We had to be up pretty early in order to have breakfast before checking in for our boat crossing at 8am. The Indonesian way of doing breakfast is to order it at reception and then they bring it up to your room when it's ready. It was so lovely sitting on our balcony eating delicious banana pancakes and fresh fruit, we really felt like we were on holiday.
 
We were met at the hotel by one of the men from the ferry company who then walked us down to the office where we checked in . After a lot of sitting about, we were eventually taken down to the jetty where we boarded our fast boat to the Gili Islands. The boat itself was fairly modern, which was a nice surprise, and the crossing was much easier and smoother than we had expected, so it was only about 90 minutes before we were pulling up at Gili Trawangan.
 
There are 3 islands which make up the Gilis: Trawangan, Meno and Air. Gili Meno is practically uninhabited and is reserved more for honeymooners or those looking to get away from literally everything for a while! Gili Trawangan is considered the party island as it has lots of bars and dive centres so attracts a younger crowd and Gili Air is somewhere in between, with some bars and restaurants but lots of natural untouched areas too. The beauty of the island was instantly clear to see and, after seeing how much of a mess Denpasar was, this was a huge relief and instantly put our concerns to rest about coming to Indonesia. The beach was narrow but lined with palm and coconut trees, it has lovely yellow sand leading into amazingly blue water . It made us very excited to get out and explore.
 
We quickly realised though that we weren't pulling up at a jetty to get off, instead the boat had dropped its anchor a little way from the shore and we were going to have to jump overboard and wade ashore! The porters passed all our bags down and it wasn't long before we were approached by one of the many hotel reps. We had been told by friends that there is no need to book accommodation before arriving as the places with vacancies will send reps down to meet the new arrivals and offer the empty rooms. The idea is then you go and look at the room and, if you like it, negotiate a price. This was a new concept for us so we were a little nervous but the room we were shown was very nice and we agreed on 300,000IDR per night, which is about $30 a night, so we checked in and made ourselves at home! We were very pleased with our room as it was a lone standing bungalow with a very high rounded roof which made it look more like a barn, it was beautiful! The bed was huge and the bathroom was lovely so we certainly weren't missing our cramped dorm rooms anymore . This was actually a more expensive room worth up to $70 a night but they let us have it at $30 for a night then we would move into a different room for the rest of our stay. This wasn't a problem for us so we were happy, especially as the hotel was in a good location as well.
 
The majority of our time on Gili Trawangan was spent relaxing and soaking up the sun! The beaches are lined with bars and restaurants all with loungers or bean bags in different styles on the sand which you can use if you buy something to eat or drink, so we enjoyed trying out a different one each day! We had bought snorkels and masks in Hawaii so when we needed to cool off a bit, we explored the fish and coral in various parts of the sea. The coral was pretty badly damaged but there were plenty of interesting fish to look at and the water was crystal clear. We got caught out by one bar though as we ordered 2 large bottles of water during the time we laid there, we figured this was a good idea as we had been drinking a lot of beer so we'd keep the cost down a bit, only to discover later that they actually cost 65,000IDR each ($6 .50!) rather than the 6,000IDR (60c) we had normally been paying in shops! This was especially annoying as a beer is only 32,000IDR ($3.20) so after trying to save money we actually spent twice as much! One of the bars we laid at was next to a turtle conservation area so it was lovely to learn about how the locals are helping to protect the sea turtles whose homes have been disturbed by the ever increasing number of tourists. They have big tanks full of baby turtles so they can grow safely before being released back into the wild once they are 8 months old so they can go far enough out to sea to be safe.
 
The island itself isn't actually very big so, for a bit of exercise, we decided to walk around it on 3 different days! It takes about 2 and a half hours to get all the way round if you don't stop but, as we had plenty of time, we stopped each time either to get food, buy jewellery from a little stall or to sunbathe. It was beautiful to walk round as for most of the island you can just stick to the beach to walk along and the scenery quickly changes as you go round . On one side of the island, you can see Gili Air and Lombok whereas on the other side, on a clear day, you can see 1 of the main volcanoes on Bali and the silhouettes of a few neighbouring islands. As it is so small, the island doesn't use any street names, instead landmarks such as hotels, bars, restaurants and dive shops are used when describing where you want to go or meet someone, so it can be a bit confusing! Also, there are no motorised vehicles on the island: instead you can get around by horse and cart, bicycle or on foot! This means there isn't the pollution or constant drone of cars and motorbikes but it doesn't help solve the problem of traffic jams! In fact, quite often, we had to leap out of the way of oncoming horses or bikes and wait patiently while 2 horse and carts tried to pass each other while avoiding hitting the cyclists or pedestrians! So it's quite unique but still nearly as dangerous. 
 
