Photo's:
http://picasaweb.google.com/DeGroot222/BaliGiliTrawangan#
August 16-17, 2008
It seems like every flight we take out of Doha is either O-dark-30 in the morning or 11:30 at night. This one is a night flight which will put us finally arriving in Bali at about 8:00PM on the 17th. No wonder my internal clock is so haywire!
At the Doha airport they herd you into a waiting area just before your flight then bus you out onto the tarmac to climb the stairs up into the plane (so very high tech), well apparently, if you are not flying on Qatar airlines they park your plane in the south forty somewhere. I swear it was a 20 minute bus ride for a 38 minute flight to Abu Dhabi! Once there we had a two hour lay-over where they once again put us on a bus and drove us half way to Dubai. The flight to Jakarta was rather uneventful with the exception of the rude and abusive flight attendant who spent most of the flight yelling at people until they were cowering in their seats. I pretended I was asleep whenever I saw her coming our way. Once in Jakarta we had a three hour lay-over and then finally made it to Bali. The 17th is Independence Day in Indonesia and of course RD wanted to join the revelry (he sleeps better on planes than I do) but I was dead so we just unpacked and fell into bed.
August 18, 2008
Looking at our schedule we decided to spend the day relaxing around the pool. On the 20th and the 21st we will do some touring of Bali and go diving. This evening we took a “Taksi” down to an area of Kuta called Legian. It’s a long one-way street, loaded with shops, that ends at the beach. (Kind-of like the Duval “crawl” in Key West). The original plan was to hit the beach in time for the sunset but as you can imagine our progress was greatly impeded by the shopping that was available (not to mention the cute little bars). RD ended up with a shirt and a pair of pants, (bracketed by several Bintang beers) and I ended up with a fabulous pair of pants (bracketed by several gin & tonics). On the way home I saw a store I had been looking for and it turns out it was in walking distance of the hotel…this could be bad…
August 19, 2008
After breakfast RD went and got a shave and a haircut and a 90 minute massage for 450,000 Rp (about $45). I on the other hand took off on foot in search of my Holy Grail, a store called Paul Ropp which I first saw ads for when I was here in May. Jackpot! After about an hour long walk (which included a side trip out to the beach to watch the waves crash) I finally arrived. I think I tried on just about everything in the store that they had in my size and ended up with three pieces (two tops and a skirt) and a pair of shoes for about $300 (and just to put the icing on the cake the two tops ended up matching the pants I bought last night which are an odd shade of blue-green!) Damn I’m good! On top of that they have a website (http://paulropp.com)! I need to find a real job quick!
After lunch at a little gourmet deli (where RD proclaimed “I could live here” and I internally yelled “yippee”) we went to the registration desk to schedule an afternoon massage for each of us, dinner reservations (I’ve informed RD he has to take me out somewhere special so I can wear one of my new outfits), and get our tour and scuba diving trip arranged. Well, so much for “best laid plans of mice and men”. Turns out today, tomorrow and the next day are a Balinese Hindu holiday celebrating harvest and there are no tours and the only day we could dive would be the 21st which means our gear would still be wet when we went to pack it on the 22nd to transfer to Gili Trawangan. At least we got our massages and dinner reservations. We’ll have to come up with a new plan on what to do for the next two days. Apparently this holiday involves roasted suckling pig but it is only for locals, no tourists, boo-hoo.
August 20, 2008
Dinner last night was spectacular, American prices but well worth it. We sat on the second floor of an open air building looking out at the waves crashing in on the beach. It was pitch black but they had their little section of the beach lit up so you could still see the surf, very fabulous.
After breakfast RD and I took a “Taksi” to the beach just North of Kuta Beach and walked along the beach (stopping at a little beach side restaurant for lunch when we got hungry) until we hit Kuta. I found a cute little purse to match the outfit I bought at Paul Ropp but the T-shirt shop where I had seen a top I wanted was closed for the holiday. We ended up staying long enough to watch the sunset from the balcony of the Hard Rock Cafe. I have now had their ribs in Beijing, Athens and Bali…there is something to be said for consistency.
August 21, 2008
RD, being RD, was desperately in need of exercise so he walked from our hotel to Kuta Beach and back. My feet were killing me from the last few days of walking so I took up residence by the pool and just generally chilled out for the day.
In the evening I took him to the Paul Ropp store in hopes of finding him a really cool shirt but nothing caught his eye. We ended up just wandering down the street for a bit until we hit a restaurant that looked tasty and had a wonderful dinner.
