The Gili Islands
27 September 2024
The Gili Islands are a trio of small islands off the coast of Lombok. Each island has a reputation. Gili T is the party island, Gili Meno is the quiet honeymoon destination, and Gili Air is something in between. Each boasts white-sand beaches and clear blue water. We visited Gili Air and Gili Trawangan, spending most of our time on the beach or in the water. I took the opportunity to go scuba diving for the first time on our Asia trip.
Day 1 - Gili Air
When I woke up, I learned that the group had decided to go to the Gili Islands that very day. I managed to book transport to Bangsal Port on the northwest side of the island that would take us to Gili Air. Our hotel insisted we would need to book two cars because there were five of us, and so pay double. Finding a ride was uncertain on such short notice and given it was a Friday in a Muslim country. Luckily, I managed to find a driver through the hotel down the road for a decent price.
The ride was extremely hot, but when we stopped at an atm, I got a delicious pineapple for only 10k IDR, so that was cool. We bought tickets to Gili Air at the public ferry desk for 18k. It is not at all clear where the public ferry ticket booth is located. It does not look like the official ferry in any way, shape, or form. After being harrassed by other companies, we were eventually pointed in the right direction. We had to wait for the boat to fill with 40 passengers; it took around 20-30 minutes from when we arrived. I walked down the beach to pass the time. I found a small glass bottle covered by barnacles that I filled with the dark sand of the beach. The ferry to Gili Air was packed, mostly with locals. It was the kind of public transport you imagine in Asia. There was no empty space on the boat. People sat along the sides, and the center was full of bags, food, and random supplies like a fridge.
We walked to our hotel on the other side of the island, but it only took 15 minutes. I got in the pool, and the water was super warm – almost like a hot tub. It even had bubbles! The pool was the shape of a mushroom. I talked to a couple of girls who I overheard discussing travel plans. They mentioned possibly going to Komodo Island. I told them that they needed to go to Komodo Island, and that it was the best thing I had done so far. I also started chatting with a German guy in the pool. We talked for a long time about different stuff, he turned out to be a really cool guy. I learned his name was Lionel.
As our group got ready to leave the pool area and wander the island in the cool of the evening, I invited Lionel to come with us. He accepted, and the six of us set out to find food and something to do. We got poutine at one place and pizza on the beach at another. The group wanted to check out some parties. It seems that there are parties virtually every night on the island. We eventually found one that they approved of, and Indi and I called it a night. They reported the next morning they had a great time.
Day 2 - Gili Air & Gili Trawangan
- Gili Air Snorkeling
I woke up at around 8:00 am. We got breakfast at our hotel and checked out at 11:00 am. Indi saw a map that showed a snorkeling spot on the north coast of the island, so we left our stuff at the hotel and walked over with our snorkeling gear. Indi and I wanted to snorkel, and the other three wanted breakfast. Lionel wanted to snorkel as well, but he had to look for snorkel gear to rent. We told Lionel where we would be and that we would meet up in the water.
Gili Air Snorkeling
The water was super shallow as it was low tide. The swim out to the reef took a while because the water was so low I couldn’t paddle properly. When we finally got out, the reef was actually pretty nice. There was a lot of live coral but not many fish. I saw a few reef triggerfish (Hawaii’s state fish), which are very pretty. We looked around for Lionel, but he never showed. Indi and I took turns using my snorkel because she had forgotten to bring hers. We swam back in and saw that Lionel had found Brandon, Ashley, and Jocelyn at a nearby restaurant. He told us he had swum out, but we never saw each other. It was here that we parted ways with our new friend Lionel.
We sent our bags in a horse-drawn cart to the other side of the island with Ashley. We walked to the other side of the island to a beach that Brandon had seen on his run. I went a shorter route than the others but was still sweating when I arrived. I sat in the shallow water for a while. We walked over to the ferry and bought tickets at 45k/pax. Indi and I bought a meat pie (chicken curry) to split and arrived back at the dock just as the ferry began to board.
We arrived at Gili T after a short boat ride. We walked a short distance to our hotel, and I got in the pool right away (as I am wont to do). We chilled in the water for quite some time on our phones. Indi and I showered and then went on a walk. I ate a bao (or pao?) that was not good, and I probably should have tossed it after the first bite. Indi decided to book a scuba session for me for the following morning. I had heard mixed reviews and was hesitating, so she pulled the trigger for me.
Day 3 - Gili Trawangan
- Shark Point
Scuba Diving Shark Point
I woke up, walked to the dive shop, and arrived before 8:00 am. We didn’t leave until 8:30 am or possibly later. I went to a dive site called Shark Point. When I got in the water, I had the GoPro in one hand and my mask and respirator in the other. When I fell backwards out of the boat, the mask blasted off my face. I knew I should have thrown it on the boat for someone to defog again with soap, but I sent it instead. It started fogging up almost immediately. I spent most of the dive filling it with water and clearing it to be able to see well for 60 seconds at a time.
There wasn’t much to see, in my estimation. The coolest things I saw were a blue spotted sting ray, a few juvenile whitetip reef sharks that I could barely see, and a huge green sea turtle. I was in a group of 3 with 2 other Russian guys. One could speak decent English, and we had a halting conversation before we got in the water. I thought about how neither he nor I are responsible for what our presidents do and politics draws lines where there would be none on a personal level.
When I got off the boat, Indi was waiting for me. My instructor, Ojan burned off some of the plastic film from my mask before we left. I had been meaning to do this but had never attempted it. I would go on to learn this made a huge difference. I was starving, so we went to a warung. The chicken was covered in a sauce that looked and tasted like raw sewage. I’d rather not relive the experience by explaining any further. We hung out in the hotel for a while and then met the other three on the beach, where we chilled for a while. The beach was pretty rocky, and it was low tide again – just our luck. We went back to the hotel and chilled in the pool.
We all went to an Italian place for dinner (besides Brandon). I ordered a slice of lasagna. It was really, really good. It’s funny that some of the best Italian food I have ever had was in Indonesia. After that, we went back to the hotel and got a slice of chocolate cheesecake that was super fudgy and amazing. We chilled by the pool until it got dark.
The next morning, we got on a ferry to Bali. It was decent upon first inspection. But, it filled up more and more as we picked up passengers from Gili Meno and Gili Air. The voyage took 3.5 hours. I sat downstairs with the others for a while but started feeling rather seasick as the boat rocked back and forth hour after hour. When some kid a few rows up threw up, I knew I had to get out of there.
I got a seat on the top deck. The sun was strong, and I knew I was getting sunburned, but I couldn’t bring myself to go downstairs to get sunscreen or sunglasses. It was much better on top, but I was getting sprayed with salt water a lot. I listened to an audiobook until the AirPods died.
We parted ways with our friends and continued on the last leg of our trip, just the two of us. It was so fun to travel in a group with friends, we made some amazing memories together.
Next time
On our next adventure, we leave Southeast Asia and begin our travels in East Asia, starting in Hong Kong.
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