Matahari 2.0, Tulamben, Indonesia 17-22 March 2026 & Home

I arrived back at Padang Bai after my R&R at Gili Air.  Pena, my dependable driver, was there to pick me up and bring me back to Matahari.  He sincerely feels like it is his responsibility to take care of me when I'm in Indonesia .. like the Mother he never really had.

All smiles and welcoming me back to Matahari, which felt great.  I thought I'd start diving the next day, but Delon, my Guide and Eyes, said he had a prayer day.  That was the day before Nyepi, and it is typical. And of course, the next day was Nyepi, so no diving that day ... or anything else, as you learned from my Nyepi Blog.

I have been getting to know Carol and Neil from Australia.  A very interesting couple, he is 85, she is 70+.  I have seen them here before the last 3 times.  They are legends here and everyone calls the "Mama and Papa'. They basically live here at Matahari for several months.  They are both long-time divers, with big cameras, and lots of photography experience.  They don't even have a Guide when they dive!  They do have help getting to the Dive Site and getting in and out of the water.  They don't dive very deep.  And they don't hesitate to cancel if the weather isn't good, there is current or waves, or they just aren't up to it.  Carol is actually a professional photographer and even has a Nudi named after her!!!!!!!  This is a photo of them at the Nyepi parade.  They give me hope that I can continue to dive into my 80's !

 

And, they are 'cat people', and have been feeding the several cats here.  One of the striped Ginger cats has new born kittens that she is nursing, and, she is still nursing her last litter!  I saw the Tiger one getting *ucked a couple days ago.  She is  working on trying to get a vet to come a neuter them.  Look at the Ginger cat that isn't striped.  Doesn't she have a beautiful coat? ...like a Mountain Lion.

 

OK, back to diving.  Delon and I dove for the next 3 days, 2 dives a day.  He really is amazing at finding the critters.  And I am lucky to have him, the owners use him too.  They told me that they 'let me have him' while I am here.  Very thankful for that.

I really want to know the names of these beauties.  Delon was 'on fire' for 3 days showing me very special things!  Like this beauty.  Eubranchus ocellatus (Dunga ocellata), I think  :)

 

 

I can tell he gets really excited when he finds something special and won't let me stop taking photos.  And I feel bad if I don't get a good one.  This was one of those.  Purple Eubranchus sp.

 

This one is really hard to see, there is so much there.  Virgin Eubranchus - Eubranchus virginalis

 

This is a Doto, but not sure which one.  They are so tiny !

 

 

Another new one for me.  Awaiting confirmation on name, Ercolania sp. ?

 

 

 Eubranchus ocellatus

 

There were actually two of them together ... which of course, I didn't notice until I saw the photos.  No wonder I didn't know where to look !

 

 

Everyone was very excited that Delon found this one.  A Bornella hermanni ???   As I've mentioned before, it is important to photograph the eyes, face, rhinophores to be a 'great' photo.   So I keep trying.

  

 

But then you can't see what it looks like.  So this is my 'great' photo.

 

I can see what all the 'fuss' is about... they are a bit strange looking

 

This is a cute little Indian Sea Hare - Notarchus indicuss.  So difficult to see, can you find his eyes.

 

 Here is a side view.

 

 

These Zanzibar Whip Coral Shrimp - Dasycaris zanzibarica are not my favorite, but...

 

All Nudibranchs are Sea Slugs, but not all Sea Slugs are Nudibranch.   This is a Sea Slug, Siphoteron sp.  Strange little creature.

 

 

There are many different Dotos, this one is a Christmas Tree Doto - Doto sp.

 

Not sure where it's going here, but I like the photo

 

A Sakuraeolis nungunoides nudi... pretty color

 

 

A Ceratoasoma nudi

Delon found another Siphoteron sp.   This one with 2 little eyes !

 

Mexichromis multituberculata nudi

 

 

 

This day Delon said he wanted to find a Oxynoe for me ... and so he found several of them, eating.

 

 This little one has eggs in the algae

 

 

They are strange looking, with all those 'bumps', and then a pretty green and blue 'blotch', ...and with big eyes, for a Nudi

 

 

And, he found a Cycerce, the beautiful ButterFly Nudi

 

 

I am requesting ID on this, there were 2 of them, and they were laying eggs.

 

The eggs 

 

 

One we've seen before Aegires villosus 

 

 

Another crab I'm not usually interested in, but this one, a Wire coral crab - Xenocarcinus tuberculatus... WoW.   Look at those long legs, and long nose, and what is that growing out the top of it ?   Very striking creature, look at the markings !

 

 

 

At the end of this dive, I saw a Mushroom Coral.  I know that there is a Nudi that lives in there sometimes.   Very small, and hiding among the long 'arms' of the coral which are swaying back and forth in the current.  I was sure I didn't get anything.  But I did !  It is called a PopCorn Shrimp (because it looks like popcorn), aka  Mushroom Coral Ghost Shrimp (Cuapetes kororensis) 

 

 

The next day was my last dive day.  I said I had not seen a PomPom Crab .. or Boxer Crab.  So, ask and though shalt receive.  I took a lot of photos, but it was not interested in doing any PomPom routine for me.

