We brought Littletree’s soccer ball to Indonesia, which has been a great success! Littletree recently discovered a love of playing football (apt, as she was born on a soccer field), and she’s been getting some great practice in on the beach in the evenings.
Not only is football Littletree’s latest sport du Jour, the other kids love playing as well; we’ve gotten some great games happening, with locals as well.
And, as it turns out, football is the main sport on the island, with local teams setting up beach-side games every day in the hour before sunset. The only thing they miss is a proper soccer ball; the games being played with cheap plastic kiddie balls, so Littletree’s proper ball is like gold here.
Gili Air island is incredibly safe, the small local population have an agreement that there will be no crime on the island so as to keep a good reputation with the tourists. Apparently, if any of the locals are caught stealing, they are beaten up and kicked off the island. I feel totally safe to leave my handbag on the beach while I swim, or have my computer on our balcony… but that soccer ball! We can’t leave it unattended for a second!
Every wandering hawker passing by trying to sell sarongs or trinkets or pineapples gets big-eyed when they spot it; we’ve had dozens of offers to trade for it - a king’s ransom in hand-carved Balinese necklaces and batik sundresses. It gets snaffled up every time we turn around, but we always find it in use, not to far up the beach, and the locals always hand it back again cheerfully when we point out that it belongs to Littletree :)
(I wrote this post last week some time, and I thought it published… but - yay for slow, erratic internet – seems it didn’t work, so I’m re-trying again!)
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Gili Trawangan was great, I was never @ the Gili Air island.
ReplyDeleteI wish you and your family and friends a lot of fun!
Orianne
Thanks Orianne, we had a brief visit on Gili T, but it was far to developed and busy for our tastes! Air is very laid back and quiet :)
DeleteWhat a great post. I know exactly what you mean by 'their eyes get big.'
ReplyDeleteWe went out early this morning to pick up firewood. Coming back into town in the rush hour traffic along the main highway, I saw the most surreal sight. A soccer ball was rolling its way gently down the middle of the road, unaccompanied and completely oblivious to the traffic, like a tumbleweed in an old western movie.
Wow, that does sound surreal, Lady Demelza.
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