Burnt-out like a forgotten potato on a barbeque, my kids bought me a ticket to a tropical island.
It was like returning home! I'd spent a lot of time on Gili Air in the past, and it was now a home that at first glance, had developed almost beyond recognition, but which held its essence intact, and its beauty undiminished.
first sunrise
and after banana pancakes for breakfast, the walking....
time blends and drifts on a tropical island, seemingly stretching on forever, repeating everyday in variations of beauty, sunshine and ease, and I soon slotted right in :)
the track from my front door
the local warung at the end of my track
the village in the centre of the island is radiated by many paths, all going to the beach
the chicken roam free, like the people
so many tempting places to stop walking
always, everywhere, a beach :)
the harbour on the south-side
the track on the west side
a cup of coffee (Lombok style, hot, black and sweet!) rarely has such a view-enhanced flavour
the snorkeling was crystal clear, although as usual I tended to the gun-ho and nearly got caught in the impact zone of the waves out the back
at my west-side beach spot, I had a visitor one morning
if she'd let me, I would've kissed her
blue, blue, blue
it's not for nothing Gili Air is called the water island
there's a track all the way around the island, it takes about 3/4 hour to walk at a leisurely pace
(uh oh, starting to sound like a travel brochure ;)
the spirit of the island on four legs
one morning after my sunrise swim, I met three narcotics officers from the mainland, who wanted to chat and take photos, now I wonder if my pic is on a wall in a police-station somewhere in Lombok...
no cars at all on the island, besides walking and push-bikes, these are the taxis
the track on the north side
my favourite east side beach spot
sunset side, before the sun started setting ;)
alright, alright, I know it's blurry, but it's a close representation of how my reality had softened
why did the chicken cross the road?
I had time to contemplate such existential questions
my local friend :)
about 15 years ago, I used to lease a bungalow business from him, and his daughter used to work for us (I had a Lombok man as a partner back then).
This trip, we talked a lot about religion, as well as catching up on news, he is a practicing Muslim.
[For more about this, read my thread 'Muslim Man Tells Me' by K.Kool, by typing 'muslim man' into search Godlike Productions]
the Mosque at the centre of the village
(the tallest roof at the back)
one of the Aussie-owned places to rent
more liquid blue, sea and sky
and the track goes on...
one more sunrise
(my camera is full of them, all beautiful, and all different!)
the boat ride from the mainland to the island is always packed
on the way back, its just people
XXKK
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