Paradise on Gili Trawangan...once I got there!!!

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Dear all,
After spending four days in Bali I set off on what should have been a simple journey to Gili Trawengan near Lombok. The night before I set off I booked my boat ticket. The next morning I woke up really early to pack my gear and get to the harbour. Just as I was packing I got a call from the ferry company to say that the boat was broken and couldnt go! It seems the boat is often broken and what it really means is that no one else is going so they are cancelling the boat!!
Anyway I booked with a different boat...what a mistake! It all started well, got picked up by a bus which took me to the port in Bali. It was a long two hour journey with no air con. We got to the port and got on the huge car ferry which would take us to Lombok. Five hours later we arrived but couldnt dock as the pier was broken. So we floated around for an hour until we could dock.
Next we got on a bus which took us to a town in Lombok where we could stay the night as it was now too late to make the next boat journey. So the next morning we drove to Bangsal, the port in Lombok where you catch a boat to the Gili islands. Bangsal was like hell!! Everyone wanted to sell me something, marry me or carry my bag! Finally we got on the local boat and managed to find a seat amongst the rice sacks and chickens!! Thankfully it was only a 40 minute trip to Gili T.
I have to say that the journey was worth it. Gili T is wonderful. There are no roads and no petrol. If you need transport then there are horses and carts. The island is very small though so you can walk everywhere. We are staying in a lovely place but we do get woken most mornings at 4am by the mosque.
I have been diving most days and seeing some beautiful turtles and pygmy seahorses...and a shark. The new camera is working well.
Having made the journey here we do not want to leave yet..so will stay at least another week or more.
Enjoy the photos, love to you all,
Wendy
xxxx

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