Lombok - Gili Air

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Suzanne here....

For the first time ever on any of our travels, the bus didn't arrive to pick us up. To be more accurate, it was full so drove straight past us. Cue our friendly homestay host Made looking anxious and texting them. To be fair I think someone would have come back for us eventually, but as it was just down the road I hopped on the back of Made's scooter and David walked down.

The boat trip with Pacha / Kuda Hitam (two brands but the same firm) cost IDR 240 each, it was rather uncomfortable. Wet gritty floor, hard narrow seats, noisy and a strong smell of diesel fumes. But it got us there. We'd decided to do Gili Air first, the smallest and furthest away from Bali and nearest to Lombok. It's so close it looks as if you could easily swim over (don't, the currents are fierce). Gili Air has the largest permanent population of the three Gili Islands and is supposed to be quieter than Trawangan but busier than Meno. All three Gili's are free of any motorised transport

As we arrived it began to rain and was soon hammering it down. We took refuge in a cafe and had a light lunch. The power was out too, but that's island life. Once the rain slowed we waded through the puddles to our accomodation, Firda Homestay. A bit basic but nice enough and with aircon. Not that it was working with the power out. The homestay seemed to be entirely run by two lads who look to be in their teens. Making a good job of it though.

After getting freshened up the power returned and the sun came out. We explored the island a bit, and our first impressions were very good. Not too busy or full of touts but with plenty of bars and restaurants. The beach isn't out of this world but is pretty nice. We also (finally) had cocktails on the beach. A couple of very good happy hour margaritas at Chill Out Bar. It was a very pleasant view, looking out to Lombok.

That night we had dinner at Ruby's. Decent enough food, although my portion of beef rendang was tiny, with just two pieces of meat. I guess beef is expensive on an island. Should have stuck to chicken, David's chicken curry was much more generous.

The next day we decided to walk round the island, which supposedly takes a couple of hours. Not sure how as we were strolling and did it in one. Nice walk though. Now to my main moan about Bali (and Asia in general) which is the rubbish. You can be in a place of unparelled natural beauty and all around you is piles and piles of rubbish. I just don't get it. Perhaps I'm being naive but don't the people who live there get sick of it and want to sort it out? Or in tourist areas, why don't business owners join together and tackle it? Anyway, we had some lunch at Unzipp. Nothing special but no complaints and as we were right on a clean beach it was a very nice relaxing stop.

After an afternoon of relaxing we headed out for happy hour cocktails at Chill Out Bar again. Hopefully we won't drink every day of this trip! But cocktails on the beach are such a rare pleasure when you live in the UK, and as far away from the sea as we do. There were dark clouds and lightning over Lombok which was nice to watch. We played it safe and moved indoors, although the rain didn't actually make it as far as Air.

That evening we had dinner at the Italian next door to our accomodation. I'd rather have stuck to local food but the reviews were so amazing and it was so close we couldn't resist. The pizza was actually pretty good for Asia. Not perfect (and way overpriced IMO) but good. Unfortunately the seating arrangements are communal benches and I just wasn't in the mood. Some people like meeting new people over dinner but it's not for me I'm afraid. We finished the evening in our room with the aircon on reading and listening to BBC Radio Solent as Southampton were playing Manchester City (1-1).

Our final day on Gili Air was spent reading on the beach, with a bit of a dip in the sea. We had lunch at Chill Out, reluctant as we were to keep going back to the same place. But we'd spied the food the day before and it looked great. It was, just a sandwich and chips but excellent quality and a good price. On our way out the manager said "See you at Happy Hour". I wish I could say he was wrong. Anyway, after showering and changing - it was Happy Hour! So off we went back to Chill Out. It was our favourite place on the island and our last chance to enjoy it.

For dinner we'd read about a place known for it's Martabak, a sort of savory stuffed pancake which we'd had before in Malaysia (where it's called murtabak) and enjoyed. Warung Bambu was tiny with six tables so we felt lucky to snag one. The martabak was great, with plenty of sambal (spicy sauce) so it was a good choice.

Gili Air was a good stop for us. Much quieter than the mainland (bar the call to prayer, which I rather like anyway). No scooters or howling dogs. If I was here on holiday I'd probably chose the even quieter north of the island. But the harbour area with all its facilities suited us. It's been a lovely few days.

The next day we were up early to get the 8.30 island hopper boat. We got there early to ensure we got tickets but there was no real need. Half an hour later we were on Gili Meno.

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