Wet feet and lombok lunacy

Last evening in laubanbadjo flores and farewelled with yet another beautiful sunset, what an island!
Emily and I Joined many other tourists and travellers on a voyage to Lombok, the slow way, catching a parama tour boat stopping off at reefs for a snorkel and miander around, a sewaty trudge through Rincha island to see the wild Komodo Dragons in their natural habitat and a beautiful swim at a waterfall in Sumbawa. Sleeping on the deck under the stars at night and having great conversations with many people on board including em and my new friends (canadian family) Kevin and Jamie!
After arriving in Mataram Lombok and a few days extending my visa, and feasting on the tastiest Soto Ayam-jakarta style we moved on to Sengigi planning to head to Gili for new years. Eating at one of the many available Warungs in town, who should walk in but Andrea a good friend from Timor Leste! Crash tackle hugs and shock out of the way it became apparent that a big crew form Timor too were heading to the Gilis for new years. Catching the local boat to Gili Air and settling in at our bungalow, the next week here was pure bliss and i felt like i was cheating travelling. New Years was a blast, Air is renowned for its Tranz parties and yes they were planning a big one for this night. Dressing up for the first time in a while and having a good shake of my tail feather till sunrise, with new friends, Timor family, and many locals (who have got the doof stomp down!) it was a fun night blessed with a beautiful sunrise, laying at the beach mind ticking over with the strange realisation that its now 2012, the pondering of what this year will hold for me, where im going, what i will do, and  tossing about the concept of worldly change as we know it..... industrial collapse? we all can hope:)

Mount Rinjani, Lombok.

Travelling the seas and discovering my love for flying fish, what a magical creature!

 

 Pristine waterfalls in Sumbawa.

After meeting a wicked sista in Gili called Iva, i headed to sengigi in Lombok to stay at an art gallery of her friend Jonas. This gallery was located on the stretch of road to the beach, a big space with lots of air, a refreshing and comfortable vibe, and i ended up staying here for about 10 days, was planning to stay 2:)
Unknown art space was an interesting place to stay. Jonas the wise artist from Malang Java, always scribbling on a piece of paper and taking us on random unknown adventures. Diart and Gallang, two crazy boys that help look after the joint, always ready to make you a coffee, take you for a cruise on the back of the moto, or for a wild dance at the discotheque, and Cimbi a beautifully charismatic, quiet yet outspoken woman that floats around and offers interesting thought. Without knowing I developed a bit of routine here, spent my days here waking up earlyish for a swim at the beach and a coffee with two local temporary tattoo beach artists, making jewellery and having funny english lessons, awaiting the inevitable rain to set in around lunch time, head back to the gallery and chill out drawing, resting and drinking an array of local alcoholic beverages, tua, arak, pink lady broooom. And then the evening would somehow bring an adventure.

Mmmmmmmm mangostean, a little piece of heaven.

Gallang with the guitar, always ready to play you a special song.

THE EVENINGS

Mataram was one place set for adventures, for fresh fruit and vegetables at the market, or to visit the Taman Budaya (culture centre) one such evening we were set on going to an art opening here and travelled the hour journey on moto in the pouring rain. This was hilarious, wet and yes a little stupid, arriving lombok style soaked to the bone with buckets of water boots, leaving a trail as we observed the art. It was a great exhibition, and the artist community here are so warm and welcoming. Playing guitar, drinking, drawing and chatting till the early hours on a couple of occasions.
On another occasion we headed here for an art performance by a group from Surabaya. It was a very interesting experience, a physical theatre performance that gave me goosebumps remembering the days of drama classes at school. The Show was an adaption of "one flew over the cuckoos nest" by Ken Kesey. Analysing the character American Indian chief Bromden in this film. His place in society, his loss of land, loss of culture, and his strength of character. Anyway i don't know if this is very interesting for you to read, but the performance was interesting, it was done well in that it related globally to all indigenous peoples and the constant fight and struggle to maintain culture and tradition in the western world.

GUNA aka. mc purple socks

NINA chantik

Beautiful sunset out of Mataram

Jonas doing one of the many things he does well.

Guna and Nina a MAD couple from Singapore came to Sengigi also connected through a mutual friend of jonas, and we hit it off immediately, sometimes in life you spend 24 hours with a person and it feels like you known them for years, well this is how my friendship with these two blossomed. We decided to leave Sengigi and head to Kuta Lombok for some time at the beach. This place has become quite touristy, but it still maintains quite a sweet chilled beachy atmosphere.
After meeting a new friend Maria a flower of a being, we hired motorbikes and i was ready to finally learn how to ride! well it was only an automatic, but its a start, and now im hooked, i think ive been bitten by the motorbike bug! What a way to adventure around, wind in hair, stopping where you want when you want, and the feeling is just great! We went to a village about 40 minutes east of Kuta to visit a surf school where one of Ninas friends worked. This place was unreal, they teach young boys and girls how to surf, so that they can be surf instructors when they are older, there is also a deep skate bowel on the tip of the beach, and the kids skate with no shoes!

Kids from the surf school in the background, the swell was teeny but they wanted to show us their moves.

This beach near Kuta Lombok had such beautiful rounded sand.

Kuta beach Lombok

 

 This is me killing it! the second day on a motorbike, i am pretty proud of my achievement, such an unpredictable wet, more pot hole than road journey, and although returning home with mud covered feet and bike, no falls were had and i can safely say i am ready to drive on any 'road' in Indonesia!

  

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