... Roughing it was a good reminder?

After a week on Gili T, Anna and I booked a last minute four day boat trip after realizing we hadn't left much time left for any excursions. Gili was so wonderful - we got a bit caught up with our scuba diver friends at Manta Dive Shop and hitting the local bars on the island for live music, lots of dancing, and vodka joss shots - this horrible but wonderful idea someone came up with that involves pouring a packet of ginseng/sugar/energy powder into your mouth before taking a shot of vodka, then shaking your head violently to mix it before downing it. The result is a nice energy buzz that was probably the reason I stayed on the dance floor jumping around with a crew of tiny local Lombak men until 4 in the morning. A few people made fun of me as I'm sure the scene looked a bit weird - this giant white girl moshing to a live band cover of Nirvana's "Smells like teen spirit" with these tiny local guys half my size and height. It was fantastic and I had a blast. 

Another highlight of Gili T (besides the unbelievably white beaches, blue sea, and mountainous backdrop) was a boat trip Anna and I took with some new friends we'd made on the island. For some reason I decided it was a great idea to put down a deposit for this party yacht at 5am that left the next day at 1 pm. Cruising around the islands on top of this giant yacht with a DJ from New York playing and 30 some other young people from all over the world dancing and enjoying the view was so surreal. I keep having these moments (pretty much constantly) where I remind myself how lucky I am and while its important to live in the present, I never want to lose touch with the awareness of how special this time in my life is and how unique these experiences are. It feels like we're living our youth fully and truly having an adventure. And I'm grateful every day that I'm here to experience it all.

So after a fantastic time on Gili T, we boarded a tiny boat prepared for a fun four day trip around some of the smaller islands including Komodo. We were in for a tough wake up call when we realized this tiny, old, dirty boat was crammed with 20 people and we were in for some serious thunderstorms. I've never been on a boat that rocky and was honestly worried the thing was going to tip over considering how much water was coming on board and how violently we were rocking back and forth. Even getting up to move was nearly impossible and trying to use the tiny bathroom was even harder and resulted in getting slammed against every wall including the ceiling. We spent each night sleeping on moldy, wet mats on the deck while getting rained on... That combined with seasickness and the inability to shower for 4 days led to a pretty unhappy crew. I tried to just endure and not complain, but by the 2nd day I had already had it. Thankfully we were able to get off on land for a few adventures and I felt revived after getting to climb a waterfall, and doing some hiking and snorkeling. We were able to bond with the eclectic mix of people on board over the conditions of the whole experience and I felt connected and grateful for the good conversations with the exception of a really aggressive anti-American 6 foot 8 German who felt the need to bring up American gun laws and our military failures constantly... He kept saying "you can't take me seriously I'm German we're just direct!" But everything that came out of his mouth felt like a personal attack based on stereotypes. Thankfully we haven't experienced too much of that so Anna and I tried our best to laugh it off. Although one more day on that boat and who knows what would've happened.

Once we landed on our last island "Flores" we had the option to stay on the boat or land that night - not sure if anyone even debated it and we were all off looking for a place to stay immediately. Anna and I roomed with a German and Austrian girl and gathered our whole crew together that night to celebrate one of the girls' birthdays over dinner. I feel like we ended the trip on a high note and made the best out of it, but it was a good reminder to appreciate the little things - especially a nice shower, even if its cold.

Anna and I separated today - she's staying in Indonesia and I'm on my way back to Koh Rong Cambodia, the little island I fell in love with. My plans are a bit up in the air as I keep having change of hearts about what I want to do next. Being on my own is exhilarating and I'm trying not to plan too much and let things happen as they may. Anna and I realized we regretted basically every advanced booking or planning we did so we had very much taken on the attitude of letting things happen as they come. Travel is all about spontaneity right? So one month left on my own... Let the next adventure begin.

Gili T - one of the prettiest islands we've seen so far

Our boat at its cleanest - that deck crammed 20 people on it to eat, sleep & live. Never wanna go back.

The best part of the boat - enjoying the view after a break from storms

Waterfall climb - our first (much needed) break from the boat

Love a good sunset

Hike to see Komodo dragons (we saw about 13) - super muddy from all the rain but pretty

The Komodos were cool! Apparently they eat their young... And can smell if women are menstruating (our guide made sure to ask all of us if we were repeatedly. So awkward). 

Some trekking with our boat crew

A good little group overall!