Asia & Australia : Lombok

We are in Singapore today after 2 sea days, so I will pick up where I left off: headed to Lombok, Indonesia and snorkeling on Gili Trawangan & other gilis (islands)...

We had to get up early – ugh! 8 am and meet up with our small group. Turns our B had a harem today as we were a group of 5 and he was the only guy. We met our guide just off the ship and he drove us to his boat. It was an outrigger and the typical vessel used in this area. When we arrived he gave us our snorkeling gear and we got in the outrigger.

The journey to our first island took about 20 minutes but was quite pleasant. The water was shimmering, and the scenery was lush and green.

He beached the boat and directed us to the best reef for viewing. With the fins on we propelled ourselves easily across the water. The reef was full of sea plants that were undulating and waving at us. The colors were a bit muted but nice. We saw about 10 kinds of fish, nothing very big, but there were several small parrot fish and angel fish. As a group we probably snorkeled about 30 minutes there. The trip was planned as a day of snorkeling around the archipelago visiting several spots. The next spot was a bit larger island but still remote and included a tiny resort where we had lunch. B & I opted to eat lunch and relax even though we heard from the others that the snorkeling was really good there. I ate tasty calamari, which is fried squid and B had breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast, then ordered garlic bread. Dining was in an outdoor tikki hut and there was an Asian family enjoying the atmosphere with us.

I chose to lounge in a chaise after my meal and nap since I had to awaken so early...lol!

After about 2 hours we left there and cruised onto 2 other islands. B didn't snorkel again, but I figured since that is what the trip was for, I should go one more time. It was really not worth getting wet, as there was not much to see. Snorkeling in Indonesia is only so-so - the Caribbean, Hawaii and Mexico are much better, but overall it was a fun day and there was no mall involved! LOL!

It's been a long day and tomorrow we are off the ship, so I will try to catch up soon as we begin the 2^nd leg of our journey. Have a great day today and a better one tomorrow.