Indonesia Part 3.2 - Reef Bungalow

On our second day at Secret Island Resort, therese and i rented a two-person kayak. Neither of us are terribly experienced kayakers (?), but we decided to have a go. There is an uninhabited beach island near Gili Gede that we decided would be our destination. We left early and started paddling. Here's our little island, as see on the drive home:


The journey out there wasn't too bad and was only about 45 minutes, but they were exhausting. The island itself lived up to our expectations. I collected some shells, we walked the island, and went swimming on our private beach. Naked. Therese made up a theme song entitled "Nakey Island Adventure". The lyrics are:

Nakey Island Adventure!

It's a great song and we sing it almost everyday still. The pictures from the island and the journey are on therese's camera, which is out of commission at the moment. Actually, it had been a pretty unlucky island for me. In just two days, i managed to:

• Cut my toe up on a cement step.
• Break a chair.
• Break a hammock.
• Walk directly into a tree.
• Capsize our kayak in the open ocean, losing the rented snorkel gear.
  
• Break therese's camera.
• Fall down the slippery, coral covered stairs on the reef bungalow, after dropping my camera lens cap into the ocean.
• Lose the lawn chair for the reef bungalow. (Actually, it just blew off in the night.)
  

With all that poor luck, it was still amazing. On day two, we had the honor of occupying the very special Reef Bungalow, the only of its kind in Bali or Lombok. It's a beautifully decorated and quaint bungalow at the end of an old wooden dock. Never a night passes when this bungalow is vacant, and we were lucky to find an opening. It was, without a doubt, the single most unique and enjoyable place i've ever stayed on my travels. I wish we had time to stay a few more nights. It was also the best night of sleep we had since we started traveling. The breeze kept the place cool and the mosquitoes away, while the sound of waves lapping at the bungalow floor was the perfect ambient noise. Enjoy the pictures, it was truly a secret paradise.





The three days at this resort ended up being less than $200 total, including food, drinks, kayak rental, and some lost snorkeling gear. That's a bargain.


~Kev