: Ubud and the North Coast, Bali, Indonesia

After soaking up the sun in the Gilis, we decided to head to Ubud, Bali--Bali's "art and culture" center, which is in the hills of south-central Bali, surrounded by rice fields. We scored a bungalow overlooking a canopy (for about 3 bucks each, breakfast included!). By far the most memorable part of our stay in Ubud was the cremation ceremony we attended. We happened to be in town during the cremation of a very wealthy and important woman in Bali (supposedly the daughter-in-law of one of the kings), and people came from all over Bali for it.


We ultimately did not see the body actually being cremated, as much of the festivities centered around the preparation (which we saw): a traditional funeral pyre was built, but becasue of the woman's high caste, it was at least 60 feet tall! The body was carried inside of this tower on polls carried by one hundred men. Then the body was transferred into an enormous black bull, and men danced to the gamelan orchestra (traditional indonesian music comprised of percussion instruments made of wood, iron, bronze, or bamboo bars, bronze or iron gongs, cymbals, drums, and bells), while women presented numerous offerings of food, crafts and flowers that they had carried on their heads. While in Ubud, we wanted to take in some of the nearby sites. Not having the courage to hop on one of the motorbikes that all of the Balinese zoomed around on with no apparent traffic laws to give some order to the driving choas, we hired a driver to pick us up at 2:00AM for a 12-hour tour. The first stop was the base of Gunung Batur, the second largest volcano in Bali for a hike to the top for sunrise. Unfortunately, we were over-cautious in how long the drive and hike would take, and we reached the summit with about 2 hours before sunrise. . .but when the sun started coming up, it was worth the wait! The driver then took us to Pura Besakih (one of the temples on the site, but they are all referred to as Besakih, the largest). Bali, unlike the rest of Indonesia, is primarily Hindu, so every town has tons of small temples on every street, and women make little offerings made of flowers, palm fronds and rice to be placed in front of temples, houses, and shops every single morning! Many people were at Besakih for one ceremony or another the day we were there. We also went to the kecak dance, which is a traditional dance performed by men, who chant and dance while a traditional Hindu story is acted out. And, of course, we couldnt leave Bali without a traditional balinese massage. Since Jacob felt he needed a full body scrub down as well as the massage, we opted--for a whopping 11 bucks each--for the 2 hour full body massage, scrub and rose petal bath. Ask Jacob about the happy ending. . .