5 Days Gilis

After spending 2 eventful weeks on beautiful Bali, it was time to go to the Gili Islands, a group of islands nearby Lombok. The 3 islands are known as paradisiacal places with beautiful beaches, called Gili Trawangan- which is more known as a party island, Gili Meno-the calmest and least developed island, and Gili Air- which is more similar Meno but still a bit more lively.
Before, we were told by several locals that the Gili Islands are not as beautiful anymore, but the pictures on Google promised something else. That's why we were very excited when we finally sat in the boat towards Gili Air. We were looking forward to a few relaxing days of sun, snorkeling, and splashing :D.
When we arrived we were amazed by the turquoise water and the fact that there are no motorcycles (only electric ones), let alone cars, and travelers are literally strolling around, because instead of taxis, horses with carriage trot around the small island.

At our accommodation, a small bungalow, we were welcomed by our nice hostess and she gave us some tips for the island.
On our first day, we rented bikes and snorkeling equipment and rode along sandy paths to the Hans Reef, allegedly the best spot for snorkeling on Gili Air. However, it was very shallow and covered with dead corals, which made snorkeling a bit difficult. After cycling around the island in less than 30 minutes in the afternoon, we booked a larger snorkeling tour for the next day. This tour should visit several spots around the three islands and with a 100% chance of seeing one of the huge sea turtles.
So the next day we went and already at our first stop, our group spotted a turtle. Of course, it quickly disappeared completely around it. Nevertheless, it was quite impressive to see such a turtle close up and swim with it. The following stops did not disappoint us and after a lunch on Gili Meno and two more stops, we went back.

The next day we spent only on the beach and booked an Indonesian cooking class for the evening, where we should learn 4 typical dishes of the country. This was a lot of fun, especially because of the lively young chef who made every effort to promote his own business. The highlight was the recipe for the delicious peanut sauce, which we have come to love more and more.

For our last day, we planned a trip to the largest island Gili Trawangan. However, we didn't like it very much, because it was much more littered than Gili Air and during a walk along the beach, we noticed many ruins and abandoned buildings. Actually, we had planned to relax on the beach there, but we simply couldn't find a bathing spot.

In summary, the Gili Islands are beautiful everywhere with a view of the mountains of Lombok and beautiful, shallow, and turquoise water. However, on both islands, the beaches were not necessarily suitable for swimming as they were almost always completely covered in dead corals and often dirty. On Gili Air, there was only a small area that was suitable for swimming. Unfortunately, we only saw one side of Gili Meno and the lake, so we can't say much about it, but the beaches looked more beautiful from the boat.

We are currently enjoying our last week of our trip at Bali on the Bireuen, specifically on Nusa Ceningan.