Getting into a routine.

We have been on Gili Trawangan for over a week and though it's not to the point where I get local discounts, I'm getting a pretty good feel for the island. We have a pretty good daily routine going. First thing every morning I get a workout in. I have come to terms with knowing I have completely lost the battle of staying ahead of the calorie intake but I'm not going down without a fight! (OK, poor choice of words at a dive resort). After the exercise I say hello to the frogs and geckos in the outdoor shower I see each day. This little guy apparently thought I was going to take a bath this particular morning. 

We are diving at least once every day now. It is truly is incredible. Though I am 300% more comfortable in all the gear and breathing underwater than I was a few days ago 3 X 0 is still 0 and my heart still gets to beating pretty fast when they call my name to get in my BCD (buoyancy control device. Sounds official eh?) and take the backward plunge into the open water. I have not been in a position to get any good photos of us in the gear yet as it is all business and a tons of activity on the boat once we get to the dive site.  I don't dare even getting the camera out let alone asking "Hey captain, could you rotate to boat a little away from the sun so my face isn't so dark for the picture? Nope, ain't gonna happen and you'll just have to take my word that we are actually diving.  We were idiots and didn't bring a GoPro. It's not like we didn't have 9 months to plan this trip....hello?  One group we dived with had one and said they would send us some video. We'll have to see if that happens. I did dare to take a picture of the inside of the boat as we were approaching the dive site. My heart was starting to pick up speed at this point!

Our last couple of dives have really been fantastic. By being more relaxed I'm able to enjoy observing and appreciating the beauty of the undersea world versus worrying about whether I'm going to die when my lungs explode or my regulator fails. 

Today we saw at least 10 turtles, some with shells that must have been 4-5 feet long. We also saw a couple white tip sharks that were underneath some large rocks which made getting to them a challenge.   Our guides are really good and know where to find the fun wildlife. Today we had Owie. There are two Owie's that work here so he is called "Owie dua"

As I mentioned, I still get keyed up when I dive which means my metabolism is cranked up a couple levels so I use more air. Couple that with the fact that I'm a bigger guy (and getting bigger) so I suck down my air pretty fast. They call me the "air pig."  So months from now if my name ever comes up in conversation with Marv and the staff, of course, no one will ever remember my name but Marv will just say "you remember air pig?" and they will laugh and nod their heads. Great......that's just great.  

Early afternoons are typically pretty open. We ride around the island, shop or paddle board.  Yesterday afternoon I finally broke down and got a foot massage with Cheryl. OMG!  Seriously? That was a mistake as that may have just become part of the routine!

We always make a point to head to the west side of the island to watch the sunset each night and have a cocktail. Definitely one of the best parts of the day. Come to think of it, every part of the day is pretty good around here. Below is yesterday's sunset that Cheryl and I enjoyed. Each night is simply incredible. 

We are actually going to take a break from the routine tomorrow and go hiking on Lombok and see some waterfalls. I'll be sure to let you know how that goes.