The tenth day marked a new adventure on the third Gili island they would visit: Gili Air. After a leisurely breakfast at the Gili Meno bungalow (Caroline made sure there were no goat sounds around before daring to leave her room), the group boarded the speedboat again for the short trip to Gili Air. This island felt slightly busier than Meno, with more stylish beach cafes and a livelier atmosphere, yet still retaining the charm of a car-free island.
"Now, Gili Air is famous for its excellent and relatively calm snorkeling spots, suitable for beginners," Nisa explained as they walked toward the beach area where the snorkeling gear was prepared. She intentionally glanced toward Jim and Caroline when saying the words "calm" and "beginners," remembering their previous underwater drama.
Caroline seemed more confident this time. "Don't worry, Nisa! My mind is ready! Yesterday was just a shock from the seaweed that looked like snakes," she said optimistically.
But Jim? His face had already turned pale just by looking at the rows of masks and snorkels. The shadow of the "piranha" Nemo from their initial snorkeling attempt seemed to still haunt him.
"Do... do we really have to do this again?" he asked Reza, his voice slightly trembling. "I mean, isn't the beauty of the ocean more majestic when viewed from a distance, say, from the boat? Allowing its ecosystem to remain undisturbed by our presence?"
Reza patted Jim's shoulder. "Come on, Jim. This is Gili Air, not the Bermuda Triangle. The fish are friendly. And look," Reza pointed to a pile of flotation devices, "we have a special 'safety gear' for you this time."
Among the standard orange life jackets, tucked one floatie shaped like... a giant yellow duck wearing sunglasses. It was clearly Alex's idea.
Jim's face grew even paler. "I have to... wear... that duck?"
"Consider it your personal underwater vehicle, Uncle Jim! Guaranteed unsinkable and anti-piranha!" Alex shouted, stifling his laughter.
With persuasion (and slight gentle coercion) from Nisa and the others, Jim finally agreed to snorkel, but with one condition: he would wear the duck floatie, and he would stay close to Reza or a Presidential Guard at all times.