Bali, Gili Trawangan, Lombok

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As we mentioned before, we left Hong Kong in a rush with images of blue skies and white sandy beaches in our heads. In order for us to get to Bali, our tickets had us change flights in Jakarta. Because of our flight change and then the flight being delayed 2 hours, we missed our connecting flight in Jakarta. With nothing open and taxis being too expensive to go into the city, we were left spending the night outside the airport on benches waiting for the Air Asia office to open the next morning at 4am. Things could be worse, right?
We managed to get seats on the first flight out (for a price, of course) and were on our way! ***Note for fellow travellers--Air Asia does not have seat numbers, so it is a first come/first serve for seats. Be aware of budgers!!!***
Bali is a beautiful island. We stayed at a quiet resort in Kuta Beach called the Green Garden Beach Resort. The resort was fantastic! Wonderful staff, great massages, and magnificent views from the rooms! We spent a few days lounging around on the beach, getting to know the town, drinking with crazy Australians, and finding the best food for the cheapest price possible (which we did).
From Bali we took the Perama ferry to Gili Trawangan, a small island off the coast of Lombok. We decided to take the pricier ferry, as we thought it would be a smoother ride than the local ferry and were told it was faster. Wrong! It was so wavy and windy that it took us 6 hours to get there! Of course, this is no fault of the crew on the boat (who were wonderful), but man! Where were the sea-sick pills when you needed them?!?!?!
That night we arrived at Gili T. We soon found out that it was the party island! Signs are posted everywhere for 10,000rp doubles (that's $1.50US) and magic mushrooms that will take you to the moon (no transport needed)!!! We had a great time! The food was yummy, the beaches were gorgeous, the ocean was warm, snorkeling with sea turtles was common, vibrant sunsets, and the people were welcoming.
After 5 or so days in Gili T, we travelled over to Senggigi, Lombok. It's a relatively small tourist town with not much to do, so we laid in the sun for a day and headed back to Bali. The Perama boat had mechanical difficulties (fine with Molly!), so we got a refund and had to take the local ferry back. It was not wavy at all and only about 4 hours. We are now in Ubud, Bali....but that blog will be another time. Stay tuned...!

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