So, the wedding of a lifetime quietly ends as family and friends drift to other parts of the island. For us, a gentle 20ish km to the port town of Serangan before hopping on a boat the next day. An hour or so, Bali’s version of Uber said. No worries, we stocked up on a few cold ones and hopped into the back. Almost 2 hours later the driver stops at a 24hr mart for a piss, we decided this would be a perfect opportunity to grab some more piss and hop back into the cab! Bladders were a touch feisty as we checked into our new home!
Bladders now empty, we headed out for a refill and a feed. The thought of hopping onto a boat across the Lombok Straight the next morning was there somewhere as we ordered the seafood platter and a few Bintangs. The platter arrived coated in some unidentifiable brown sauce, and everything else with a serving of chilli something. We will always be a team, so we tucked in together. Not sure if nappies are available tomorrow, may need them. Still peckish after round 1 so smashed out some octopus and a few more prawns, with more Bintang! What could possibly go wrong?
Wobbled back to our digs and overjoyed to find the bar open! It has been a crazy day on top of a couple of crazy weeks. A couple of nightcap Bintangs and we were tucked up in bed.
Waking up was always going to dictate the next day. An urgent dash to the porcelain was going to be a sure clue that a long, painful day lay ahead. Thankfully, no such sprinting required, quiet brekky and a short ride to the port where we met up with Hazza and Jazza. The ride from Serangan to Gili T is only about 100km. Some of the vessels plying their trade on this route look a little worse for wear and have clearly seen more use than your average Bali dunny. The worrying sight of the ‘Ozempic/Need a seatbelt extender set’ frantically waving paper fans was comical but slightly disturbing. The boat we chose was rated by some as “The least worst!” In reality it was a less than a year old, a 26 metre beast with four inboard 380HP diesels. Seats were comfy AF and fully airconditioned. Oh, and a handy bar for washing down the sea sickness tablets that they hand out when you check in, don’t mind if I do!
Couple of hours later and we arrive at Gili Trawangan. Our new home was deliberately only a few minutes walk from the port, so off we trotted. On the subject of trotting though, that is the only horsepower on the Island. The 4 legged variety. The other transport are pushbikes or electric scooters. Sounds like paradise.
Paradise it is, utter peace and quiet, a short walk from an almost unlimited selection of bars and restaurants. Did pretty much sweet FA on our first night and slid back to our room. Our ‘room’ here is spacious and comfortable inside, with our own walled garden, private pool and daybed. Gunna be a great week.
Tempted by a spot of snorkelling, we bumped into a lad who claimed he was starting a new business, had a 6 month old boat and would take the 4 of us out for four hours for about AU$150. Dumb, maybe. But sometimes, a bit of faith and a squirt of hope works out. 6 month old boat was probably a wee porky, but the trip was epic. Given that most of the popular tourist spots are swamped, setting out an hour early is an awesome idea. Soon enough though, other vessels show up looking like they have taken a wrong turn from the French Coast! Heaps of life jacket wearing hopefuls clinging to floaties and wondering why they can’t dive down. Funny but sad! Not sad however, is the speed that 4 people can hop back onto a vessel and zoom off to the next spot. Not sure if the life jacket mobs made it to Kent or another dive site but we spent the rest of the day in clear water. Awesome corals, turtles and fish a plenty. No buyers remorse on this one, tipped the guys handsomely and headed home for a nap.
Heading out to dinner on the other side of the island, we opted for the horse and cart taxi. Personally, when it comes to beasts. Horses, elephants and dogs are well down the page. On the plus side, however, Gili T has no elephants or dogs and the pony that dragged our rickety little cart for 10 mins was entirely inoffensive.
Sunset here generally involves avoiding or pushing so-called influencers out of the way. Grabbed a couple of piccies and returned to the safety of our sofas. Safety here however is never guaranteed. A couple of chaps appeared looking like they had raided some hotel bedrooms and pinched amongst other stuff, a few hat stands. The ends were wrapped with oil soaked bandages and hey presto, fire dance! Even more impressive when one of the aforementioned bandages detached from the hat stand and set fire to a tablecloth. Fire chap, 1: Influencers, 0.
Tomorrow is a new day.
