The question is: is this tree being washed away or washed ashore?
On the island of Gili Meno, Indonesia, there is a short stretch of beach where a dozen or so trees seem to be clinging on to life not being able to choose between land or sea. Taking a long exposure results in milky sea and blurred movement of the leaves and branches.
I am not usually one for posting my pictures of sunsets. Cliché, cliché. Exceptions confirm the rule, so here is a sunset over the Gili islands, Indonesia. The Gili islands are a group of tiny islands (you can walk around them over the beach in about 1,5 hours.) just off the west coast of the island of Lombok, Indonesia. Two of the Gili islands have developed into a regular Ibiza party-island counterpart. The island stuck in the middle, Gili Meno, from which I took this picture, is still relatively quiet and peaceful.
A view on jungle vegatation on the island of Bali.
From here It is another good hour walking up to the peak of the Rinjani volcano on Lombok, Indonesia. These hikers didn't make it to the top in time for the sunrise. Neither did I. But at a respectable height of almost 3.700m, I think I got a cool sunrise from quite where I was.
The Rinjani volcano is a touristic highlight on the Indonesian island of Lombok. At least 200 people in many small guided groups were climbing to the top when we were there. Only a small percentage make it to the top in time for sunrise. You leave basecamp at 2.600m at 2.30am to go to the summit at 3.726m. Sunrise is at about 6 am. It is a very strenuous and frustrating climb because of the steepness of the last 1.100m and the amount of loose gravel on the path.
But the views are breathtaking. Check out the photo below looking the other direction and notice the massive shadow the volcano makes on the clouds behind it....
In the distance on this second photo you can clearly see Bali and, if you look closer, the three small Gili islands.
Imagine yourself a solitary mangrove tree a few feet from the shore line, a slowly incoming tide, a clear nightsky with thousands of stars and a building site behind you with a security light aimed straight at your tree. This was the setting for this picture I took somewhere on the northern coast of Bali.
The tree for me symbolizes the struggle that nature has against the encroaching species called humans. Even here on Bali. The fact that only half of the tree has leaves is quite ominous... I imagine that this part of the coast was previously an extensive mangrove forest. Now all is cleared, the beaches and the coral reefs a little further away are used by tourists and the land directly next to the beach is being steadily filled by extensive hotels.
The building site behind me, admittedly convenient for this picture, is a next slice of the cake that is being cut off from the original cake called nature.
A long exposure.