August 22, 2008
Took our time this morning finishing our packing and had a leisurely breakfast before a van picked us up to take us to the “Gili Cat”, a speed boat that shuttles people between Bali and Lombok/Gili Trawangan. RD made the mistake of getting two large Bintang beers for the 1 ½ hour trip to the dock (after stopping to pick up two other couples), by the time we reached the dock I thought he was going to explode…I think he was trying to get the driver to pull over anywhere so he could “relieve” himself but of course the driver didn’t understand what he was asking for so he just kept driving. He won’t make that mistake again!
The trip over is a “fast” 2 hours in a boat that carries about 30 people. It is a bone jarring, tooth cracking, wave crashing ride that always gets at least one person “green around the gills”. The boat actually docks right in front of Manta Dive so as soon as we got off and got our luggage we walked over to the dive shop. It was really nice to be welcomed back with hugs and cheek kisses. They were genuinely happy to see both of us. I checked in with the owners and confirmed that my main job until Sept. 1 was to dive all the dive sites and refresh my memory so I would be ready to guide at that point. We dropped off our dive gear and after that we walked to Tir Na Nog (the Irish pub where I will be staying for the next 6 weeks). Tir Na Nog means “land of youth”.
Turns out, two guys who started their dive master training the day I left just finished and did their “Snorkel Test” tonight at Tir Na Nog…what a great way to return to the Island with an all out wild party.
August 23, 2008
Dove Halik this AM to test my new gear. The BCD is similar to my old one but the fins are really different. It will definitely take a while to get used to them. In the afternoon one of the instructors asked me to lead a dive, I told him I wasn’t supposed to until Ramadan started but after a series of events I ended up leading the dive even though I didn’t want to. I only had 15 minutes to get all the gear ready so during a mad rush to try and find gear for the two divers I inadvertently picked up a wetsuit (that was lying in the middle of the patio with nothing else around it) and gave it to one of my divers. One of the instructors jumped all over me for stealing her gear…I apologized profusely but pointed out that when I asked around to see if it was being used no one claimed it. Five minutes later she came back and wanted to know if I took one of her weight belts…I hadn’t but I could tell she was annoyed with me…not a good start with that instructor. Of course I got lost (it was at Shark Point, a site Ben tells me it took him 100 dives to get the layout) but lucky for me they had never been there before so they didn’t know I was lost!
August 24, 2008
This morning’s dive was at Manta Point and miraculously we saw a Manta! In the six weeks I was here before I didn’t see a single one! Of course RD was looking at something about the size of a peanut on the bottom and being as deaf as he was he could not hear all of us banging on our tanks and generally trying to get his attention so I raced the 5 meters over to where he was and grabbed his leg (probably a bit too hard since I was excited) and he jumped like he had been bit… Herman and I had a good laugh at him and after the Manta was gone Herman kept imitating RD…staring at something small then jumping out of his skin…
The afternoon dive was at a place called Hann’s Reef. It’s my personal favorite because it has all the cool, small and unusual stuff. RD didn’t go because his hip and neck were bothering him (just an excuse for another massage I think).
August 25, 2008
No diving for RD today, partially because he’s still feeling a little gimpy and partially because he needs to let his gear dry out so he can pack it. Today’s dives were Deep Turbo (it is 30+ meters and the current is strong…hence the name) and Shark Point which actually seemed to make sense to me today but I know that is a false sense of security…I’ll still be asking for help.
Since it is RD’s last night on Gili “T”, we decided to take a horse cart around to the other side of the island for dinner and sunset at Karma Kayak. It is really quiet, beautiful and romantic over there. They set up tables right on the beach and serve you Tapas and Sangria by lantern light under the stars
August 26, 2008
The dive this morning was to Simon’s Reef, another 30 meter dive but this one has Pygmy Seahorses (1/4 inch tall) so of course it is one of my favorites. In the afternoon they asked me to guide three divers out at Shark Point (at the last minute again but this time I felt more confident). Unfortunately this meant that I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to scrounge up gear for the 2:00 dive and would not be back until 4:00. RD had to leave on the 3:30 boat back to Bali because his flight tomorrow is at 11:00 in the morning and there is no way to get there on time if he waited until tomorrow. A couple quick kisses and I was off to my underwater world…it felt very lonely to come back to the shop and have him gone.
August 27, 2008
Today I ended up guiding a Dutch couple on the morning dive (Deep Shark Point, so I followed Eddy) and then they requested me on the afternoon dive to Meno Bounty, which I lead independently. The end of the second dive got rather exciting. Upon hitting the surface we were only about 25 meters from the boat so they motioned for us to swim over. All of a sudden they started yelling at me to stop, that there was a jelly fish. I asked “where?” but no one ever answered, they just kept telling me to stop. Now, I have spent a bit of time with these island guys and know their sense of humor so I was pretty sure they were yanking my chain so I just kept swimming. Suddenly Eddy, one of the instructors, stood up and said “Lisa they’re not kidding…” By that time I was already at the boat so they used a boat hook to pick the “Portuguese Man-of-War” off the back of my tank and BCD. Horrifically painful way to die I’m told…I was also told that I was damn lucky (understatement of the century). My gear was “quarantined” to be washed separately to make sure no “tentacles” ended up on any other gear. The tentacles were wrapped around my fins, on my tank and BCD and even on my gloves!
