Bali and the Gili's

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After a couple of months in Perth we were excited to head back to Asia for a new adventure!...Hoping to learn about different cultures, explore some amazing food and meet diverse people.

We flew into Bali for a quick stop over before heading over to the island of Lombok by a tiny propellor plane! As soon as we were up in the air we were down again! (Which was good because the airline we flew with is banned in Europe due to safety reasons!) We were surprised when we landed in Lombok to see how undeveloped it was...there were no high rise buildings, just miles and miles of beautiful green lush rice fields with tiny shacks for the workers dotted here and there.

We got a taxi to the north of the island taking in the breathtaking scenery as we went (next time we are definitely going to stop to explore the island!) we saw monkeys, jungles, mountains and little villages... On this trip we chose to get a boat straight over to Gili Trawangan. Gili T is the biggest of the 3 Gili islands but was by no means spoilt by the tourism...there are no cars or motorbikes allowed on the island; instead people walk, cycle or travel by horse and cart.

We had a really beautiful tiny resort in the north of the island, (Trawangan Oasis) away from the bars and restaurants and into the depths of the greenery! We had a lovely little bungalow and shared a pool with a couple of other people. All you could hear were birds chirping and the ocassional clip clop of a horse trotting by. It was truly beautiful and so relaxing! We explored the island by foot, horse and cart and by push bike...it only took about 30 minutes to cycle a complete loop around the island!

Its amazing how unspoilt the island is.... with stunning views of the jungle in Lombok and little islands dotted in the clear blue sea It seems like an ideal place for big hotel chains to swoop in and take over...luckily there are strict rules set in place to keep the island Peaceful and remote.

One day we went on a snorkelling trip, starting at Gili T and working our way around the 3 Gili islands, stopping off to swim amongst tropical fish, coral, starfish, turtles (and unfortionately lots of little jellyfish!!) We stopped at Gili Air for lunch...it was so quiet and pretty. We ate some delicious local food and had a wander along the beach front...there were a couple of small resorts, but again, nothing huge, high rise, noisy or unattractive to look at.

We spent most evenings on Gili T walking, watching the sunset, reading and eating local street food at a night market where the food was incredible!! We paid about $2 each for a huge plate of chicken satay, rice, crispy soy beans (amazing!!), potato and chickpea fritters, noodles, fried chicken and vegetables! The night market was always heaving and everyone sat together on big picnic benches.

After 4 days we didnt want to leave our stunning bungalow or the idilic island...but Bali was calling and we set off to see what else Indonesia had to offer. We got a private boat back to Lombok, before travelling by taxi to the airport. (At one point our taxi driver swapped seats with his son and gave him a driving lesson whilst we sat in the back!....he wasnt very good so thankfully they soon swapped back!) he put his portable dvd player in view and we watched bryan adams and shakira music videos!

Whilst in Bali we spent some time in Seminyak which was very quiet due to the time of year. We did some shopping (which was ok because the crowds were minimal...we dont think we woud have enjoyed it so much in peak season! It was very touristy and completely aimed at Australian tourists)...and again ate lots of tasty food! ....in the evenings we walked to bars on the beach where we sat on bean bags amongst fairy lights and listened to live music.

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