Indonesia - The Gili Islands

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Greetings,

Thursday 2nd September - Kuta, Bali to Gili Trawangan, the Gili Islands
We were up at 6am (too many early mornings!) for our minibus pick up. Whilst waiting I helped Laura get her backpack off her back and ended up with a cockroach crawling on my hand! Disgusting! The minibus was nice and cool, but the one hour journey was very bumpy and the driver a bit crazy (I have concluded that all the drivers in South East Asia are crazy). We got on our speedboat at 9am, it was VERY fast and again VERY bumpy. I tried to sleep but it was too hard when you were jolted all over the place! I was desperate to have a sleep. Our first stop was Lombok, which looked very nice. It was very hilly. It was then 10 minutes to Gili Trawangan, the biggest of the 3 Gili Islands. The Gili's looked very flat, but I was pleased to see that Gili T had a bit of a hill on it. It's always important to me that there is a hill on these remote islands, just in case it's ever needed........ We had to get out of the boat into the water which was a struggle as it was a bit deep and wavey but we managed. We got a pony and trap (one of a few methods of transport, no motorised vehicles on the Gili's, I thought the horses looked happy and well cared for) and headed along the beach to the place Lyndsey had stayed at before. That wasn't the same as when she was there last year (in a year the whole island has changed, Lyndsey thinks it's at least double the size in terms of development) so we had a look around and found Mawar Bungalows, which were nice. The people there were very friendly and welcoming. The bathroom whilst attached to the bedroom was outside, it was quite strange, as you could talk to other people whilst they were in their bathrooms. We got something to eat then settled on the beach. My first impression of Gili T was that it wasn't as idyllic as I'd expected. It seemed a bit scrappy like the Perhentians and there were so many people. Thankfully this impression changed as the week went on. The beach was nice, although there is a lot of dead coral (someone told me that it's because they used to farm dynamite off the Gili's, the dead washed up coral is as a result of that, not sure if that's true though) and it was hard work getting into the sea as the coral was sharp on your feet and there was a big drop down before you got to mostly sand. And even then the dead coral was rock so if you caught your feet on it it hurt! But, the water was lovely and worth the mission to get in it. We spent the afternoon sunbathing, there was a nice breeze, but it got shady at about 4pm so that was the end of the sunbathing. We were back in the land of the Call to Prayer, which I like. I think it's nice. It was still Ramadan so the singing was a bit more enthusiastic and longer than usual. After sunbathing we had a little sleep in the room then went out for something to eat. We ate on the beach by candlelight which was so lovely. The Gili people are so so friendly and welcoming. And the waiters, like they do in Bali, repeat the orders back to you, without fail. I had Beef Satay which was nice. The Indonesians really know how to do Satay sauce. We then went to watch a film on the beach, there was a big screen set up and loungers right in front. It was Inglorious Basterds which none of us had seen before and all enjoyed. Then it was off to bed early.

Friday 3rd September - Gili Trawangan (aka Gili T)
We were up early and had our included breakfast of omelette and toast then spent all day on the beach. It was really hot so we also spent a lot of time in the sea and having a break in the shade. And of course eating. We found a nice place next door to Mawar where we could get cold drinks and use their laptops to get on the internet; we formed a habit of going there every evening when the beach got shady. After a quick change we went out for dinner. I didn't feel well, had really sharp tummy pains, so couldn't enjoy my dinner. We then watched another film which was unfortunately Robin Hood. I really didn't enjoy that the first time round and enjoyed it even less the second time, still it was too early to go to bed so we sat through it. Pin and Laura drank a lot of Vodka and Tonic and gradually got drunk; I didn't realise how tipsy they were until the end of the film when they got up to make shadow shapes on the screen! It was really funny watching them, they were in VERY high spirits during the walk home. We were still in bed by 10 though, luckily my funny pain had gone. We talked about my blog and Laura wanted it noted that it was Pin's fault she was so drunk, so Pin wanted it noted that Laura didn't seem to object to the Vodka being put in the tonic. They then played eye spy, which was hysterical. They'd passed out by 11pm.