August 28, 2008
Three beautiful dives today…with one being a night dive…I could really get used to being a scuba junkie.
August 29, 2008
After two dives today we all raced home to take showers and change, and then jumped on the two boats to go to the Grand opening Party at Manta Dive on Gili Air. It is the island closest to Lombok and very quiet. I thought Gili Trawangan was quiet (no cars, no motorcycles, often no electricity…) but Gili Air is even quieter and slower.
Of course the primary beverage for the party was beer (which as I have gotten older I have completely lost my taste for) so I walked down to the “Corner” bar…it was actually called that even though the island is round. Turns out they have their own brand of local gin called “Johnny Simple”. The guy took me back and showed me where he distilled the alcohol and by the end of the evening had given me a T-shirt (the only one he had and he was wearing it) and a small water bottle full of gin to take back to Gili “T” with me. He wants me to wear the T-shirt as advertisement for his gin…
August 30, 2008
Tonight was a party for Ben’s 33rd Birthday which is actually on Sept. 2nd but he had the party early so the locals could join in on the fun (Ramadan starts on Sept. 1st…no food or liquids can pass their lips during daylight and no partying). They will still be working but in a very limited capacity…going without water in this heat/humidity can be dangerous if they work too hard…apparently the going without food part just makes them cranky.
The party was hilarious. There were relay races on the beach (like run 15 meters in fins while carrying a lime on a spoon, three legged races with fins on….that sort of thing), pin the “Remora” on the Turtle, local cuisine, heavily vodka laden fruit punch and of course the ever present “Bintang” (local beer).
August 31, 2008
Last day to follow….tomorrow I start officially guiding. Of course today my first-stage on my regulator blew out so I will have to dive with one of their regulators. I followed Dan in the morning and Herman in the afternoon, they are the best local guides so I tried to absorb as much information from them as I could.
September 1, 2008
Planned on going out last night but decided to take a 15 minute “nap” at 8:00…woke up at 12:30…missed the whole evening and decided it would not be any fun showing up sober at that time of night so took off my dress and earrings and crawled back into bed.
Guided two dives today…not perfect but everyone survived and saw cool stuff. I realized I really like looking for the small stuff and need to broaden my horizons and look for the big stuff, like sharks (almost ran into one today because I was looking down as opposed to where I was going)….
Herman tried to fix my regulator but it requires a “special” key from the manufacturer to get into it. Hopefully I can get that fixed while I am back in the states…I really like my regulator even if it is 18 years old.
Today was the first day of Ramadan. I tried to be considerate and not eat or drink in front of any of the guys at the shop but doing that for a whole month is going to be tough, but not as tough as it is for them. Also realized that the restaurants don’t open until after sunset so I am going to have to pick up some supplies because I usually come up ravenous from the last dive and it’s only 4:30 at that point.
September 2, 2008
I went with one of the Divemaster trainees (DMT) today on the morning dive because they were doing a “Scuba Tune Up” dive and needed someone certified to be there. Then this afternoon’s dive was a totally relaxed free dive where I just followed a new Divemaster (DM) and his group. I think on these dives today I figured out one of the reasons I am so attracted to diving. Underwater I feel fluid and graceful, not at all clumsy and uncoordinated like I am on land. Having never been known for being graceful it feels really good.
Since I didn’t have a bunch of diver’s myself I helped everyone else set up for their groups today …I am hoping they will repay the favor when the tables are turned.
I ended up leaving my Tir Na Nog “snorkel test” t-shirt on the boat…will have to grab it in the AM.
Today is Ben’s actual birthday so we all met up at the sushi bar for a little dive shop dinner party, lot’s of food, beer, spirits, and laughter…all-in-all a nice way to end the day. Unfortunately, somewhere in the middle of the evening I scooted my chair back to go to the restroom and landed on an instructor’s foot (this is the one that is annoyed with me anyway), her instructor boyfriend is now annoyed with me as well. Oh well, some days you just can’t win.
