Shaky Boat Ride to Lombok and the Gili Islands

It was now time to leave Bali behind, having thoroughly enjoyed my time spent exploring the countryside, rafting through narrow green valleys, attempting to surf and being annoyed by the tourist mass that is Kuta. Once again, I opted to pay a few dollars more for the faster, more convenient transport option, taking a tourist bus and then a ferry over to Lombok, the next major island East of Bali. At the harbor, we watched our ship arrive and ferry passengers back and forth in a small lifeboat, 15-20 at a time, forcing people to wade in and out of the blue water, as the dock is apparently only used by the really expensive boats and the public car ferry. Remarkably inefficient, we waited on the beach for nearly two hours as the departing passengers made their way into Bali and we eventually got out to the boat, though they didn't seem to want to use the boats both ways for entering and exiting passengers, so the lifeboat would return empty every time to the boat, when it could have been taking the upcoming passengers to the boat, though I figured it wasn't worth trying to point out the problem there.

Once on the large wooden boat, with about 100 other passengers, I found a comfortable seat in the back, grabbed a few of the complimentary fried bananas...then grabbed a few more for later, and we were off. The crew members came by, passing out seasickness pills, as they said it might be a rough ride. Not being a huge fan of long boat rides anyway, I hoped the next four to five hours wouldn't be too bad, though I was glad that I opted for the faster ferry, as the public option takes something like six or seven hours, depending on the water. The trip started off with no problems, rocking back and forth, passing the rugged coastline of Bali with some high cliffs and scenic black sand beaches with stunning blue water and eventually making it out into the open ocean. A few hours into it, we were jarred by a few massive waves; well, I didn't see them, but the entire ship tipped to one side, feeling like it was about to roll over, though I think it probably could have actually withstood a bit more. Nevertheless, bags and food slid down the counters, and a few shrieks came from the back of the boat. A few minutes later, we hit another huge swell, this time unlodging the refrigerator from the small bar area in the middle of the boat, spilling food and the containers of tea, sugar and coffee all over the cabin, some of the food coming very close to landing in my lap. A little worried, I trusted that the ship would be good enough, and, of course, it was, even providing us with a basic buffet dinner before getting across to Lombok and the surrounding islands.

Deciding to actually skip the main island, our ship was destined to the Gili Islands, a very popular group of three (partially) idyllic islands stretching just off the Northwest coast of the main island. The superb snorkelling, blue-green waters, white sand beaches and complete lack of cars and motorcycles draw many visitors (the only transport is via bicycles or horse carts), each of the three islands with slightly different attractions. Gili Trawagan, by far the biggest, is full of cheap hotels, bars, restaurants and clubs, and it is the party center. Gili Air is somewhat developed, though not nearly as lively or crowded, though also surrounded by a few nice beaches. Finally, Gili Meno, the smallest of the islands, though about the same as Gili Air, has the smallest population and much less development than the other two, so I opted for the quietest of the three, hoping to find a bit of seclusion. I initially was told that our boat would not be able to stop there due to the tides, though, as with much information given here in Indonesia, that didn't turn out to be exactly true.

Arriving in the darkness of the night, I first saw the bright lights and expansive beach of Gili Trawagan, saturated with development along the entire coast, and I was glad that wasn't my choice, especially after the large boatloads of passengers from our boat boarded the small boats ferrying them to the island. For the next stop, we stopped in the waters just off of Gili Meno, and I, along with about five other passengers, got on the tiny boat to the island, already excited about the prospects of the island. Despite the darkness, I could see a long white sand beach stretching along the coast, free of the intrusive lights of the other islands. I could also see through the clear water below, passing over clumps of coral and sea grass before dropping us at the beach, wading up to a small hotel and bonfire. Before even stepping foot on land, I was falling in love with the little island, already having revealed clear waters, long, untouched beaches and a lack of development. With a smile on my face and a bit of excitement, I headed down the shore, ready to find a place to stay for the next few days, eager to see the island bathed in the tropical sun the next day. I tried the hotel immediately in front first, finding the prices highly inflated from what was quoted in my book, mostly because this is the high season for tourists in July and August, so I continued up the tiny sand road along the water's edge, finding another high-priced option and a random tout with a horse cart offering a good price for a guesthouse on the other side of the island, though I was wary about taking the horse across the island (just 20 minutes away), as I'd be stuck in the middle of nowhere without knowing anything about the place or the one cafe on that side. So, I passed up his offer and eventually found a place for $20, offering a comfortable big bed in a surprisingly spacious room (though no bathroom), but the location wasn't quite ideal. The hotel's location along the beach was wonderful with tables and lounges just a few feet from the water, but my room was the last one left, perched in the second level above the bar and restaurant. After a few hours, the thumping music stopped, and I was able to get a few hours of sleep, rudely awoken by the early morning kitchen staff below who sounded like they were standing next to me as they sang, laughed and got ready for the day.

With the help of daylight, I found a much better place for my next few days, a small bungalow at a local spot with just two rooms, a one minute walk from the beach. The room was actually fairly nice, with a large bed and mosquito net and attached bathroom in the back, so I though it was a pretty good deal for $15, especially after talking to other travellers on the island who paid much more for their rooms. So, with a secure place to stay, I relaxed and enjoyed the island life of Gili Meno. As for real activities, snorkelling and diving are probably the only things to really do, though I was much more content to gaze over the clear, blue-green water into the distance the small, palm studded, beach encircled island of Gili Air and further into the distance at the mountainous, arid island of Lombok.

(One of my last meals in Bali: a cheap plate of crunchy noodles and a side of chicken satay/sate/skewers covered in a delicious, sweet peanut sauce. With food being so cheap, it's not all that uncommon for me to have two dinners like this.)

(The rugged coast of East Bali from our boat. At this time, the ride was nice and smooth, but we had a few huge swells later on that tipped the refrigerator and basically everything in the boat on its side as it felt like we weren't too far from tipping over, though I doubt it was really that close.)

(We also had a scenic sunset from the boat, just about 45 minutes before arriving at the first of the Gili Islands, Gili Trawagan and its bright lights, then moving on to my stop at the tranquil Gili Meno.)

(Along the East coast of Gili Meno, looking over the beautiful water towards Gili Air, the third of the tiny Gili Islands and the closest to the mainland.)

(The beach along the Southern coast of Gili Meno was best one on the island, looking towards the mountainous island of Lombok.)

(With no cars or scooters, the difference in noise and chaos is huge compared to most of Indonesia. These horse carts, along with rental bicycles, are the only forms of transport on the island, other than taking an hour or two to walk around the entire coast.)