3:39 AM

LIFE ON THE ISLAND

The beach starts from the right of the pier and pretty much ends at the Almarik, a boutique hotel at the far end of the beach. But there are also secluded beaches all around the island waiting to be discovered. Just jump in at the Almarik and let the currents take you around the reef. The visibility is superb and the exotic marine life just about ten metres from the beach is diverse.



A typical day on Trawangan starts with some quiet time in the morning. You sit on your balcony or veranda and just clear your mind a bit while you wait for breakfast. You may smoke if you enjoy one in the morning. While you're doing this, you will notice that every five minutes or so, some local will either be driving a horse cart or riding a bike by and saying Hi! by calling out your name. Personally, that always adds to the sunshine.

Whenever breakfast calls, jump on your bike and head for the beach. Find a nice restaurant or bakery, have a hearty breakfast and just lay around for a bit to digest and take in the beach scene. At this point, I usually take a nap or read a book.

Late morning and late afternoons are good times to start snorkeling. The rest of the day can be spent either laying on the beach, hanging out by the beach bars with the locals, watching DVDs in a hut with some burgers and fries or exploring the kampong lanes by bike. The place is small enough that we'll always bump into one another.



Gili Meno & Gili Air are the two smaller islands closest to Lombok. They are about 5 minutes by boat from Trawangan. If you're mad enough, grab a canoe and paddle there. These two islands have absolutely fuck-all to do except sitting in a baruga on the beach and zoning into the sea in between the occasional snorkel.

There some excellent surfing off Gili Air. It's out there so you'll have to paddle pretty far. There's also some reef surfing off Trawangan. This is very rocky and apparently in very shallow water so I would call it dangerous. Still people do it and you can see them rip it up from Surfer's Point.

The day always ends with a sunset and some cocktails if you haven't already had some at lunch. You'll need a bike or cidomo to get to Sunset Cottages to catch this. The sun sets behind Mount Agung in Bali but I think it sets into the crater of the massive volcano. It's a fiery sight that leaves behind lavenders and pinks in the clouds as it goes down.

The ride back thru the trees in complete darkness except for the moon is crazy fun, especially when you don't have any flashlights.



Have dinner and drinks anytime and anywhere you like. The range of food goes from side street warongs to pizza baked in a wood fire oven on the beach to fresh sushi in a cushioned baruga.

Our top 3 places to eat:

Cafe Wayan Bakery & Restaurant
Great sandwiches, home made pastas and fresh deli with various kind of Balinese and Asian cuisine. Cafe Wayan is related to Cafe Wayan in Ubud and Senggigi.

Old Lady Warong
Kampong to the max.

Living Room Restaurant
Great taste, great value with friendly service. My personal favorite.

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