Last night in Gili!

We are winding up our last couple days in Gili. Our focus was to get a few more dives in to improve our overall skills prior to heading to Komodo, but of course we have done much more than that.  Can't just sit and drink Mojitos all day now can we? (we can, we just chose to drink them while doing things!)

We got three more dives in with our guide Awie dua (I misspelled his name last entry, sorry Awie). For you playing at home, that makes 10 total dives we've made while here on Gili. 10 dives!  It still freaks me out a little to think Cheryl and I have made even one dive let alone 10. 

Though the scenery underwater is spectacular, these last dives I spent less time focusing on the fish and more time focusing on my bouyancy skills and breathing to at least go from an "air pig" to an "air glutton."  I'm getting better because during our last dive I was not the first person in the group to run out of air. Yes! There is hope for me yet! 

Between dives we spent some time shopping (Cheryl does most of the shopping while I do most of the sitting)

and of course eating. We really like The Pearl resort both because the food is amazing (we get the brochetta appetizer every time) and the location is absolutely geogeous. Our table actually sits at the edge of the ocean. I'm trying hard not to take these last moments like this for granted. Geez I'm going to miss this place!

Our last two nights here we stepped up the night time party scene a little bit (wasn't sure that was possible). There is a reggae bar here called Sama Sama that we have come to a few times. We like the view from the second floor (Cheryl and Mariah taking in a few tunes)

I have even grown accustomed to the local "going out on the town" dress code. 

Dirty feet with sand between the toes all day. I am a changed man. 

We decided to save the best for last for our final night in Gili and had a big BBQ at Marvs villa for his instructors and management staff of the dive center. It was a big time BBQ with all the fixins

Being cooked up by some very capable local gentlemen. 

I've learned new things about life on Gili every day and today's lesson was on how to make ice cubes. You see, you can't just ask a friend to pick up a bag of ice at Safeway on the way over to the party for a couple reasons 1) there is no such thing as a Safeway and 2) there is no such thing as a bag of ice. So what do you do? Freeze a bag of water and get out the hammer of course. 

In addition to being a great team building event for Marvs staff, the event included the initiation of the new dive masters. In this part of the world playful hazing is still allowed and it was Ivonna, Marc and Patrick's turn in the barrel. They had a variety of tasks to complete throughout the night (only one I will share here since what happens in Gili stays in Gili). It includes the "snorkel test" where their mentors put together an alcoholic drink (they can use whatever mixture of alcohols and mixers they want) and the new dive masters guzzle the nasty concoction through a snorkel. To their credit, all three passed!  I never heard what the ingredients in the drink were but from the reaction I saw, I don't think this drink is going on the menu any time soon. 

Tomorrow we head back to Bali for a day, then off to Komodo for the last(!) leg of our trip. I can't believe I actually just wrote that!