#13: Gili Gila (Island Crazy) - Indonesia - Yes, We Have No Banana ...

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Well, I thought we'd spend two nights on Gili Trawangan, the largest of three islands (Air, Meno, and Trawangan) off the northwest coast of Lombok. Shows how much I know: we ended up spending a month there. Maybe we stayed so long because getting there was such a pain, involving a long, hot, sooty ride on the upper deck of the ferry from Padangbai, Bali (the lower decks smelled like a urine factory), a knee-smashing bus journey to Sengigi, a lovely but vertigo-inducing songthaew ride up the coast, a blessedly brief horsecart trip (like so many of us, they're better-looking at a distance), and a ferry from Bangsal (on the return trip, leave your suede loafers in the backpack, as the child entrepreneurs will try to "wash" your feet for you). We'd planned to travel from Lombok to Flores and possibly Sumba, but we must've gotten soft after a month of being pampered by my folks in Bali, because we found ourselves completely unwilling to leave the comforts and charms of Gili Trawangan until our expiring visas made it imperative.

Trawangan is the most populated of the three islands, but it wasn't too developed, even for quiet types like us. There are no cars, motorbikes, or barking dogs, and though there is a string of over-loud bars at one end of the main strip, they didn't bother us too much. We took advantage of many of the island's Western comforts and entertainments: burritos at Dive Indonesia, fresh-water pool at Manta Dive, personal DVD bungalows at the Irish bar Tir Na Nog, and - my favorite - nightly screenings of Sex and the City at Frenchie's.

Nightlife aside, there's also amazing marine life nearby. One day we took a boat trip, stopping off of each island for a snorkel. We saw tons of bright fish, huge electric blue starfish, and giant, calm sea turtles. But the boat trip wasn't even necessary, as there's excellent snorkeling just a few meters from the beach. For several days, the tides obliged us by being very low just before sunset, so we could poke around the tidepools discovering strange creatures like The Weird Silly String Thing, The Slimy Sea Cucumber, The Flowery Slug, and The Aquatic Snowflake. I found a really gorgeous cowrie shell and was sorely tempted to take it home with me, but conservationists will be glad to know that I respected the prior claims of the hermit crab who'd already called dibs on it. Dozens of local kids - many of them quite tiny - explored the tidepools too, flipping over rocks and frantically trying to catch whatever jumped out. Somehow in all the excitement they managed to avoid impaling their bare feet on the brutal sea urchin spines.

Another favorite activity was gasing, a competitive top game. The hand-carved wooden tops (in sizes that seemed to correspond to the ages of the participants, with adults having pomelo-sized tops) were wound with four feet or so of string and expertly flicked onto the ground, where another competitor would try to knock the first top off-balance with his own. Apparently this game is played for big money on Lombok, but we just saw friendly neighborhood games on Gili Trawangan.

And what a friendly neighborhood it was. For most of the month, we stayed at Losmen Eky on what a hand-painted sign identified as Brooklyn Street ("Is it true that everyone in America carries a gun?"), run by the dreamy Lukman and his wife Sri. Lukita, their little daughter, was pretty shy, but occasionally she'd shout out, "Hello! Hello!" from across the yard, usually hours after we'd first greeted her. We'd sit on our porch eating Dua Kelinci (Two Rabbits) brand peanuts, drinking coffee, and watching the boys play gasing in the dusty street.

When we got tired of sitting around our own place, we'd head for the pool, the beach, or for one of the local restaurants, whose menus always make for interesting reading. We were especially intrigued by the offerings at The Living Room, which has a whole section called "Mexican Testy and Mr. Baked" and something called a Jeanne Fred Freeka ("this famous sandwich"). We'd decided on the "Exotic Chicken Beast, comes with chicken and fruit," but apparently it was either sold out or extremely self-effacing, as our waiter came back to the table and said, "Oh, apologize me, the chicken is nothing."

We also made friends with a great couple, Liz and Bob, and their housemates Chin, Chan, Yandi, and baby David. They're building a house and opening a small guesthouse at the quieter end of the island, and after so many months on the road, it was really relaxing to hang out at their place and get a taste of home life again, doing a little yardwork and eating a delicious home-cooked meal. We also enjoyed "English lessons" on their bruga (open-air porch) with a few of the local girls, and Erica got lots of artwork done, including some great signs for the business that she made with the kids' help. You've got to love a country where the word for pink (merah mudah) is "young red."

Questions? If you want more information about this area you can email the author or check out our Asia Insiders page.

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