Gili islands

2nd day at Lombok and its a Sunday.

Almost felt like just going to church and Mataram Mall (biggest mall in Mataram, capital of Lombok) but decided to hang out and chill with family to the Gili islands. Although predominantly Muslim, Pak E told us that there are churches and temples and all religions can be worshipped freely on the island.

Coming back to the boat trip, it was priced at 850k rupiah (about RM65) for 4 on a private boat thus it is a steal and a bargain. 

Breakfast was lovely poached eggs and bread at Mama Bella and orange juice before the outing. There were also omelette, fried eggs, fruits and pancakes...

As for the boat trip, we certainly we did not expect a big boat or ferry but I was a bit disappointed as there were no drinking water or towels on board or even sea-sick pills. Now I know why it is so cheap. A boat ride in Phuket would have cost RM200 per person but with a lot more frills thrown in. And the boat to Phuket felt safer....although T assured me that the 2 sides of the boats with huge 'legs' kept the speedboat stable.

It was a private boat but I must admit that I got a bit scared. Firstly - I thought of pirates roaming the seas and coming to kidnap us - I prayed really hard against that.

Secondly - it rained heavily on the way to Gili and we were soaking wet. The waves were rough and tumble and I had on my life jacket. Although the family assured me that the boat would not overturn....I decided that it was better be safe than sorry as I could not swim.

One hour plus and the boatman's 10 minutes became like 30 minutes (I realized that this is how the locals estimate time as most do not wear a watch). The sea-sickness, tossing and turning made me sick. However lying down on the side of the open air boat helped relieved me of being sea-sick!

Finally Gili...but what I feared came to pass. I could not possibly jump from the boat to the beach as I had on my braces due to my knee pain. I spied a wooden ladder in the boat and asked the boatman to latch it to the side of the boat. Really wondered why he did not offer it to me in the first place? That was how I got off and on the boat with a wooden ladder but I could not avoid getting the feet wet. Thankfully the braces were intact.

Gili Trawangan is the biggest of the Gili islands. It has a main street with horse carts fetching tourists (so many white tourists that for a moment I thought I was in Australia or somewhere in Europe) and many shops selling tourist stuff. According to a young man manning a 1 million rupiah a night private villa, the local folks stay interland and there are more houses, schools and roads but all make use of motorbikes or horse carts to move around.

I bought a sunglass and an XL swimsuit from Billabong (the big size swimsuit is certainly not available in the shops I have been to in Malaysia or could it be that I do not have the time to shop back home). We opted to have lunch at Gili Meno (which I called Gili 2). Gili Trawangan is the biggest followed by Gili Meno and Gili Air.

The children saw a big turtle swimming underwater. He just could not be bothered with them.

Only mode of transport on Gili islands

Main street - many places party till dawn

According to the boatman, there are parties every night on Gili 1 (Gili Trawangan). Yes, I could smell the smell of cigarettes and wines and see the open bars with huge screens. Truly a party place for partying till dawn.

At Gili 2, we had a good lunch of bbq fish and curry creamy tofu and tempe. Sadly the bbq fish came raw inside but the nice waiters brought us a replacement dish. A had a lovely noodle soup for lunch and the other daughter had burgers and chips. No flies swarm the place.

We saw many tourists chilling out on cabanas. Hawkers were everywhere but you cannot blame us for not helping the industry as A bought a beautiful scarf from one of them. Remember to bargain though....

At Gili 2, the children and T went snorkelling. I tested my Samsung S7 and put it underwater using the selfie stick. Took some beautiful pictures of corals but my phone was wet. Would it be able to function after I have taken the pictures? Sadly it could not charge using the USB port when I got back to the resort. I borrowed a hair-dryer to dry, it still did not work. My staff asked me to let it rest a day or two so I switched it off as I was losing battery power.....I must complain to Samsung on this.

I just stayed on board and admired the corals. Waters were so clear and I could see right through it but quaintly no fishes....
We also went to Gili 3 and snorkel some more. Me....I stayed on board the safety of the boat and admired the pristine waters and the lovely corals. 

Got back to Lombok about 5 in the evening and went to Hallo massage. For 75k we had a one hour full body massage. The knee pain left me right after that. Hallelujah.

We took a horse cart back to Mama Bella and had take-out again from the same cafe. I just wondered whether they have other kind of noodles than maggi noodles....really miss Malaysian food...even the satay sauce here tastes different having being made with peanut butter! Really miss my teh tarik and assam laksa.