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North Lombok, Indonesia

It’s so good to leave the ridiculously busy Kuta for the tranquil Gili Islands. However it was a horrible start to what we had hoped to be a relaxing few days away. In a sticky 35 degree heat, our land transportation to the islands was over capacity and our boat broke down midway – but it was still good to get away! The first week of this wedding trip was hectic with final wedding preparations. Coming to Gili was a way to wind down and end on a high. I finally feel relaxed and able to enjoy everyone’s company without any ‘to do’ lists.

The Gili Islands (Gili translates to Island) are made up of 3 islands and are situated between Bali and Lombok. We stayed on the main island, Gili Trawangan, at Hotel Villa Ombak as it’s the only place I could book enough rooms with hot water for all of our family and friends to stay in. Although we were staying on the biggest of the three islands, there are no cars or motorbikes. Only horses and carts and the trusty bicycle to transport us about.

Overall, the service in the Gili islands isn’t as good as in Bali but it certainly has a much more relaxing holiday vibe. Hotel Villa Ombak is a perfect beach front location and has 2-for-1 cocktails in the swim up bar, which were well and truly used and abused by all.
When staying in a western resort it’s very easy to forget that you’re not in a western country. It came clear though, when a few of the group went fishing for the day and came across a man on a boat who had lost 4 locals free diving in a very strong current. They searched for as long as they could, before their petrol ran dry. In Australia when calling for help, people come with boats and helicopters – here, no one came. It puts things into perspective fast about how lucky we are to live in a place with what, we think, are just basic services.

We were on the islands just a few days. The first day we charted boats to go snorkelling. A storm passed through the night before so the clarity of the water wasn’t as good as I remembered it to be last time. But there were turtles, a shark and a sea-snake that Mum literally nearly fell over. I think everybody enjoying being out on the water.
On the second day, we went for an hour bike ride around the island. The once a month high tide came through that morning. This meant the dirt paths were washed away and water continued to wash into the beachside restaurants. It made for a great bike ride. At the end of the bike ride, Webb tied up his slack-line between a few trees and we all attempted a go or two. All that effort used in the morning meant the afternoon was spent trying new cocktails in the pool. Most of this trip was spent in the pool under the hot sun drinking cheap cocktails.

The Gili Islands was a fantastic way to finish our trip to Bali. I’m thankful that most of the wedding guests came over to enjoy some relaxing time before flights home. It’s an amazing place in the world and we hope to revisit it again one day.

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