May 17: To Gili T

We left first thing Friday morning, in pouring rain, for a tiny island off the coast of Lombok (just east of Bali). Called Gili Trawagan, the tiny island is actually one of three tiny islands close together off the coast of Lombok. (The other two are Gili Meno and Gili Air.) 

it was raining heavily when we left Bali

The Bali port from which we departed

blissfully unaware of my sunburn in progress :)

that's Lombok in the distance

made it to Gili T!

We took a cab to a boat, and then…walked!

I had read that these islands were great for laid-back beach time, but I didn’t realize (and didn’t realize how much I’d appreciate) the islands’ a) walkability and b) lack of motorized vehicles (which are banned by local ordinance!). It was wonderful to breathe fresh air without exhaust fumes…though there was still a decent amount of smoke from burning trash piles and ever-present cigarettes. Did you know that 76% of Indonesian men smoke?? But interestingly, only 3% of Indonesian women. 

After checking in at our hotel and grabbing lunch, Hayley headed straight for the beach. I had gotten sunburned on the boat ride over and needed to rest in the a/c. Yes, I realize I mention a/c a lot on this blog. It’s just such an incredible invention that becomes more appreciated when you’re in a hot, humid part of the world where climate control is less prevalent than in the West. 

more gado-gado (and the best one yet)

my shorts burn line was even worse

I tried to do work by the pool but immediately realized my laptop battery was almost dead, so I retreated to the hotel room (which had a/c so I can't say I was upset)

Hayley and I met up on the west side of Gili T to watch the sunset. The following pictures are from my walk through the middle of the island:

And then, of course, there was the glorious sunset over the ocean.

ft. mangosteen from our fruit guy in Ubud

It was about a 30-40 minute walk back to the hotel, where we had dinner. I had an extremely delicious red thai curry and then caught up with my sisters while lounging by the pool!

Pics from the night market on our way back:

RIP parrot fish

hayley learning about the crab

too scared of food poisoning to eat any of this :D 

new definition of a cool cat

sister call! ft. Hayley by the pool