 

After Delon left to find something else for me to see, I hung around a bit, and finally saw him move his Pom Poms, a little.

 

This is a nudi that I used to know, as Okenia, now it's name is Bermudella brunneomaculata.  I could remember, and even pronounce Okenia ...   There are actually 2 of them here, and those are their eggs, trailing down.

 

 

 Again, the 'face' with this Dendronotrus regius

 

 

A short video with a lot of activity around this pretty anemone

 

 

A Goniobranchus something ... really pretty 

 

 

 

 

Finally I remembered to get a photo with Delon.

 

The morning I left I was finally able to see almost the top of Mt Agung

It was a beautiful calm morning, unlike the ocean most of the time I was there.

 

I said my goodbyes to everyone at Matahari, and told them I would see them next year, God Willing, and the creek don't rise, (where do those old sayings come from?).  At 8am Pena drove me the 3.5hr back to Palm Beach Hotel by the airport.  I've stayed there every year before my flight.  It's 5min from the airport.  His son came along for the ride.

 

I had an entire day to hang out, and do a little shopping.  Then I looked for somewhere nice for dinner with a sunset.  I found the perfect place, Sands Restaurant, at Anvaya Resort Hotel, with great service.  My new $6 dress.

 

Classy, free bread and oil, and a welcome drink.

 

Even a bit of entertainment.  

 

And the SunSet just kept getting better and better.

 

My flights home were horrendous, I left Bali on 24 March at 1pm, 4hr flight to Malaysia, 7hr layover, then 6hr flight to Japan, with a 10hr layover, then 13hr flight to Chicago, with a 7hr layover before getting on the plane to Kzoo, arriving at midnight.  I did 'rent a nap' in a capsule at the Narita Airport.  I've spent the night in them before, but this was the first time for a 'nap'.  I cannot recommend them enough.  It was what I needed, a nice bed, with fluffy comforter, and quiet sleep.  Oh, while I was waiting to get into my room, they had a PlayList going.  I listened to 'Duke of Earl', 'Born to Late', and other Oldies!!!!!!!   What a surprise!

Once in Chicago, most of my layover time was taken up at Immigration, and ...looking for my shoe!  I paid extra for a 'front' seat, the only drawback is that there is no where to put your 'stuff', it has to go in the overhead bin.  I put on my Decompression Socks (which I highly recommend, no swollen ankles), and put my shoes in the overhead bin.  When I left, there was only ONE shoe!   How could you not notice an ORANGE shoe ?

The nice Japanese flight attendant and I looked everywhere, from the plane to the Immigration line, to the Baggage carousel.  No shoe !  WTF?

But, happy to be home, even if with only one shoe.

This concludes my 2026 Winter Adventure Blog.  Thank you for following along.  I hope you learned a few new things, I know I did.

 

 

 

 

Gili Air Island, Indonesia 14-16 March 2026

There are 3 Gili Islands ... actually 'gili' means island.  I first visited there in 2017, my first whirlwind tour of SE Asia.  It was in the middle of my adventure, and the first time I felt like I had really found my 'Happy Place'.  I returned in 2023 and was just as 'happy' as the first time.

They are a 2hr fast ferry ride from Padang Bai.

 

The weather in Tulamben was not the best, the waves were big and we missed some diving because of it.  I thought this might be a good time to go to Gili, and then check out Padang Bai.  But since the waters were rough, I decided not to chance it by going to Gili, and cancelled the whole trip.  Then I started thinking outside of the box, and realized I could do Padang Bai first, and then when/if the weather cleared I could travel to Gili.  So I set that program in motion.    And you already know the Padang Bai part of the trip.

So after 3 days of diving I got on the Fast Ferry, supposedly distinguished from the Fast Boat.  I know that over the years, they have had some 'troubles' with the boats on the crossing, (fires, sinking, etc.) so I always have that in the back of my mind.  But the people from Harmony Guest House where I stayed, assured me that the Fast Ferry was bigger and better and safer.   And they were right, it was very professional, A/C, and a smooth ride.  We left at 8:30a (on the dot), and arrived at Gili Air at 10:30a.   

 

 

If I haven't mentioned it before, Bali is beautiful, mountains and lots of green jungle.  From the Ferry

 

Gili Air has mostly sand streets, some of the major ones have large bricks.  There are no cars, only bicycles and horse drawn carriages ... actually now they have electric motor scooters.  So it is still quiet, but they drive too fast, (that's an old person opinion).   The horses are waiting like a taxi line at the Pier.

