Who
would have thought we that just a short trip from Bali lay islands that boast
something for everyone, and I really
mean that.
They
are called the Gili Islands and there are 3 of them. Depending what you are
looking for and what you like you can get it here, but before I get to that let
me share some of the standout and unique points we got just by being there for
a few days.
No
motorized vehicles, that's right, no cars, motorcycles or scooters! What you do
get instead are bicycles and pony drawn carts. Seriously, we felt we'd gone
back in time before Henry Ford, I every now and then expected to see a Penny
farthing and people stepping out wearing top hats and 3 piece suits.
Fortunately I didn't eat any of the local "magic mushrooms" or maybe
I would have :-)
No
dogs... This was bizarre given Bali is riddled with them, however I was happy
given it made the evenings really quiet with the sound of an odd cat.
Cobblestone roads around the island we were on, Gili T for short,
the biggest of the 3. You can cycle around it in a couple of hours, we'll far
less if you wanted to as it's only 7km in diameter.
Island style living and in
quaint bungalows is the go here, and there are more to choose from than you can
imagine. For most times during the year I'd suggest you'd just show up and
find one that suits you however at the top of the peak periods I'd book ahead
just in case.
Clean, white and
relatively deserted beaches right around the Island gives you the feeling that
you could be on any of our planets most renowned tropical Islands. It certainly
does have that kind of feel, just at Bali prices. Food is sensationally fresh
and with just about eve choice you can think of from exotic pizza to freshly
caught crayfish to scrumptious deep-fried egg plant and sour cream dip. You
name it, it's here as is half of Europe...
There is a fabulous spread
of entertainment, a 24 hr bar selling magic mushroom mixes, makeshift movie
house playing local copies of DVDs where you lie on pillows and chill for the
evening to live music, Reggae and all night boat parties.
For the avid adventure
goer there are many options, I'll do my best to go through them.
The biggest has to be
snorkeling and diving as there is plenty of coral reefs just off the beach on
all 3 Islands. Beautiful turtles live in this area and they were the first
large animal life we saw when we ventured out with our snorkeling gear just 10
meters from the beach, it was such a gift. The marine life is great, it's not the Great Barrier however it's right up there.
For the surfing
enthusiasts there are some great waves to keep you occupied every day, and a
groovy Rastafarian bar aptly called Surf Bar overlooking the best spot on the
main Island.
There are big game fishing
charters, surfing lessons, local daily runs to the adjoining 2 other Islands
and if you're lucky like we were, and there is some big sports event on like
the Rugby World Cup, there are "sports bars" like the Irish pub that
set up big screens for the games and supporters seem to creep out of the wood
work to join you for the games.
There is a turtle conservation and rehab centre that nurtures baby turtles to a level of adult hood in order to give them a better chance of survival in these all creatures infested waters... They have their breeding and nurturing ponds out in the open for everyone to see and visit.
Something that really
stood out for me was the way that even though we didn't know anyone one the
Island before we got there we had made many friends by the time we left if for
no other reason that we just kept bumping into them literally 2 or more times a
day as the main area of the island is only a few hundred meters in length so
there is almost nowhere to hide unless you really want to and in that case you
pack your goodies and head over to the 2 smaller and less inhabited islands,
Gili Meno or Gili Air. More about them on our next trip as we decided we were
loving Gili Trawangan (Gili T) too much. Oh, what I can say is that our
honeymooning couple decided to do the more secluded option to Gili Meno and
loved it... They have some beautiful photos they shared with us when getting
back to Vision Villas.
Getting there and coming back can be an issue as there are many providers of boats... It is really important to get onto a boat that is safe, fast and reliable. We used Gili Cat as they are literally the best operator, thanks Gili Cat for getting us there and back in super fast time.
I give it:
Off the richter scale: 6 (Just so much to do, the options are almost endless, not big extreme adventures however many exciting ones)
Value for money: 10 (for a few hundred dollars, including stay, food, bike hire, gear etc.)
Scenery: 9 (An awesome surrounding)
Cultural: 7 (We connected with many locals as there isn't much place to go so they recognise you really quickly)
Family: 10 (The best would be Gili Meno or Air however they are all brilliant for families)
To note: It takes about 2 hours on the Gili Cat to get there or back from Padangbai and 4-6 hours if you take the ferry to Lombok and catch a local ferry to Gili.
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