September 3, 2008
I showed up at the shop early this AM as usual and set up all my gear for my three diver’s then helped others out as much as I could. When I went to check the boat for my t-shirt it was gone…now I’m going to have to beg Chris and Miriam for another one…
Just before we were about to leave for the 9:00 dive they tell me they need someone to guide an 11:30 dive for one diver. I found Herman and asked him to have two tanks ready to go for me because I knew I wouldn’t be back from Hann’s Reef until about 11:25. So after a quick turn-around I was back in the water at a site called Stingray. This is the site with all the Bio-domes which are “electrified” to stimulate calcium growth to grow new coral (the corals in this area were hit hard by an El Nino 4 years ago but it is rebounding well). This particular dive is different than the others because it ends with a beach exit so if you are not close to the shop you flag down a horse and cart to lug you and your gear back to the shop. The kid driving the cart couldn’t have been older than 10…I kept asking him if he was old enough…I have a feeling his Dad has enlisted him to help during Ramadan because children can still eat and drink during the day.
Once back at the shop I only had 45 minutes to set up 3 sets of gear for the 2:00 dive…at 1:55 one of the divers informs me that he has not filled out any paperwork (he was a divemaster who hadn’t been diving in 3 years but remembered the all important “release of liability” paperwork…and quite possibly the most gorgeous man I have ever laid my eyes on…but I digress). So I run him into the shop, wait patiently as he fills it out and then place the paper next to the book telling Harriet that I will complete it after the dive so I don’t hold up the whole boat. Two seconds later “the instructor boyfriend” (from last night) comes in and in a very patronizing tone explains to me how it is supposed to be completed and proceeds to do it for me as I stand there saying “I know this” several times. What I wanted to say to him was to go find the person who had put this diver on the board without the appropriate markings to indicate that they had not done their paperwork and to please use that same patronizing tone when he explained that process to them but I held my tongue. I think this is going to be a very long month with these two…I highly doubt I will win them over, they have already made up their minds about me.
The 2:00 dive was a bit like herding cats, other than the gorgeous divemaster who was an excellent diver, I had two other divers that were all over the place…bouncing off the bottom, not following me…it was loads of fun! Then to top it off when I got back to the shop the plastic box I keep my sunglasses in while I am diving was not in my dive bag…let’s hope the box is still on the boat and doesn’t go the way of my t-shirt. I am currently drinking a well deserved gin & tonic and considering my options for dinner….I’m leaning towards the seared tuna on rocket salad at Scalliwags.
September 4, 2008
T-shirt and sunglasses showed up today…but no box. Two great dives, watched a movie with Alice (one of the instructors from Manta Dive on Gili Air) and went to bed early. Another day in paradise.
September 5, 2008
Two more fabulous dives, I am so spoiled. I continue to try and make myself useful around the shop. I’m not as strong as these young kids so I carry my own equipment but really struggle if I have to carry more so I do the little odd jobs that have to be done but nobody seems to do consistently.
Watched a movie tonight, “Hancock”, was really surprised that it was a chick flick disguised as an action movie.
September 6, 2008
This morning I did Simon’s Reef one last time following one of the instructors…next time I’ll have a go at it on my own. Since it’s a deep dive you really have to know what you are doing and where you are going. Saw my favorite little Pygmy Seahorses! After that a leisurely dive in the afternoon followed by a night dive that seemed like it would never happen.
We were supposed to leave at 7:15 but since all the local guys were at the Mosque we had no one to fill tanks for us. After calling around to another dive shop we found six to borrow and someone went down with a horse cart to pick them up. When they got back to the shop and we set them up we realized they had given us empty tanks by accident…one more horse cart ride and we were finally off at about 8:00. The dive itself was great (saw the cutest little baby cuttlefish…3” long) but when you leave that late you get back really late. By the time I took a shower and changed into dry clothes it was 11:00! Thank goodness the sushi bar was still serving food because I was starving!
September 7, 2008
There are loads of Dutch tourists here right now…they all get a chuckle about how I say DeGroot and even how I spell it (they spell it “de Groot”). One of the sites I took them to today was Halik. I learned how to say the letters in Dutch when one of them spelled it for the other one…Hah ah el e kah …you learn something new everyday!
September 8, 2008
Almost head-butted another shark today…I’m really going to have to stop doing that.
September 9, 2008
Lead a group of 4 today that consisted of an instructor, a rescue diver and two advanced divers (who both called the instructor “sensei”). Not a lot of fun. The instructor would jump in and answer questions before I could open my mouth, contradict me and just basically undermine my credibility. After the second dive he made a big deal about me going too fast and that was why one of the advanced divers got low on air before the others but the reason I was going fast is because the instructor was going so slow that we had to wait for him several times. I knew that the one guy was going to run out of air before we actually arrived at the wreck we were diving so I was trying to get him there before that happened. It was a very long day.
September 10, 2008
The instructor from yesterday came in and apologized for being so rude yesterday. I also realized that I had had a personal agenda of “getting them to the wreck” when in actuality they were just happy to be in warm tropical water. Good learning experience for me.