Saturday 4th September - Gili T
We were up early again, even after being woken up again at 3am by the Call to Prayer. I do still like it but does it have to go on for so long at 3am?!!! I think the 3am Call is to wake fasters up so they can eat something, then go back to sleep before waking up again to eat something before sunrise. In the end we got used to it and could sleep through it, and if I was having trouble sleeping I found it quite comforting at 3am. Laura and I also remembered having a conversation in our sleep, this formed a habit too. I think she was having trouble sleeping (she would wake up thinking bugs were on her!) that time so offered her Singha. We were going to go cycling but the girls didn't feel so great after their heavy night so we spent the day on the beach again. We ventured a bit further up the street to the main bit and found loads of nice places to eat and chill out. I was thinking about Drew all day, about his Skydive. I was very relieved to receive the text confirming he was down safely! In the evening we went to the Beautiful Life cinema (which isn't on the beach, but is still outdoors), where they were showing Twilight Eclipse. Laura hadn't seen it yet, Lyndsey and I had but didn't object to seeing it again. Who could object to watching Edward Cullen and Jacob Black on a big screen over and over again?!!! Laura and I concluded that we think that the teacher from Cheltenham we met at the Full Moon Party looks very much like Taylor Lautner. We had some dinner whilst watching the film and a little wine and Vodka/Bacardi and Tonic and when we went to get up we were all a little tipsy. Pin and Laura's bad influence had worn off on me 😉 !!!! We headed straight home and slept well.

Sunday 5th September - Gili T
We were up early and spent the day sunbathing and in the sea. To be honest, there isn't much else to do on the Gili Islands but that's good! We met Canadian Tom in the sea, who we found out was living next door to us with his cousin from Argentina. At 4pm I headed in for a shower and got talking to Tom who was going to watch the sunset. The girls weren't ready in time so I walked over the island with him where he was meeting some people that he went snorkelling with. I fell in love with the Gili's that evening. The scenery is so beautiful. It's so natural and rustic. From the point we were watching the sunset you had views of Lombok and Bali, including the big volcano on Bali that I can't remember the name of just now (interestingly, apparently you can't see Lombok from Bail, no matter the time of day or the weather, they therefore call it the mystic Island). I think that sunset has to be one of the best I have ever seen. It was a little cloudly, but the cloud formations were interesting and the way the sun shone behind them and reflected in the pools of water on the beach was stunning. I got some good photos. However, once I was back in the village having dinner with Laura and Pin (after a pitch black walk back) I realised that I'd 'lost' my camera. I didn't understand how it had happened, as I had the case in my bag and my bag was padlocked, so I guess I'd left it on a table at the sunset bar. So, Laura and I headed down there. The road was so dark though we got a bit scared so went back to a posh restaurant and asked if they could lend us a torch. They provided a torch, two bikes and a waiter who came down the track with me, leaving Laura at the restaurant having an Ameretto. It was hard work on the bike, in the dark and as it was quite sandy I nearly came off the bikes a few times. But, we made it and had a look round but the camera was not there. We asked at the bar and they looked for it and said they couldn't find it, but as it was dark it wasn't too easy to see. The waiter spoke to them in Bahasa and as we were leaving said to come back the next day with 'my boyfriend' (I'd made one up on the way there, is the best way of dealing with the locals advances) to talk to them. He didn't think I needed to report it to Island Security (I would of course). So, I met back up with Laura, we met back up with Lyndsey and had a bottle of Proscecco and a nice dinner, went to Sama Sama (a Reggae Bar) and had a couple of drinks and then went home. I wasn't very happy without my camera. I really couldn't understand what had happened as I'd put my case back in my bag and padlocked it. There were 3 options: 1) A tourist on the table with me had had it away 2) I'd left it on the table in the bar and a tourist walking past had had it away 3) I'd left it on the table in the bar and a local worker had had it away.

