Island Hopping in Indonesia

There are more than 17,000 islands in the country of Indonesia.  In total, we were able to visit just 9 of them, but each provided us with new adventure.  From the architecture on Java, to the volcanoes of Sumatra, each area of the country was different and interesting in its own way.

Though many people travel to Indonesia for a particularly beautiful island called Bali, our last 10 days in Indonesia were split up between 3 lesser known islands:  Flores, Gili Trawangan and Lombok.   Here’s a little about each.

Flores

Our time in Flores was short, but it served a very important purpose:  it where we flew in to see Komodo National Park.  Although there is more to see on the island than just Labuan Bajo, it’s all we had time for.  We spent the day before and the day after our trip cruising around LB and the surrounding area, enjoying the scenery and sunsets.

One of the two sunsets we saw there

Flores island from the top of a hill

The island is very lush and not as developed as many other areas of Indonesia.

We rented a motorbike while we were there so we could make the most of the short time we had.  There are several great places to see sunsets, so we definitely did our best to check them out.  I’m glad we did.

We also spent Valentines day cruising around the countryside.  I can’t say the day was particularly eventful, but we met some very nice people and ate some beautiful and fresh avocados while we waited for a monsoon to pass.

I also made friends when I offered to take a picture for these nice people

A little pit stop

So green!

Lombok

Our next stop was Lombok, though the first time we were on this island, it was just to transfer to Gili.  Unlike Flores, which was primarily Christian (we actually saw people leaving church on Ash Wednesday while we were there), Lombok is predominantly Muslim.  When we took a daytrip onto the island, we drove out to see this beautiful mosque in Mataram city.

We weren’t dressed appropriately enough to visit, but we still wanted to see this beautiful building in person

It is so grand compared to the rest of the city

Other than our trip to the mosque, we spent the day driving around, picking up final souvenirs for people back home and then had back to Gili island, where we were actually staying.  It was a nice day trip to break up the week of relaxation we were enjoying on Gili T.

The road we drove along was mostly shaded too, so that was nice!

Of course, the ferry to and from Gili was quite the experience!

Of course, we did have to go back one more time, because we flew back to Shanghai (via Malaysia) from Lombok airport.  Our final moments in Indonesia were spent on that pretty little island.

The nice people at the post office

The last picture I took in Indonesia. A storm coming in over a rice field

Gili Trawangan

Of the 3 Gili Islands, Gili T is the most popular and busy.  We chose this island because we thought there would be more to do there, and although our goal for Gili T was to relax….we knew we’d get stir crazy before long.

Gili has very famous parties. We didn’t attend any ourselves, but it still looked like fine

Lots of live music was there to enjoy

We did enjoy some sangria with dinner one night!

Like on most islands, seafood was abundant

our meal at Egoiste was very memorable!

We did a few things on Gili T, like silver making, and our trip to Lombok, but mostly, we just relaxed.  We stayed at a beautiful little hotel called Marigio, which is owned by an Italian woman named Alessandra.  Her hotel was impecably clean and each day we ate an incredible Italian breakfast.  I spent a lot of time by that pool, working on my tan, finishing several books, and catching up on my journal.

Of course, sunsets on the Gili Islands are world famous.  There are a series of swings set up around the island where tourists can get pictures.  Dave and I aren’t big into selfies, but I loved the way the swings looked in the fading light.

There were other props set up as well

My favourite swing. I was lucky to get this shot before someone else went and sat on it

A swing to show couples in love…..

The night market was also a pretty cool experience.  It was packed with people (a good sign) and all the vendors seemed to make a lot of the same stuff, but we could have probably eaten there every night we stayed on the island and tried something new each day.  The selection was great, and from what we saw, it was pretty clean!

The night bbq had an array of salads, seafood and other dishes to enjoy

And of course, ice cold Bintang (and beer…and coconuts, which are my favourite!!)

My favourite experience on Gili T however, was not the sunsets or the food.  My favourite moments spent on Gili were spent in the ocean, ‘stalking’ sea turtles.  There is a sanctuary on Gili T and the turtles are protected in this part of the country.  So, if you are patient, you can often find these giant creatures chewing on seagrass near the beach of Gili T.

Pictures can’t do these beauties justice…

This little guy was in the sanctuary on Gili T.

Sea turtles are very endangered at the moment, so sanctuaries and protected zones like this are extremely important to the ocean’s health.  After all, sea turtles keep reefs healthy and are an important part of the ocean eco system!

Dave even got this really cool video where you can see how close we were and how big this guy was!  We watched him for close to an hour.  What amazed me most was how he could stay underwater for so long without air!

So, this is how we spent our last 10 days in Indonesia.  We saw some beautiful sunsets, enjoyed some great food and had fun with local wild life.  I can’t think of a better way to finish a holiday!

I’ll be back soon with an overview of our experience in Indonesia, as well as tips for anyone looking to travel there soon!