Had a whack-job English guy chat me up at the bar tonight…turns out he had been watching me all day (knew what color my bathing suit was, etc.)…kind-of freaky when you are on a small island. He also proclaimed that it was his mission over the next few days to “seduce” me. (Actually he said something much cruder but I’ll keep this PG). I pointed out that I was married and that even if I wasn’t, there was “not a chance in hell” and that his mission was bound for failure but he said he would persevere. Great…
September 11, 2008
Had two wonderful dives and then watched “Sex and the City” (the movie). When I walked back to the Irish bar the whack job was waiting for me so I just went to my room and went to bed without dinner.
September 12, 2008
After the dives today I enlisted the assistance of one of the customers (Juri) to be my “date” so the whack job (who was again waiting for me) would leave me alone. Actually there were four of us so I was well protected.
September 14, 2008
On the morning dive I saw smoke coming from the volcano on Bali. I had a fleeting thought that it may have erupted because there was an earthquake down here about a week ago. Turns out I was right. When we got back to the dive shop everyone was talking about it. Apparently on the night dive they could see the lava flow glowing on the side of the mountain.
September 15, 2008
Juri popped in this morning to say good-bye before his 8:00 boat to Lombok…I’m definitely going to miss him…he’s one of those people you meet and feel like you have known them for years.
Things are starting to slow down. Only had to guide 4 divers this AM and then this afternoon I just dove for fun. Afterwards a group of us went for dinner at Karma Kayak then came back to the Irish for a night-cap…Whack-job was at the bar! Haven’t seen him in 3 days, thought he was gone! And my “bodyguard” left this morning! He asked me if I had been hiding and I said “yes”, he turned and walked away. Damn, why didn’t I think of that earlier!
September 16, 2008
Just when I thought it was slowing down, today was crazy busy. We even ran out of weights and weight belts so I had to call another dive shop and borrow 22 kg of weights along with 4 weight belts. I’m thinking that I am going to ask for a few days off to go over to Bali and do a dive with the Mola Mola (Sunfish). They only come up from the deep one time a year to be cleaned by other fish and birds and now’s the time. Apparently people come from all over the world just to see them at this time of year.
September 17, 2008
I talked to one of the locals this AM and asked him how Ramadan was going. He was very “Zen” for lack of a better word…he said he felt clear and calm, and that he would be sad when it was over. I asked him why and he said that it was during this month that he felt closest to Allah. He was also disappointed that so many foreigners called them “crazy” (to their face! How rude!) for fasting during the day for a whole month. I think it is admirable…I know I don’t have that level of will power.
Emily and Lee finished up their dive master training so today was “equipment exchange” a.k.a “stress test” (so nice to be on the other side of that one…) and their “snorkel test”. They were dressed up as Luke Skywalker and Princess Leah…it is amazing to me the diverse costumes they come up with here with a minimum of supplies. (Umbrella, green tissue paper, flashlight and tape = light saber). Both finished their pitcher full of alcohol but Emily made a bee-line for the bathroom and apparently upchucked all of hers. After a few G & T’s I’ve decided to go to bed early…midnight…because someone has to be sober tomorrow morning to lead a dive….
September 18, 2008
I got to the dive shop at 7:45 this morning…not another “western” soul to be found. So, I set up all the gear for the few divers that were signed up and waited. Finally at about 8:20 one of the instructors showed up to open the office (I only have access to the key for the equipment). Eventually several divers cancelled (and the other guide showed up at 8:55 for the 9:00 dive) so I ended up taking two fun divers and two DMT’s out by myself. A very weird experience because every other time there has been at least one other guide or an instructor. Thursdays are always bad because Wednesday is party night here on the island and when there are snorkel tests it is even worse. Good thing I’m old and don’t need to party until 3 AM to feel like I had a good time.
I’ve decided I am too late for Mola Mola season so I am going to just stay here on Gili “T”. That gives me a reason to come back next year…like I need one. They have already invited me to come back and work next year.
September 19, 2008
This morning was Simon’s Reef, a deep dive, and one of my favorites. I ended up with 4 fun divers and 3 DMT’s…way too many people to have in one group even when there are 3 you really don’t need to worry about. This is the dive that has the Pygmy Seahorses…1/2” tall and so cute. Unfortunately my old “bifocaled” eyes couldn’t find them (they are WELL camouflaged) so I called one of the DMT’s over with young 22 year old eyes…she couldn’t find them either so I didn’t feel as bad but I still felt like I had let the group down. Luckily there is always plenty to see on this particular dive so it wasn’t a total failure.
In the afternoon we went to another great spot (a wreck) but a boat from another dive shop dropped in on top of us and it felt like a subway station in New York during rush hour. I rounded up my four and went elsewhere after we saw the two “special” fish that are always at that site.