Monday 6th September - Gili T
I was up at 8 and on my way to report my camera to Island Security. I had to do that ASAP, as they have been known to stop boats leaving the island until it has been found and knowing that if my insurance company investigated they might ask why I'd delayed reporting it........ Before I left Mawar I went in search of Bali who works at the hotel just to make sure I was going to the right place. He seems to know a lot about the place. He told me to sit down for 5 minutes and when he came out he said he was coming with me, which I thought was very nice of him. He hired me a bike and we headed down to Island Security. I wa glad Bali was with me as the security men were a little intimidating although very very nice and friendly. They just looked so serious, in really smart uniforms and boots. I don't think they had guns, but they looked like they could have. There are no police on the Gili's; the Island Chief is in charge. As Gili T is so big he puts Island Security in charge of security. They listened to what happened with the camera, spoke to me and Bali in a mixture of Bahasa and English and said that I should go with Bali to have a look again in the daylight and if I couldn't find it the only thing they could really do was give me a report for my insurance. So Bali and I headed down there on our bikes, it was still sandy and still hardgoing although a bit easier in the daylight. Bali kept laughing at me as I kept nearly falling off. When we got to the bar Bali told me that he'd thought I was at a different one, actually called Sunset Bar, so that's what he'd told Island Security. This was called something different so Bali made me write the name down (he was proper serious about helping me get my camera back). There was no sign of my camera so Bali insisted on looking around to see if anyone was about at any of the places near so he could find out where the owner of the bar lived. But we couldn't find anyone so headed back to Island Security. I had a lovely chat with Bali about living on Gili. We talked about the differences between living in the UK and Gili T and how although he may perceive me to be rich, the cost of living is the UK is high and I'm not actually that rich! I said he was lucky as it was such a beautiful place to live, he said I was lucky as I can travel all over the world from the UK whereas it's difficult for him. less him. We went back to Island Security and they spoke mainly to Bali in Bahasa. I was so grateful for him being there. In the end I was told to come back at 3pm, had no idea why! I asked Bali on the ride back and he said they were going to tell the bar owner that he could not open until all of the workers had been to see them. It seems that by knowing it was a different bar to the one I'd originally said, they thought they could do more to help me. I was impressed, although a little concerned about having caused so much trouble! Laura and Lyndsey were only just waking up when I got back. They were very impressed and confident I was going to get my camera back. I wasn't so sure. I really didn't think someone from the bar had taken it, thought it was more likely a tourist and Island Security are limited on what they can do with them.
So, we spent the rest of the day on the beach until 3pm. Laura and I headed back down there (thank goodness she was there with me, you'll hear why in a minute) and when we arrived Island Security told me that the bar people hadn't been to see them yet so would I mind waiting. This threw us a bit, were we supposed to be confronting them or something?!!!!! We waited half an hour (Island Securty are so nice and professional, they asked us a few times if we were ok to wait a bit longer) and then 5 bar workers rocked up. They all pulled up chairs so there was Laura and I, 5 of Island Security and 5 of the bar workers sat in a circle in the little security room. There was an awkward silence then the head bar guy just looks at us about says "very sorry about this". My immediate response was "don't worry, it's not your fault" which he followed with "It's ok we found camera". I asked if he had it on him and when he said yes and then nothing else I was a bit stunned so Laura was like "can you give it to us them?" I was convinced it wouldn't be my camera, but it was and when I checked all the pictures were on it. He then set about telling us what had happened. Which was basically that it had been found in a tree. In a tree?!!!! Now, Laura and I were not convinced but of course said "thank you" and all sorts. Then the head Island Security man took the head bar guy into his office and shut the door. We asked if we could leave and were told that no we couldn't yet. So we had to sit there for an uncomfortable 5 minutes making small talk with the remaining bar men whilst we could hear raised voices coming from the other room. We told them where we were from and how much we liked the Gili Islands and how we didn't think they'd taken it, thought maybe a tourist had been playing a trick on me or something and that I'd had to report it to Island Security for my insurance. We didn't want them thinking we were blaming them, to be honest I don't know what to think about it all. In the end the office door opened and the head bar man sat back down with us (how long was this going to go on for?!!!) and he apologised again and we thanked him and finally they were on there way and after a quick chat with us about keeping our things safe Island Security let us leave. But not before asking when we were leaving; I felt like asking if they were suggesting we should leave ASAP!!!! They also laughed at me when I saw that Laura had left her can of Nescafe on the seat and went back to get it. They said to me "you're always leaving things!". Although it was a bit of an odd situation we were all so impressed with Island Security, all power to them. The Lonely Planet (although I know it's not the bible!) says to go to them if you have a problem as they have a way of sorting things out quickly and quietly. I guess they just must have a lot of respect from the locals. It's in nobody's interests for Gili T to have a reputation for crime. We asked Bali what the whole situation was about when we got back; he thought maybe they wanted to embarass someone into not doing it again. I was happy though, had my camera and precious photos back.
That night we went for dinner at the Irish Bar which was nice; I had a good local dish, a Beef Rendang. Then we went back to the cinema to watch Sex In The City 2 (in a private hut, is brilliant). We got served drinks and popcorn. There was a powercut during the film, which meant that the whole island was in total darkness. We were soon back watching a film though, within 5 minutes the cinema had switched to generators. I'd heard bad things about Sex In The City 2 but really enjoyed it, had a bit of a tear at the end!

