Gili Air

-Abandoned boat. Gili Air, Lombok.-

Our entire trip to date with all the planning, scrimping and saving, finishing work, traveling through New Zealand and Australia at a whirlwind pace was leading up to our anticipated arrival at a small island off the tip of Lombok, Gili Air.

-Lunch on Gili Meno.-

-A beautiful beach.-

When we were through this way in February we spent the majority of our time looking for a remote tropical island with huts on the beach and world class snorkeling out our front door. We knew that postcard perfect places existed but it was less easy to find them. So, naturally when we stumbled upon secluded Gili Air with its white sand, palms, reefs and laid back locals, we stayed.

-A young local boy fishing.-

We drank in the sun on our last stay and lived in the water. We dreamt of the beaches while we were away and we arranged every detail to bring us back... and here we are.

-Young turtles at a turtle sanctuary on Gili Meno.-

-A typical horse cart. 10,000Rp per ride.-

Upon arrival last week we noted many changes to the island. More people, more horse carts (the only mode of transportation, as there are no vehicles on the island), more restaurants, more improvements to resorts (including more huts), and more notably everything cost more money. At our favorite resort the cost of a two story rice barn more than doubled in price, now costing $25.00 a night.

-Locals.-

Despite the money factor, it was nice to see progress on the island if only for the locals sake. More money for them means more food and more children in school. That in itself is not such a terrible thing.

-A local home. Notice the stilts.-

We spent most of our days snorkeling in the shoals in front of our bungalow. We explored the brilliant reefs and admired the vast underwater world. The rest of our days were filled with lounging on the beach, avoiding the hot sand, reading books in the afternoon shade of the palms and catching up on quality time together. Our time on Gili Air lived up to and possibly surpassed our months of expectation.

Check out our last stay on Gili Air.