Trekking Mount Rinjani: Lombok, Indonesia

I knew the morning would come too soon as I tossed and turned in my damp sleeping bag. It was only 9pm but when you are up in the clouds of the mountains, 9pm feels like the middle of the night. I went over in my head that everything was prepared for when we woke… head lamps: check… gloves and extra sweater: check… camera with extra battery: check. I hoped that my shoes would stay dry from the dew or moisture in the air. I was already sick of those gross wafer chocolate bars that we stocked up on before we left, but I stocked my jacket pockets anyways. It had only been one day of hiking so far and I was eating those as if they were going out of style (I guess you could say I'm a bit paranoid on hikes like this after what happened in Norway.). I continued to toss and turn, trying to get comfortable between the lumps in the ground that seemed to be so inconveniently placed. It wasn't before long, that I heard some stirring outside our tent. It was our Indonesian porters, who were in charge of setting up/tearing down camp as well as cooking our meals. 2am ...it was time to hit the trail.

Gili Air, Indonesia... an island of dreams.

After a few amazing days in Ubud, we said goodbye to beautiful Bali....  and said hello to the island of Gili Air- a whole new kind of beautiful.  When writing a title for this post, the phrase "island of dreams" seemed pretty accurate.  No motorized vehicles- only bicycles and horse and buggy, the most beautiful turquoise water, beautiful beaches, fresh coconuts... this place was pure bliss.  We found our accommodations through Airbnb once again, which turned out to be a small group of bungalows owned by a guy from Spain.  We lounged in the pool, walked around the island (which only takes about an hour to walk around), and thoroughly enjoyed the food.  We also went out snorkeling one afternoon to find a wild sea turtle, which was pretty exciting!  (I'll post a video at the end of this post).

Beautiful Ubud, Bali

Oh Ubud... the photographer's dream...

We left the beaches of Kuta to head north to Ubud, one of the most beautiful Asian towns I've been to yet.  The architecture here all seemed so sacred, with Hindu temples built into peoples homes, ancient carvings everywhere, and rice fields tucked in behind even the busy (but not busy compared to Kuta!) tourist streets.  With an abundant amount of local crafts, healthy food, and relaxed atmosphere, we definitely felt at home here.  We stayed in a beautiful Eco Home which Zack had found on Airbnb which was nestled in one of Ubud's cleanest neighbourhoods (it was nice to actually be staying among a local community), ate amazing food, and had bicycles to ride into town.  It was possibly the most ideal three days in Ubud.

First, let me introduce to you to our Bamboo Eco Home....

Arriving in BALI! (in all of it's... glory?)

What do you picture when you think Bali?  Palm trees and pristine beaches?  Tourists sipping on coconuts and people doing yoga on the beach as the sun sets?  Paradise?  I didn't even realize it, but it turns out I had this image of paradise in my head as we touched down at the Kuta Airport.  A bit too early, perhaps..