My horse was named Blonde and the driver was an older gentleman.  I asked him about his horse.  He said he has 4, and rotates them.  And that one horse only works until noon.  He also pointed the the 'whip' and said that he never uses that.  So I was happy.  I also asked the younger guy that took me back to the Pier at the end of my trip.  And I got the same feelings from him.  He only has 2 horses, but also only works them until noon.

My trip to Salim Beach Hotel

 

I stayed at Salim Beach Hotel the last time I was here and really liked it.   So I booked again.  Last time I stayed in the 'garden' room.  This year I splurged, and went for the 'Pool View' room.  It was $3 more per night for a total of $79 for 3 nights.  Can't complain about that.  My room was called Libra.  I hope that connected well with my Gemini.  A short video from my porch.

 

 

I was pretty sure my room would have this bed, since it did last time.  I felt like a Princess once again.

 

And it had a walk in shower, that was open to nature.  The walls were hand-painted, what a job !  It also had a 'proper' door from the rest of the room, to keep the bugs, and heat out.  Genius !

 

 

The restaurant/bar is a reggae kinda place.  Last time they had live music every night.  But this is a Muslim community, and it is Ramadhan for the month.  "That means fasting from dawn to sunset, abstaining from food, drink, smoking, and sexual activity to practice self-restraint and spiritual refletction.  It involves increased prayer, Quran recitation, charity, and avoiding negative behaviors like fighting or lying."  I only heard a slight 'call to prayer' a couple of time, so maybe that is done in the interior of the island.  So, no live music here.  There are a LOT of places that do not conform to these strict rules.  Obviously catering to the tourists, which their lives depend on.   

After I got settled in my room, I decided to go for a walk, so now it's high noon.  Probably not a good time for a walk in that heat. My clothes were wet with sweat.  I quickly jumped in MY pool, it was almost like a hot tub.  Not refreshing, nor did it cool me down, I retreated to my shower.  There were 2 young girls that were using the pool too.  I talked to them a bit. They were here for a MONTH.  I'm pretty sure that would be way too long for me, but they were enjoying themselves.

In the evening I rented a bicycle to ride to Sunset and my favorite wood fired pizza place, Mama's Pizza.  It did not disappoint, lots of big mushrooms and prosciutto.  They also had a chili oil to drizzle over the top... good but use sparingly.

 

Thankfully my favorite SunSet spot was still popular ... but NOT very busy.  In fact the entire island was quiet.  So many restaurants with lots of tables set, but no people. I don't know how they do it.  They have the same 'bean-bag-chairs' on the sand for drinking and watching the SunSet.  I LOVE this part!  I don't get a sunset very often, so I don't miss out on the opportunity.

 

We only had one great sunset this year.  But it was a good one.  You can see 2 mountains with the sun in between.  One of them is Mt Agung, the mountain that I can see from Matahari.  It's been so cloudy I haven't seen the peak of it yet.  Mt Agung is almost 10,000 feet, the tallest in Bali

 

The next morning I took the bike for a ride, it made more sense than walking... I got a little bit of a breeze from going so FAST  :)  and better for my knee.  I rode most of the way around the island.  The far North East side is 'beach' with ONLY fluffy sand, not packed down, and impossible to ride a 'regular' bicycle through it. I remembered that from last time and was ready for it. And it's a lot of work to push a bike through the sand, so I just turned around and rode back. Actually that gave a longer ride.  And then I rode past my hotel up to the sand again.  I did that the other 2 mornings too.  The island is mostly flat. I met this little one along the way.  There are ONLY cats on this island ... no DOGS !   That is strange, and I wonder how they've maintained that ?  Cats are all pretty healthy looking too.

 

Free breakfast with my room, (also at Matahari).  This time I had an Indonesian breakfast for the first time.  It is a LOT of food, and I actually liked it.  It came with 2 schnitzel-type pieces of chicken.  I had them for lunch, they were pretty good.

 

One day I took my laptop and sat by the water in the shade, there was a little breeze, and worked on my Blog and photos.  That worked for an a couple hour or so, until the waves started coming in, and crashing into the concrete wall.   I kept moving back, and put a towel in front of my laptop in case.   'In case' happened.  We didn't get too wet, but it was enough for me to retreat.  I loved my huge colorful thick beach towels.  The towels in the room were big and thick too.  It's what you get when you spend $79 for a room for 3 nights.  My other places have small thin towels  :(

 

This is one of the streets all lit up and festive ... with no customers.

 

The last night i discovered a Greek restaurant that I had been driving by and admiring their pastries.   They had cute little Greek tables by the water.   This chocolate was quite good, and the morning that I left,  I stopped in got a huge slice of 'spinach pie' for the Ferry ride back to Padang Bai.

 

There really isn't much to see or say here.  But I LOVE it for 3-4 days.  Here is a map of Gili Air, it's about 3miles around. 

  

Now, back to Tulamben and more diving at Matahari.  Join me there.  It's the LAST stop before this year's adventure ends.

 

dp