Tonight Ben told me that all the divers I have been guiding have been giving the owners great feedback about me…that definitely feels good and also bodes well for me being able to come back next year. Ben is pushing me to be an instructor but I’m still not sure it is my thing.
September 20, 2008
There has been a tiny yellow tabby kitten, way too young to be away from it’s mother, hanging around the shop since about the 27th or 28th of August. At first almost everyone was chasing it away because they already have 6 cats. I offered to pay for food for the next year but he is sick and needs medical attention as well so I realized the futility of the situation since I don’t live here and have no right to dump that responsibility on someone else. I tried to turn a blind-eye, of course I couldn’t…I started sneaking bits of fish to it when no one was looking. Then it disappeared for about three days and I thought for sure it was dead. Suddenly it showed up again at the shop. Finally, Ben and Harriet broke down and gave it a bath, wormed it, fed it and gave it a tiny bit of Imodium to stop the diarrhea. He has really started to rally over the past few days. Today at lunch while everyone was out one of the instructors took him on his bike and dumped him somewhere and won’t say where. Harriet is really pissed considering several people have spent considerable time nursing him back to health. I’ve decided to speak to that instructor as little as possible for the remainder of my stay. It’s been very interesting watching the reactions of people regarding a starving kitten. Some were indifferent acting as if he wasn’t even there, some actively pushed him away or threw him over the fence and a few like me were sneaking him food. My opinion of a few people has changed dramatically.
September 21, 2008
Yeah! By 9:30 this morning the little yellow kitten had found it’s way back to the shop. Some of us were very happy…the ones who weren’t don’t count. We’re trying to come up with a name for him (he’s so young we actually can’t tell whether he’s a male or a female)…ideas so far include Lucky, Boomer (as in Boomerang), and Ging (as in Ginger).
I guided one dive at 11:30 then at 2:00 I went out on the last dive of a rescue course. Ben, the instructor, Meg (a DMT) and I were the “victims” for three guys doing the course. I always love doing those course’s…dropping equipment, acting stupid, acting scared, ripping regulators out of their mouths, taking off your mask and handing it to them before you swim away, fighting with other divemasters or instructors underwater, pretending you have a cramp…basically anything that keeps them on their toes to see how they react. The guy who was with me found out how quickly a “rescue” can go bad when I nearly drowned him on the surface…I actually had a moment when I thought I was going to have to rescue him!
September 24, 2008
At 1:45 today (just as we were loading the boats for the 2:00 dive) all the locals started yelling in Indonesian and running back toward the pool and pointing…there was a plume of smoke coming up from within the village. It is the dry season here and the wind is blowing…thatched roofs are very common… All the locals from the dive shop along with several of the instructors toting fire extinguishers took off running. Unfortunately it turned out to be an electrical fire in Andy’s bungalow (one of our instructors!), he lost everything (computer, camera, phone, money, clothes, etc.)…the afternoon dive was obviously late…
When we finally set off we went to a dive site I had only been to once before (my dive master instructor had only been there three times before, another instructor had never been there at all). The current has been really strong and the waves really big for the last week and a half; guests are getting tired of diving the same sites over and over again (we are limited to about 4 out of 10 sites). The dive plan was to do a maximum of 24 meters and turn around at ½ tank of air and swim against the current until we hit ¼ tank of air then ascend to our safety stop at 5 meters for 3 minutes. About 21 minutes into the dive we hit 24 meters, 1 minute later we were at 27 meters and it was only getting deeper so I turned everyone around and tried to swim against the current…I got nowhere, the current was ripping…I gave the abort sign then signaled for a 3 minute safety stop and headed for the surface (the whole time thinking these people are going to kill me because the dive was so short). When we finally hit the surface they actually thanked me for using my head and not pushing the dive…what a relief.
September 25, 2008
Dive #200 this afternoon! Somehow I ended up buying the beer to celebrate…what’s up with that!
The little yellow kitten has been officially named Boomer. She’s still not totally healthy so a call has been made to a vet in Lombok to get some antibiotics for her.
September 26, 2008
The wind has finally stopped blowing but it was hot and muggy all day as we watched a big wall of gray clouds coming towards the island from the East. However, with the wind down the water was nice and calm so we went out to my favorite dive site (Hann’s Reef) for the morning dive. All my favorite fish were still there…orange banded pipefish, flathead crocodile fish, brackish frog fish, leaf scorpion fish…in their regular spots. Sure is nice when you are guiding to have a handful of fish that you can count on being in a certain spot…makes you look amazing when you point them out!
