Gili Air Lifestyling

I like to use the word 'lifestyling' to describe my preferred mode of interacting with any given place and group of people, and my experiences on Gili Air exemplify what I mean. It is much more than a throwaway bro-culture word, it's an intentional way to explore and experience the world. It starts by showing up with an open mind, really taking the time to make friends with local people, and generally be willing to say yes if someone offers to show you something or let you tag along for an adventure (except the donkey show, never say yes to the donkey show ;). 

For me, it begins with one of my favorite pieces of advice: when alone, ALWAYS sit at the bar. Also, remember that there is a world of difference between being alone and lonely; it's perfectly okay to sit by yourself, watch the world go by, and NOT use your phone to stay entertained. I make a conscious effort when I'm alone in a new place to simply sit and observe my surroundings without resorting to the easy 'out' of social media or the black hole of the interwebs. If you chill out long enough, you will end up talking to someone almost without fail. Worst case, you get time to practice mindfulness and be simply be present. It beats cat videos and political memes, trust me.

But, I digress. Back to Gili Air. After checking into my hostel, Captain Coconuts, I wandered down to the nearest watering hole and started chatting up the locals. My other favorite thing to do is to avoid Westerners. The whole point of lifestyling is to see how different people live. I can meet backpackers and have the same conversation anywhere in the world (Where are you from? How long are you traveling for? Where have you been? Where to next? Yawn...), but I can only see how people on Gili Air live by making friends with local folks. Make no mistake, I spend a fair amount of time sitting in silence, listening to people speak in languages I do not understand, but it pays off. Once it becomes clear you are genuinely interested in their life and culture, people open up and that's when the magic happens.

In this case, I ended up meeting several people with incredible life stories and experiences to share. There was the guy who worked on a cruise ship for over a decade and showed me stacks of pictures of every port of call imaginable. The construction worker who happens to be one of the best spearfishing guys on the island. The artist, aka "Coconut Man," who makes incredible jewelry by hand out of coconut shells. The list goes on and on.

If I hadn't made an effort to get to know these people, we wouldn't have spent seven hours the next day drinking wine and learning how to make coconut jewelry at our new friend's home workshop. I wouldn't have had the opportunity to go kayak spearfishing and cook our catch on the beach straight away, and I wouldn't have been invited to forage in the field for some local edibles you pay an arm and a leg for at the restaurants. It is easy to stay 'on the reservation' and pay for preplanned experiences, but if you want some realness spend your money buying a few drinks for some locals and the experiences will follow.

Here are a few pictures from our coconut jewelry-making session. The artist is on Instagram @muhsininali.

Indonesia Snorkling Fun

Swimming with Sea Turtles!

Swimming with Turtles

Upper Seti

Quick video from the Upper Seti river. Link goes to Vimeo:

Upper Seti

Kali Gondaki Video Report

(Link goes to Vimeo Page)

Team Doonga Goonda Boat Rides Down the Kali Gondaki

Nepal by Bus

The bus ride from Rishikesh, India to Pokhara, Nepal was an epic journey. 

50 hours door-to-door. Rishikesh to Hardiwar with a kayak on top of a rickshaw.  8 hour trip to Mahendranagar (actually to the Indian border town), arrived at 2:00am to a shack with a TV pumping Bollywood music videos. Grabbed a few hrs of sleep on a yoga mat on the bag rack, up at 4:00am to a lot more people and much face-emptying and teeth cleaning going on at the sistern pump next to/onto me.  Packed our shit and for 1,100 rupees the 5 of us rented a horse-drawn carriage for the 15 km no mans land and through the border officialities. Few more hours of sleep and a meal at a guesthouse in Mahendranagar, then onto the next bus for a 22 hour marathon to Pokhara.

Traveling by bus in this part of the world is an incredible way to travel. It's cheap, buses can get you everywhere, and you will for sure have some full-on experiences along the way. We had everything from goats on the bus to a delay while they cleared a landslide over the road. Don't expect to be very comfortable, but that too is part of the experience.

Lifestyling in Rishikesh

Finally managed to get the visa situation handled, and after the usual multi-day flight epic that traveling halfway around the world entails, I've spent the last 2 weeks in Rishikesh, getting acclimated and paddling the Ganga (Ganges) river every day. Here's a typical lap on the Ganga - pure Class Fun boating:

That was all well and good, until the government froze all 1000 & 500 rupee notes. Overnight, I was broke. Here we are a week-and-a-half later, and things have not improved very much. ATMs, when they have cash, have insane lines, and I have not been able to get enough money to do much of anything. Luckily, the wonderful folks at Expeditions India helped me out in a BIG way with a place to crash and the ability to cook meals instead of going out. Without their generosity, this would have been a real crisis instead of just a headache. If you ever want to do any type of river trip, trek, or outdoorsy adventure in India, start by contacting them.

The original plan was to travel around India for the next few months, but having no access to cash seriously limits what is possible. My problems are minor comparatively, I really feel for the small business owners and rural Indians who are feeling this the most. However, that doesn't change the fact that staying here is basically impossible without access to funds. So, we are heading to Nepal tomorrow to get out of dodge, and hopefully back to a place where my money is accessible. Until then, keep the shiny side down!

#gearmeout #tsugalifestyle

Russell Forkin'

Spent this weekend at the Russell Fork Rendezvous, watching the racers fire it up and of course partying like crazy in the woods. It's such a fun event, check it out!

Here's a quick video showing a few laps of the larger rapids.

Music: "Shoulder Closures" by Gunnar Olsen
#gearmeout #tsugalifestyle