Misfortune and fortune, so close together

I wrote my last post a bit short and without much love. It was overshadowed by a nasty story that I didn't want to write about yet.

The day before my departure to Gili Gede, I went diving in the morning, I was the only guest around.

When I came back, I discovered that my money and passport had been stolen.

After a few phone calls, it became clear that I can't leave Indonesia without a passport and that I have to fly to Jakarta to get the necessary documents from various offices, which is about 1000 km.

The manager of the bungalow complex got scared, the local police are unpredictable, and he accused me of being a liar or a fraud. The atmosphere was quite tense, it lasted for 24 hours, and I was summoned to a police station on Lombok for the next morning. However, the manager also put pressure on his staff. And lo and behold, a few minutes before leaving the complex, my passport was found in my bathroom, without any money of course.

We told the police that everything had been found again, so the matter was settled for them, and thankfully I don't have to fly to Jakarta.

Feeling quite relieved, the journey continued.

First by boat to Lombok, then to the police station to finalize the matter and shake some hands, then by taxi from south to north across the whole island to take a boat to Gili Air in Bangsal.

The last part of the drive was through scenes of devastation. The earthquakes in August did a lot of damage here.

Also, due to the earthquakes, it is extremely quiet on Gili Air.

Nevertheless, I enjoy the relief from the story described. I have magnificent dives, with large turtles, sharks, octopuses, and masses of fish. Misfortune and fortune are so close together.