Just before we left for the dive the instructor of the rescue course asked me and one of my fun divers (a newly graduated rescue diver – the one I nearly drowned several days ago) to do a little play acting when we came up from our dive. I explained to the other fun diver I had with me what was going to happen so he wouldn’t be alarmed. I was supposed to be a tired diver…”oh woe is me, I’m just too tired to swim against this current, help, help”….at the same time Rob was supposed to be panicked on the surface…
What a fiasco! We both start doing our thing in the water and all four rescue students just stand there…then they threw every floatation device that wasn’t tied down into the water but they still were just standing on the boat. Finally, a guy who was on the boat just for a ride-along (not even a diver) dove in and swam out to rescue me! I think that made them realize they were falling way short of the mark because they all then jumped in…without fins and mask. All four of them nearly drowned trying to swim against the current without fins on while dragging us back to the boat. I believe the word the instructor used to describe their collective on-surface rescue attempt was “pathetic”.
I took the afternoon off and took a well deserved nap (while it rained) then guided a night dive with two “fun divers”. Saw lot’s of wonderful stuff on the dive but just as we were getting out of the water (a beach exit), a huge Box Jellyfish went by two feet in front of me. I stopped my two divers and then signaled to the other group that was just behind us. Apparently the sting from them is so painful people have been known to die from the pain alone (heart attacks, etc.), if you don’t die you are left with horrible scars. People are always so scared of sharks…they are the least of my worries…
September 27, 2008
This morning’s dive was a comedy. I had a Russian couple who had not been diving in several years. She was really nervous, he spoke very little English (I speak no Russian). I go through my dive briefing and the last thing I said was “we’ll meet at the back of the boat and go down together”. He backrolls in before her, she needs a bit of coaxing, by the time she and I get in the water he’s gone! I have this whole spiel I give about missing buddies that I give during my briefing but I’ve never had one go missing before we go down! Turns out he got in the water, saw Charlotte (a blonde) and a student (a red head like his wife), thought it was us leaving without him and he followed them. Charlotte brought him back up and we finally set off on our dive. I teased him the rest of the day about needing a leash.
The 2PM afternoon dive was not as amusing. We had two boats going out to Shark Point. My group finished our dive and returned to our boat without anything more eventful than an octopus out free swimming (not that common). When we got back to the dive shop the other boat wasn’t back yet. We finally realized they were not back because they were looking for an instructor, three students and a dive master trainee who had not returned to the boat. The boat finally returned to the shop when they were getting low on fuel and a full-on search was launched because by this time they should have been on the surface for at least 45 minutes following a normal dive. Every dive shop on the island sent out a boat, all the speed boats were sent out as well. At 6PM we finally got word that the ferry that crosses from Bali to Lombok had spotted 5 divers in the water 6 kilometers off shore and had picked them up…the sun goes down at 6:05 and all searches would have been called off until morning… Turns out they did not have a normal dive. It was supposed to be a photography class with a maximum depth of 22-24 meters…they got dropped in the blue in a raging current, at 32 meters/7minutes the instructor aborted the dive because they still couldn’t see the bottom and there was no fighting the current to get in shallower. Apparently when they first came up they were 200 meters from the boat but being only 7 minutes after they went in no one was watching for them to surface…the current just swept them further and further away from the island. It was a very tense 3 hours on shore waiting for any sign of them but not nearly as tense as being swept out to open water. We were all very happy to see them back on land. As I said yesterday…sharks are the least of my worries.
September 28, 2008
Two dives, no one lost at sea, dinner at the Irish pub…life as usual on Gili “T”.
September 30, 2008
Tonight was the start of Eid al Fitri (the celebration that comes at the end of Ramadan). Many of the small shops were closed this evening and all the restaurants were working with extremely limited staff or using dive instructors from various dive shops as wait staff. Surprisingly (or not depending on how you look at it) the service was about the same…
At about 9:00 PM a “parade” of sorts went by Tir Na Nog as fireworks were set off around the island. At the bar the DJ put on “Give Peace a Chance” by John Lennon (an interesting choice in music). It was an odd feeling to see the locals dressed in full-on Muslim/Gulf State dress…I think I actually felt a shudder go through my body.
October 1, 2008
Today is the first day of Eid Al Fitri (post-Ramadan party). Most of the restaurants and shops are closed…the “street” is deserted. I ordered lunch and they forgot to bring it…lunch = 1/2 can of Pringles and a diet Coke (no breakfast). For the past month they have been fasting, now they are partying and we are starving. Of course we are crazy booked with divers, the “board” looks like chaos but there is a semblance of organization to be gleaned. We have two “fun divers” that are working as “anchor boys” as we have only two captains working and no other local staff. We have a FULL board of divers booked tomorrow, 2 boats at 9AM, 1 at 11:30AM, 2 at 2PM and one at 6:45 PM…unfortunately I talked to one of the locals tonight and he says only one of the boat captains is working tomorrow and we have two scheduled…should be interesting tomorrow morning. I’m scheduled to do a 9AM dive, an 11:30 AM “scuba-tune-up” in the pool and a 2PM dive in the afternoon with the possibility of an evening dive…it’s going to be a very long day.
