Land!!! We’ve finally reached land!!!
Only kidding! We had a blast on the live-aboard boat trip
with Roy’s dive buddies and the boat crew for the week. 7 days we sailed from
island to island and coast to coast hunting giants of the Indian Ocean!
The food onboard the boat was fantastic thanks to our local
chef, Made. We ate something different every meal. Every morning we woke up to
breakfast and kopi (coffee) ready for us.
Either egg sandwiches, banana pancakes, or jaffles! After breakfast, the
guys geared up and jumped into the warm waters. Many of them lucky enough to
catch a few winners for dinner! Sashimi, BBQ, and Tuna Burgers!
Although Siobhan did not partake in the spearfishing, she
did get some incredible snorkeling experiences. Places you will never find in a
guidebook.
During our journey, we did get a chance to visit shore and
visit some of the Islands. We stopped at Gili Trawangan, one of three Gili
Islands off the coast of Lombok. There we encountered the hip scene of one of Bali’s
most popular small-island getaways. For dinner we purchased local cuisine at a
night market. The prices were indeed geared towards tourists, but the market’s
atmosphere and character was true to its roots. It looked like an outdoor food
court only Gili T style, with multiple stalls left and right, cooking the most
tasty looking mie goring, nasi campur and satay dishes. We spent the night
there dancing at a Reggae Bar, chilling to Bob Marley favorites played by an
indo Rasta wannabe band and dancing with new friends from all over the
world!
When we were not spearfishing, snorkeling, eating or
exploring the shores, we hung out on the deck with Roy’s friends, playing
cards, watching movies, talking girls… that Siobhan luckily blocked out most of
the time! Haha! But have no mistake, we had a good time together. They truly
are a great group of guys.
As fun as it was, the trip wasn’t all roses by any means.
We’re not talking about a luxury cruise throughout the Indonesian archipelago
onboard an expensive yacht. This boat was traditional and rustic. Living
onboard for 7 days was testing on Siobhan’s living standards. The bunk beds
were decent when we weren’t swatting ants. There was fish slime everywhere on
deck, but that was a given. Everything on board seemed a little cracked,
chipped, torn, or dirty too. However those things didn’t really bother her as so
much the bathroom. Each time we used the toilet, we had to scoop a bucket of
water to flush it down. This also meant that the little bathroom floor was
always covered with puddles of water that your feet got to splash and play with
whenever you sat down. Not to mention if the boat was ever rocking… haha always
a great time trying to maneuver yourself in out, sitting, standing, inside of
that small area. The shower situation was disappointing with its non-existent water
pressure, a dribble here and there, so we had to get creative. Nothing like a
salt water shower and water bottle rinse!
All that aside, the best part of living on the boat by far was
the sleep. The boat would just rock back and forth as you listened to the waves
softly crash against the hull.
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