Kuta-Gili

Next plan of kuta was to day drink. we all got bintangs, which are the local beers and sort of taste like sapporo, and played beersbee. We used the weird small childrens plate purchased in the mall as a frisbee. Sidenote- mall was really weird and crazy, especially the supermarket where I saw fruits and vegetables that I could not identify. The game works like this- there are two wooden poles in the grass like 20 meters from eachother and two teams, one at each side. The teams take turns throwing the frisbee at the poles, which each have an empty can on them. If you hit the can, the other team finishes their drink. The pole, the other team drinks half the drink, them, they sip, and if they catch it, you drink. If you don't make it all the way to the pole you drink as well. Pretty soon we were all getting pretty drunk. Chats were amazing, finding someone who's a graphic designer at home who understood what the hell I was talking about, and the chick who owns the hostel brought out fruits for us to snack on. I bought a few weird fruits at the supermarket and tried them at this point. One looked like a brain on the inside, and I now know how to eat a dragonfruit, and well, what it is. For dinner I went into town and got vegetarian food at some little place. Eggplant and tofu mostly, with a hard boiled duck egg as well. Weird, but pretty yum. After we got back we drank and hung out until night and were off to bed. 

Come morning we were moving at 615am, eating pancakes and waiting for the shuttle bus to scoop us from the hostel and bring us an hour and a half away to some harbor, where we'd get the fast boat to gili island. While waiting for the boat we were pestered incessently by locals with baskets of fruit and junk food to sell to us. Many carried them on their heads, and they were filled with things like pringles and oreos. They wouldn't stop asking if we wanted 'sweet mango,' and I ended up buying banana chips. Every few minutes a dude came with heaps of cheap sunglasses as well to sell. Pretty annoying, but all good. The boat was really comfortable and fun. They gave us a little snack and water and it only took a little over an hour before we were at our destination, scaling around the side of the boat to get off. We wandered to a hostel and checked in to the awesomely decorated air conditioned room. The showers are salt water showers, so my hairs been gross and matted down since we arrived, but everything was perfect otherwise about the rooms, with bes randomly elevated all around. The hostel itself is also crazy cool with a cheap upstairs bar and comfy lounge area filled with floor pillows. We went for some lunch at a cute restaurant (all restaurants here are outside). I got some sorta seafood salad and avocado juice, which was weird but I had to try it. As it stopped being cold, it was definitely less appetizing, but whatever. The whole lunch, with tax, cost only $4.50. Nuts. We then went to the beach where I went for a snorkel and talked to a bunch of locals. The water was so perfectly warm and still, and the coral and fish beautiful. There was so much to see.
After we were exhausted by that we went back tor a great 3 hour nap. Then after showers were off to the night market for dinner. I ended up getting fish at a stall where you pick a fresh fish, and then they grill it for you and serve with veggies and rice. For $4, it was amazing. We went back to the hostel after collecting more people and drank ourselves silly with $2 double local drinks. We played a ton of games and did all-hostel group shots. At about 11 we made our way to the full moon party on the beach, the goal of the night. There were so many people, so many bon fires, and so much dancing. It was absolutely epic and there was a crazy fire show. I ended up going back and passing out though not too late, ready for a rest before the new day. 
Come morning I went up for the free brekky of scrambled eggs and chatted for ages with the people upstairs. At noon I decided to rent a snorkel and flippers with the dude I was chatting with and we went out to the end of the island (the whole island is walkable in 1.5 hours around) where we went out really far looking at the amazing creatures. The weather was amazing, the water clear, the temperature perfect, and the experience so tranquil. We were out for like 2 hours floating around the schools of jumping fish. After going for a wee dive down for a picture though I learned that the 3 meter limit on my camera is true. Regrettfully, my camera has died a very premature death. I shouldve bought the more expensive better one :/. Next time. On our way back we stopped for a $1 local meal of... Something? It was an edible cracker like bowl filled with rice bits that had been wrapped in banana leaves, with some green veggie, sprouts, and peanutty spicy sauce. Really delicious and a great lunch for the day. 
Next was lounging, enjoying the amazingness that is this island.
It's a crazy tranquil place, aside from the mosque's frequent loud speaker chant filling our ears and brainwashing all the muslims here, assumingly. It's different from bali in this religious bit, but the only strong way I've seen that is in the fact that all over bali there are little square leaf/banana leaf maybe made vessels filled with flowers, other colourful stuff, and sometimes a wee bit of rice. They leave these 5x5 inch contraptions on the floor of places or desks. I'm not sure what they're for exactly, but it's some hindu tradition. I'll find out.
Everywhere here the stores advertise their sale of magic mushrooms, which are legal here even though weed warrents the death penalty. Weird. 
Also, as compared to the motorbikes filling the streets in bali, here there are only push bikes and horses pulling littke carriages. Nothing motorised. 
This is the best place I've ever been, filled with the best people. 
After relaxation, some drawing (I was inspired by my snorkeling companion to draw) of people I was with and bizarre cartoons, the troops gathered and we went to the night market for dinner. I got some sorta noodle with tofu, veggies, other stuff I couldn't identify and chicken. Twas delicious and only $3. The fresh fish was again purchaSed by some, and I was convinced to rat its eyeball, with very little bribery. Weird, gummy, and strangely tasty.

At 8pm we went to the cinema, which for them is a bunch of outdoor lounge chairs in a sort of canvas enclosure with a projector set up and two different films playing each night. We watched 'in time' or whatever it's called with justin timberlake and got free popcorn and drank beers. It was a really funny way of watching a fil, only mildly irritated by the loud music at the bar next door. Our group expanded quite a bit, now with 2 more americans, one being a chef from alaska, a few irish guys and a dutch girl.

We went back to the hostel's bar and began our fill of drinking games again, with the crowd favorite being horseracing (you set up all the aces next to eachother and then 7 other cards vertically like a track on the side and then everyone makes bets on suit.. Like 5 drinks on hearts or whatever, and to place your bet you take 5 drinks. Then, from the deck cards get flipped over one by one and based on the suit, the related ace moves up a spot. Once all have passed the 3 card mark, everyone takes a drink. This continues till one of the aces finishes all 7 moves, and whichever suit won, gives all the people who bet on it twice as many drinks to give out). After ages of this we went to the irish bar for a party. Apparently wednesday is the big night out in gili, and it was. Dancing and drinking and hanging around until 4 am, when I went home for my brief sleep.

Come morning I was back to a free breakfast, chats with a girl about malaria medicine, and then out to catch my boat back to bali. I was hung over and got really seasick on the boat, but until that kicked in I was chatting for ages with a canadian guy who was on his honeymoon with his wife, doing almost exactly the same travel track as me. After spending an hour and a half trying not to puke, we were back on the island, and back to being pestered by locals to buy their random crap. Some nice indonesian lady gave me a wood necklace as a gift, because she said I remind her of her daughter, which makes very little sense to me, seeing as I'm not even vaguely indonesian, and we didn't exchange any conversation initially. Won't complain!