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Published: July 15th 2011
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The one and a half hour speedboat ride from Jemeluk to the Gili Islands was quite a rough one. For the first half hour I felt a little sick with the big swell, but after that it settled down a little so I didn't feel that bad. After dropping passengers off at Gili Trawangan we bypassed Gili Meno because the waves were too big, and finally we arrived at Gili Air. The Gili Islands consist of these 3 very small islands off the northwest coast of Lombok. I walked past the touts and wandered inland where I quickly found an old bungalow for $10 a night including breakfast and free tea and coffee all day. That afternoon I had a little look around and spent a couple of hours at a beachside restaurant just taking it easy. There isn't a huge amount to do on Gili Air besides water activities, so it is very quiet and a good place to just chill. Also there are no motorised vehicles on any of the islands, just horse drawn carts and bicycles.
The first couple of days I just took it easy, eating at the beachside restaurants with a refreshing breeze, going for
a walk around the island, and just reading or watching movies. On the third day I hired snorkel gear and had a look at the fish and coral at the southeast corner of the island. It was a little difficult with the current, the waves, and visibility so I stopped after half an hour and decided to book a three islands snorkeling tour the next day.
There were seven of us on the snorkel tour, and the first stop was just off Gili Trawangan to see some turtles. We saw quite a few but most of them were just on the sea floor relaxing, but still nice to see. I also saw my first sea snake which was a thrill for me. Next we went to Gili Meno where we snorkelled for about 20 minutes before going to shore for lunch. We had quite a bit of time here before we had to get back on the boat, so I had a good look around the island before having a bite to eat. I found it even quieter than Gili Air and the accommodation quite expensive. Our last stop was off the east coast of Gili Air where I
found the coral, visibility, and fish, the best. Although after 15 minutes of drifting with the current the water began to get murky with little visibilty. Every where we snorkeled we drifted with the current and were picked up down the beach by our boat which meant you didn't have to use too much energy.
The morning of my snorkeling trip I woke up and found that my super comfortable expensive flip flops that I had bought in Thailand had been stolen from outside my door. I was pretty pissed off. That night I could only find some really cheap, uncomfortable ones that fitted. I guess I have been very lucky to this point so I shouldn't complain too much, but I will really miss them. This all happened after I heard that a girl staying at my bungalows had been mugged on the island one night and also had her bungalow broken into on another occasion, losing all her valuables. So if you are planning to come here just make sure you look after all your possessions, and don't leave anything that you value outside your room.
I have spent 5 days here just relaxing and not
doing much at all. The food here has been very good, particularly the masaman curries and banana coffee shakes. I am also hooked on Beng Beng bars which are caramel wafer biscuits covered in chocolate at 12 cents each. I have decided to do some exercise and trek up Gunung Rinjani which is Indonesia's second highest mountain. I leave early tomorrow morning.
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