We were a little surprised by the weather during our first few days as it was boiling hot during the morning but then at around 2pm, the dark clouds rolled in and it absolutely poured with rain right through until the middle of the night! This wasn't really a problem for us, as by then we had soaked up enough of the sun and used that time to catch up with the blog, upload photos and plan the next part of our adventures! One evening, though, it rained so hard that the Main Street completely flooded causing the horses to try and drag the carts through water that was almost up to their knees! Luckily for us, there was a very good restaurant just opposite our hotel so we didn't have to go very far and get too wet! The locals couldn't understand why it was raining like this as the wet season ended back in April/May but this was now July and this was supposed to be the height of their dry season?! This crazy weather pattern only lasted a couple of days though and we were soon treated to boiling hot mornings, afternoons and evenings!!
 
We were very pleasantly surprised by the food on the island; it was delicious! In particular, we found a place that did extremely good spring rolls, another place with an amazing Thai green curry and even the Nasi Goreng (fried rice) or Mie Goreng (fried noodles) were really tasty! Matt was also loving paying a reasonable price for beer after the crazy prices in Australia so, with that and the horror stories of recent deaths on the island from people drinking vodka laced with methylated spirits, it was Bintangs all round! Unfortunately Bali and Gili have developed a bit of a reputation lately for mixing their spirits with other things and several people have either died or ended up with serious health problems so it's highly recommended not to drink any local spirits and just drink beer or non alcoholic drinks . One bar where we enjoyed a few drinks was the Sama Sama reggae bar. The night we went, there was a local band playing who were actually very good! It was bizarre how, when they were singing they pronounced the words perfectly and sounded very English but whenever they talked between songs they could barely string a sentence together and their attempts were incomprehensible!
 
During one day, Matt decided to make the most of being in an area surrounded by excellent dive sites which you can explore for just $40 and booked himself on an afternoon dive. Considering how impressive the views were said to be, he couldn't believe how cheap it was! While he was off being adventurous, I spent the time being pampered! This too is incredibly cheap so I had a manicure and foot massage and it only cost me 180,000IDR ($18)!!!!! I met Matt back at the dive centre and you could tell straight away he had really enjoyed his dive!
 
He'd made a new friend called Kadir who was from Denmark as they had been paired together. They both really enjoyed the dive as they saw a couple of turtles, eels and many other types of fish . They only went down to 18 metres but that was perfect as the water had probably the best visibility Matt had experienced in all his dives. This was his first dive since back in November when he did the Yongala shipwreck and unfortunately perforated his ear drum. Following doctor's orders, he avoided diving and gave himself plenty of time to heal and luckily he came back with no problems this time, so we were both very relieved. 
 
Matt was pretty jealous that I had been pampered and he hadn't so when I told him that not only did they do a 90 minute hot stone massage but that it was only 250,000IDR ($25) he quickly marched me back to the salon to book us in for one the next day, along with a foot massage! We had always wanted a hot stones massage but never wanted to pay the £60 or £70 they are at home. So at these prices it was rude not to! 
 
The hot stones massage was amazing but not at all what we had expected! We thought there would be a bit of a massage and then they would lay hot stones on us and leave us there to relax . Instead we were treated to a full body and head massage, before being massaged again by rubbing the scolding hot stones all over us then having them placed on us and left for about 10 minutes. It did feel lovely, despite being a little painful at times! We still can't get over how much was involved for such a low price, it just goes to show how overpriced massages are back home! Matt was a little nervous about having a foot massage as he has quite sensitive feet but soon relaxed and felt the benefits! As our masseurs were both men, they were very strong so they rubbed and pushed really hard, giving us an excellent massage! By the end of our visit, we were both so relaxed and rejuvenated! We even joked that it seemed a shame to have to walk on our newly pampered feet! I have a feeling this won't be the last massage we have during our trip!
 