October 2, 2008
OMG! (For those of you not in the know that means OH MY GOD!) Today was organized chaos, I had 4 divers this AM then came back to a scuba-tune-up (refresher course for those who have not done any diving in a year or so). When I came out of the pool it was like a scavenger hunt trying to find equipment for all my afternoon divers. The afternoon dive was a group of 5 (4 is the max we are supposed to take but there were no other DM’s and I was the most experienced). By that point I had eaten 4 Ritz crackers and a diet Coke. As they would say in Indonesia “Tidak Bagus” … not good. I am sure I was dehydrated and my blood sugar was totally whacked…I had fish and chips for dinner and suddenly looked like I was completely stoned. One of the customers even walked up to me and asked if I was OK? I was scheduled to go out on the night dive but decided that I was unable to take care of myself let alone anyone else on a night dive. I was in the “office” (tough job in paradise, I know) from 7:30 to 6:30…I think an 11 hour day is long enough…
At the same time I can’t believe that tomorrow is my last day to dive! I’m scheduled to lead for the 9:00, 11:15, and 2:00 dives but I may do one of them as a fun dive just for me…
October 3, 2008
Best laid plans….
I took 4 divers out on the 9AM dive and was scheduled to take 3 more out on the 11:15 dive but unfortunately as we were motoring back to the dive shop we hit a small fishing boat! Usually we have a driver and another “boat guy” who sits at the front and takes care of the anchor and such. Well, today we had no “anchor-man” and Kandar, not able to see clearly to the front, hit the boat broadside at full speed. Luckily the fisherman was not injured but one of the outriggers was broken in half and the boat was slowly sinking. An instructor and I dove in and started collecting pieces of his boat before they floated away…finally our other boat showed up to “slowly” tow him in to shore so we could bring all our divers back to shore…as you can imagine the 11:15 dive was cancelled.
The fisherman needed 2,000,000 Rp to buy a new engine. The dive shop owner was rightfully upset but unfortunately he chose to vent his anger in a very unfair way. Kandar was the only one he yelled at, he was fined 1,000,000 Rp which is about 1 month’s salary, and suspended until he can pay the 1,000,000 Rp. There were four of us on the boat (2 instructors and 2 divemasters) who should have noticed that Kandar was driving blind, but we didn’t, I know it didn’t even occur to me. I don’t think it is right that he is the only one being punished so I’ve decided I am going to help him with his fine.
My final dive in the afternoon was wonderful. I tagged along with Herman’s group because he is by far the best guide. Then in the evening we all went to the Irish Pub for a little farewell celebration.
October 4, 2008
Woke up with a bit of a hangover this morning…not good planning considering I had to get on a boat at 11:30. Got up early, packed all my stuff and took a horse cart down to the dive shop…too far to drag a suitcase with a wobbly wheel. I got there in time to say good-bye to everyone as they were setting off for the morning dive. It felt very strange to sit back and watch all the hub-bub without being a part of it. I caught up with Kandar on the beach and gave him an envelope with 800,000 Rp in it. I told him how unfair I felt it was that he was the only one being punished and that the 2 instructors and the 2 divemasters (me being one of them) should have been reprimanded as well. He hugged me for the longest time and when he pulled away he had tears in his eyes. He thanked me for understanding. I think he felt really bad to start with and then to be the only one blamed…I just couldn’t leave without doing something. I think it is the best $80 I have ever spent.
After a 1 ½ hour boat ride and a 1 ½ hour ride in a mini-van I finally arrived at my hotel in Kuta only to find that the reservation I had made had never actually been put on the schedule…they were fully booked. Luckily they were able to find me a room at the hotel 30 meters down the road. After settling into my room I set off in search of food (4:30 and I hadn’t eaten all day) and decided to head to the beach to watch the sunset. What a mistake! Now I remember why I hate Kuta! I got to the beach, after struggling with narrow sidewalks, and haranguing vendors, only to find thousands of people on the beach as far as the eye could see. I miss Gili Trawangan and its horse-cart taxi’s already.
It was interesting that my emotions were very different leaving this time than when I left in June. In June I was all weepy. This time I was a little sad to be going but very content. I think the difference is that last time I didn’t know if I would ever come back. Now I’ve been back, worked for 5 weeks, and have been invited to come back for high season next summer. I know I’ll be back. 
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