We awoke to the sound of more than one cockerel screeching away as well as a member of staff slamming a fresh mug onto the table on our veranda, even though it hadn't yet turned 5:30am! Our alarm went off almost immediately, or so it felt, at 6:30am and we struggled to get out of bed for our breakfast. Dean even came to check that we were up and ready. Andrew went to order breakfast but was served something completely different so there wasn't really any point! We just had time to eat breakfast before we were told our bus was waiting so we made our way to the front entrance, sleepily, and boarded the minibus. We thought we were going to be the only people on the bus but just as we were leaving the centre of Ubud we stopped at a hotel to pick up some more people. I dozed off until Andrew shouted in my ear that he saw a food market! The journey seemed to take forever but we eventually arrived at Padang Bai where we were ushered into a restaurant while our bags were loaded onto a trolley. I had a seat while Andrew and Dean went to pay for our ticket. Andrew stood his ground when we were asked to pay more than what was agreed when we booked the ticket and the age old trick of having no change was even played, which is common in Indonesia! Anyway, we got our ticket and had to wait a while before we were told to then go and wait outside of the restaurant. This was a prime opportunity for street sellers and we were offered everything from mango's to sunglasses and so the only thing we said for around fifteen minutes was no, in the nicest possible way. We finally got the call to walk to the pier but Dean and I got stuck behind the crowd. We luckily squeezed through to catch up with Sam and Andrew because the boat was full and some people had to wait to board a different one. Sam asked the crew if she could sit on the top deck as she suffers from travel sickness but she was told she had to wait until the boat was out of the bay. However, once we were seated inside we saw other passengers climbing the stairs onto the deck! Sam went to ask again and this time we all piled onto the sun deck. We set off but after around two minutes the engines stopped and the crew were attempting to do something at the back of the boat. I started to think we would have been better off on the other boat! Dean asked if there was a problem in Indonesian but we were assured there wasn't and before long the engines were restarted and we were on route to Gili Trawangan. We were each given a little box that contained a cup of water, a chocolate croissant and a single hard boiled sweet. The journey was quite nice although at times we got splashed as the boat hit a wave. As we pulled up at Lombok I was desperate for the toilet as was Andrew, even though it looked as though you could touch Gili Trawangan it took another ten minutes to reach it. We finally docked right on the beach and clambered onto the sand. Andrew immediately went in search of a toilet and just left us all even though we all needed the toilet! There were a fair few people offering "really cheap" accommodation but as we had read about theft being a bit of a problem we had booked into a nice, reliable placed called Gili Hideaway. We asked somebody if they knew of Gili Hideaway and the obvious response was that it was too far away to walk and so we would "need" a horse and cart that they just so happened to have waiting! The island was far too small and we knew we didn't need transport so we set off walking and asked people along the way. The name was most appropriate as the bungalows were literally hid away behind the main road and were so peaceful and quiet on our arrival. We were shown to our room and then brought a welcome soft drink. The place was a real touch of luxury for Andrew and I as it had a nice soft mattress, fluffy pillows, cushions on the bed and a box cotton mosquito net. It felt so homely as there was a chill out seating area outside our room which was closed off from everybody else so it was our own private spot. I had a quick salt water shower which was basically a piece of bamboo attached to a water supply but at least plenty of water was let out.
 
We set off walking along the main route just behind the beach and stopped at a restaurant to eat . However, the portion size was tiny for the price and the burger that Andrew, Dean and I ordered was completely dwarfed by the bread bun! Anyway, we had eaten something so Dean was now desperate to get right in the water to snorkel away the rest of the day. I opted out so just lay in a bamboo hut whilst Andrew, Dean and Sam snorkeled at Trawangan Slope. They came out and informed me, much to my disappointment, that they had seen a turtle. I was a little jealous so borrowed Sam's snorkeling gear. We walked a little further up the beach before getting into the water because the current was quite strong. However, it was a complete nightmare getting out to the coral reef because by this time the tide had gone out. This left a sea bed of broken coral which was rather shocking to see the damage that had been done to the reef. We had to walk backwards, fighting the waves, until we finally reached deeper water so we were able to swim. It was a little murky as it had become a little wavy and the coral was quite patchy so although parts were pretty and full of life other parts looked sad . I started to freak out a bit as the current was too strong and the visibility was becoming less and less so I decided to get out. However, that wasn't so easy as I had to negotiate the broken coral and avoid scraping every part of my body. Andrew had to inform me at one point that I was about to swim over a huge piece of coral that would have touched my stomach. I also had to look twice as I saw a 'Lion Fish' which can be really dangerous, so I started kicking a little faster. We eventually made it out and gathered our stuff together before walking to a shop to buy coke and ice to add to our rum and whiskey. 
 
We got back to Gili Hideaway and asked Sam, the owner, if we could borrow a glass each. He noticed that we had bought ice and he said we should have asked him because the ice that we had bought was made from tap water which is unsafe to drink. He brought us a glass each that had been chilled in the freezer, a bowl of mineral water ice and a freshly cut lime. He really couldn't have done anything more for us, so we offered him a drink but he said he might come back for one later as he was still at work . We all gathered at our private hideaway spot and had a drink, which thankfully tasted far nicer with a wedge of lime. We then had to shower in the dark beneath the stars, which wasn't exactly a bad thing. Sam popped back for a drink and Andrew had to continue pouring the whiskey until he said stop! We were all ready for our first night on Gili T so set off walking to Cafe Gili. The food was really tasty but yet again we got too small a portion for the price and so we could have literally eaten another dish. We went to sit on the huge cushions laid out around low tables on the beach and whilst Andrew and Dean drank Bintang Sam and I sampled the local rose wine which was fairly refreshing! Dean removed a Bintang label from a bottle and slapped it onto the side of a poor cat! The joke then escalated to the cat advertisement of Bintang. We then carried on walking and came across a 'Turtle Conservation Sanctuary' where there were three pools containing different sized turtles that were being put into a net. The worker was kind enough to let us pick one up and place it into the net so that they could clean out the pool. They were so cute and small, but it was good to know that the island was actively involved in conservation, especially as the coral reef appeared to be in poor condition. We then came across 'Rudy's Pub' where it was Bintang for everyone to end the night.