Relaxing Days in Paradise

From Ubud, I traveled to Gili Air with Laura and Julian. The Gilis are a small group of islands in the north of Lombok. Gili Trawangan is the party island, Gili Meno is the complete opposite and popular with couples on their honeymoon. And Gili Air is somewhere in between.

For €18 equivalent, we were picked up at the hostel and driven two hours in an overcrowded minibus to the port of Padang Bai. Then it was waiting - as always when traveling in Asia. After what felt like hours, we were finally allowed to board the speedboat that would take us to Gili Air. Completely frozen (the air conditioning was set to winter temperatures) and slightly seasick, we eventually arrived on the island.

Despite its size (you can walk from one side to the other in 20 minutes), there are many accommodations, restaurants, and bars. We had chosen a small hostel on the east coast.

Life on the islands is a bit slower. So we had a leisurely breakfast in the morning, then explored the island, went swimming and snorkeling, ate well, watched the sunset with a cocktail in hand, and then ended the evening with live music or a few beers at the hostel. It definitely could be worse! ;-)

The snorkeling was particularly beautiful. The water is crystal clear, and through a glass bottom in the boat, we could admire the fish and corals even during the ride. At one of the snorkeling spots, we saw an incredible number of turtles. They also surfaced from time to time to breathe. So we were able to swim very close to them and watch them. But for the turtles, it was probably rather annoying... I downloaded three pictures from the internet because unfortunately, I don't have an underwater camera. We also saw the statue (see picture), but unfortunately not as lonely as depicted... Around the statue, there were probably 50 people bustling around, all trying to take the perfect picture for Instagram.

The majority of Indonesians are Muslims. And so, five times a day, the call to prayer of the muezzin could also be heard on Gili Air.

The locals mostly live in small simple huts. There are no cars or scooters here (except for a few electric scooters). People get around on foot, by bike, or by horse-drawn carriage. But the horses mostly looked pretty emaciated and had many wounds, really a pity!

From the Gilis, I wanted to continue traveling to Lombok. Unfortunately, I also had to say goodbye to Laura and Julian. I had a great time with both of them, so it was quite difficult for me.

Laura has been living in Barcelona for a few years, and next year in summer, I want to visit her there. I'm looking forward to it! :-)