Tuesday 7th September - Gili T
We headed out on a snorkelling trip at 10.30. I hired fins (the others didn't, I never used to like them but now I've been taught how to use them properly think they're brilliant) and a life jacket (of course, I can't be without one now what with my fear of the sea) and we all crammed into a boat that really wasn't big enough (found out later it was licensed for 20 people and there were 30 in it). We did two snorkels at Gili Meno. The water is so so clear, the fish are nice and there are some really interesting coral formations (mostly golden brown in colour) but I still don't think it's the best snorkelling I've done, as a lot of people say it is. I think the snorkelling at the Perhentians and off Phi Phi was better. And still nowhere beats the Ningaloo Reef for me. That is just amazing! I didn't wear my life jacket for the first snorkel as the water looked calm and there was apparently little current (if the water isn't calm I panic, and if there's a current I get out of breath quicker and then panic) so I took advantage and did some dives down (which I suffered for later with my ears). I did wear the life jacket for the 2nd snorkel as we were looking for turtles and the current was stronger, and I know how excited people get when they're looking for turtles (they can literally swim over you). I kept up with the guide and saw 5 turtles. I'm not sure what type, as the guide couldn't tell us but they were nice although not as big or friendly as the others I've seen. They swam away from us, not in a rush, just delibrately. It was cool to see them against the deep dark bit, which I didn't want to venture near anyway as it looked a bit scary. Laura and Lyndsey were a bit behind without fins; I pulled Laura along at one bit so she could catch up. I think she was so impressed with how fast we went and will consider fins next time! I was glad for the life jacket, as we swam for a long time and it was a bit rough so I wouldn't have liked it without. We then headed to Gili Air for lunch. Gili Air was much much quieter than Gili T and I'd think much more expensive too. We had one more snorkel which I sat out as I was already starting to go deaf from the first two, then headed back to Gili T.
We headed to a hotel for a glass of wine and chilled in their pool. The one glass of one turned into 3 and we got chatting to an older Dutch couple who were on holiday. They were telling us all about their 3 children and we were telling them all about our trip. They were lovely. They bought us a glass of wine each, we protested but they insisted that as they were actually working at present they could afford it. We then went home to shower and change then went to a seafood BBQ (there are loads of nice restaurants with BBQs on Gili T) for dinner. We were planning to go to the cinema again but as they didn't have a private room went on the internet for an hour until one would be available. But we also went to Sama Sama and somehow stayed there. It was a brilliant night. A lot of people from the snorkelling trip were there which was cool, and I met some people from close to home. Lyndsey shouted over to me that there were some people from Oxford there, when I questioned them closer they said Wantage and in the end they were from East Challow, they just never say that as nobody knows it! The live band playing were brilliant, they played loads of rock music. The music on Gili T is pretty cool, not a lot of pop or dance, it's mostly rock stuff. You hear Oasis, Guns n Roses and the Chilli Peppers playing out over the beach.

Wednesday 8th September - Gili T
we were a little bit hungover so up late. We put in some beach time, some chilling time and some internet time and of course some eating time and at the end of the day headed to the sunset point to watch the sunset. I walked most of the way on my own, they needed money and as I'm so slow compared to them said they'd get that and then catch me up. The walk was lovely. Gili T is so quaint and rustic and pretty and the views of Lombok and Bali as I've said above are stunning. The sunset was breathtaking. It's all so heart achingly beautiful I can't describe it. I know that I definitely want to go back. We ponced about posing for photos, had a drink with the Italian lads who'd been talking to us in Sama Sama the night before then walked back into town (it was a bit scary on our own, well I was scared anyway as was convinced someone from the bar would come after me, I'd kept my head down whilst in there, I screamed at one point when Laura touched my arm) and had another amazing BBQ dinner. I had steak this time. Then we went to the cinema again and watched Inception which I initally found boring then really enjoyed it. It was back to bed early. The walk back was interesting, we really noticed how much the local lads commented at us. Gili T is really somewhere to go if you want an ego boost! It was all "wow, you're gorgeous" and "sooooo beautiful" and "you look nice".

Thursday 9th September - Gili T to Kuta, Bali
We woke up to torrential rain. We were a bit worried the roof would leak as it was thatched and I felt a couple of drips on my face. In the end it didn't, I did have a few slightly damp things. There was mud everywhere on the road (it's really a track) so we got coverd in that. It wasn't beach weather so we headed into town for something to eat. On the way back I bumped into a British guy I'd met in Coral Bay. I remembered his tattoos and that he was nice to me when I was poorly with my asthma cough. He remembered me too, so we had a nice chat. At 2pm it was time for us girls to leave Mawar Bungalows. Bali wasn't about to say bye to but we said bye to Bob who was sldo good to us. We walked down to the harbour and waited until past 3 to get our speedboat back to Bali. The boat was late due to the bad weather. The ride back was FAST! We overtook a boat saying it was the 'fastest boat to the Gili's' (they all so that) so I guess we were faster!!!

So then it was back to crazy Kuta..!

Xx

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