We got up, ate our yummy breakfast, and made it to the
corner where we waited for 30 minutes for our shuttle. We had been told a
vehicle would stop at the place we were waiting and call out our name. We’ve
read so many tales about people being promised one person per seat and ending
up with people sitting on top of each other, so it of no surprise that we were
a bit concerned when some two person diesel ute pulled up and waited for some
time. We just hoped they didn’t call our name and were relieved they pulled
away.
Our real shuttle finally pulled up, and they made us squish
a bit in the back. So one person too many in the shuttle. Overall, not too bad.
And we finally got to see the rest of Ubud – rice paddies, beautiful Eat, Pray,
Love style resorts, etc.
Now, there are two ferries you can take. The speedboat or
the slow public boat. We took the slow public boat. 4-5 hours! A pirates life
is definitely not for me. It was even a smooth(ish) journey and both of us
turned a bit green. I really hope I get my sea legs soon. I took a nap to help
me get through. At some point, I though Pallavi had broken and started
listening to and singing along with Hindi music. I woke up and Pallavi was
looking around. What are you looking around for? Whoever was playing that Hindi
music!!!
We finally got off of the ferry on the Island of Lombok, and
got onto another shuttle which again was one person too many (and that person
was me, sitting on a micro cot the driver put in the door). We also had to put
our luggage on top of the vehicle. Thank God for group fitness that I could
press and lift those 16 kgs over my head! I felt like she-man! We just prayed
the luggage didn’t fly off! After a few stops we got to our final place, the
public boat to Gili Air.
We sat around chatting with some Brazillian guy who’d done
this route before, and Pallavi gestured to one of the boats that was just
floating on the beach and asked if that was the kind of boat we’d need to go
on. He said, yeah. I looked down at my tennis shoes & immediately started
taking them off to put on my flipflops, and converted our glampacks to backpacks.
It was only when it finally came time to board, that we realized the boat
wasn’t actually tethered to the beach. This is going to be a timing and
coordination game to get on the boat. Pallavi goes first, backpack on, carryon
tethered to the front. Pallavi somehow gets her timing right and has some man
help her on board. Apparently the poor guy wasn’t expecting a girl with luggage
when he put his hand out to help her, and when he caught her hand, his eyes
bulged out in surprise.
Now it’s my turn. Backpack on, carryon tethered to the
front, extra carry on, bag of snacks, and now my flipflops so they don’t get
washed away, in one hand. I get my timing, stand up, put my hand out for somebody
to give me the final heave and nothing! But I made it up anyway.
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