One evening we booked ourselves on to a cookery class which was excellent! There was 7 of us in our group: a mother and daughter from Australia, a couple from Holland and a lady from the Czech Republic . The class was really hands on as you had to do everything yourself with just instructions and small demos from the tutors. This was brilliant though as we really felt like it was us cooking the dishes and would actually be able to recreate them at home (with a recipe of course!). We learnt to make fried Tempe with a peanut sauce, steamed fish in banana leaves, Mie Goreng, chicken curry and a dessert called Kelapon. The best bit came at the end though as we got to sit with our new friends and eat the delicious meal we had just prepared! We were very proud of ourselves and it all tasted so good - even the sauce the fish was cooked in which I had accidentally blended the lemongrass into rather than using it to infuse the flavour then remove, making it very strong!
 
We did manage to drag ourselves away from the beach for a couple of days and went on a couple of trips: one to the nearby island of Lombok and the other snorkelling around the 3 Gili Islands. 
 
We arranged the trip to Lombok with the guy from our hotel so he came as our guide and we met his cousin there to be our driver . The boat journey from Gili T to Bangsal takes about an hour but it was a real experience as we were crammed on board with lots of locals, gas bottles, baskets and crates (in fact, on the way back to Gili, there was even a beautifully carved wooden bed frame and wardrobe on board which we had to climb over!). Our itinerary included a temple famous for embracing 5 different religions, a waterfall and a Sasak weaving village where, after being shown around the village, we were led into the shop to be dressed up in traditional Sasak costumes and then guilt tripped into buying some weaving! It was nice to visit another place but it wasn't the best day trip ever and we probably wouldn't recommend it to others as there was a lot of driving about to not really see very much! Lombok itself looked absolutely gorgeous though with green rolling hills and rice terraces everywhere you looked (much more how I had imagined Bali would look!) so I would definitely recommend people to visit but to take your time and explore properly! (Little did I know at the time but we would get the opportunity to do just that in a couple of weeks time!) . Our biggest memory from our day trip though was the driving skills of our driver! It was possibly some of the most stupid, impatient driving we have ever witnessed. He constantly overtook everyone he could, drove on the wrong side of the road and didn't bat an eyelid at overtaking on bends where you couldn't see round the corner. It certainly was a real experience just not one we fancy repeating. Whether this is just how they drive here or he's a complete nutter we don't know but luckily we made it back alive!
 
The snorkelling trip took us to 4 different sites, where we quickly leapt overboard and enjoyed investigating the area, as well as stopping on Gili Air for lunch. The first site is a well known turtle resting area so we were able to see quite a few turtles and swim alongside a couple. They really are magnificent, graceful creatures. I love being in the water with them! We were very lucky to get to swim alongside a huge one that came up for air, Matt got so close he could have easily reached out and touched it as he swam along . It was a real shame we didn't have our underwater camera with us! We couldn't stop at the planned second site as the current was too strong and sadly the alternative was full of tiny jellyfish so it wasn't a very pleasant swim! I was putting up with loads of constant little pin pricks until some got me around my mouth, then I was straight out of the water and back on the boat! We went for lunch next, which was actually very tasty! As we had preordered, it arrived very quickly so we were able to have a little look at some of the island before we had to get back on the boat! The third site was full of hundreds of beautiful fish and we were given bread by the crew so we could feed them causing even more to come rushing over and swarm around us! It was an incredible sight as they were all different shapes, sizes and colours! The final site was an area where the coral is very well preserved and is, therefore, still very colourful. It was lovely to float above it and let the current carry you across sections of blue, purple and red coral . From the final site, it was a pretty rocky journey back to Gili T which saw me get soaked by a wave which crashed over the side of the boat! I was already wet from snorkelling but it was still pretty funny! Considering the trip cost 120,000IDR ($12) each and included lunch, it was very good value and we really enjoyed it!
 
There were only really 2 negative aspects to the island:
1. The amount of rubbish everywhere - it's as though the locals just don't see it but it really spoils what could be a beautiful paradise island.
2. The fact the local population are predominantly Muslim and we were there during Ramadan which meant we had to endure the 'Call to Prayer' and 'mosque music' at several times during the day but mainly 6:30pm, 9:30pm, 1:30am and 4:30am!!! As you can imagine, being woken up by anything at 4:30am isn't exactly very nice but when you hear the noise that the mosques make it makes an alarm clock sound like singing angels!
 
Our few days on Gili Trawangan turned into 10 and we loved every moment! By the time we left, we felt so relaxed and our tans were looking amazing! It was exactly what we had hoped it would be and were quite sad when we decided we really needed to move on! When we checked in, the guy asked us how long we wanted to stay: 2 nights? 2 weeks? 2 months? Forever? And if it wasn't for the fact we still had other places we wanted to explore, 'forever' could have been a very tempting idea!