Indonesia - a vibrant, lovely country that embraces ex-pats and travelers with love and warmth!
We had just arrived in Jakarta when we discovered that we were expecting. Traveling is a passion that me and my husband share and we wanted to inculcate it in our daughter too; even before she arrived in this world :)
We generally like to travel to places less traveled and that's the reason we chose Gili Islands over Bali for our Pregnant getaway. And let me tell you one thing; pregnant or not pregnant; you have got to visit Gili Islands if you are in or around Indonesia.
Gili Islands are a group of three beautiful islands in a row; Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air. We had 9 days for this trip and decided to discover all three...
Day 1 to 3:
We reached Lombok Airport early in the morning and took a pre-booked taxi to the port to catch a ferry for our first stop in Gili Islands; Gili Trawangan
The way from Lombok Airport to the port is about 3 hours and is a treat to eyes in itself!
Port of Lombok
Indonesians love babies and having babies. Almost everyone (seriously) would look at my pregnant belly and ask one or more of these three questions; Haamil (Bhasa for pregnant)? how many months? Boy or Girl?
And they would take special care of me without having to ask for it. The boat guy rode super slow and ensured I didn't get a single bump in our half an hour long boatride fromLombok to Gilli Trawangan.
Oh this beautiful island floating in turquoise waters, with white sand beaches!
Gili T is the Party island of the three and it actually doesn't sleep. Live bands and music everywhere; people dancing, great food (Do try Nasi Goreng. It could be called the national dish of Indonesia); the vibe of Gili T is contagious. We went to listen to a live reggae band and loved it. While in Jakarta, not many people would be able to communicate in English, in Gili Islands, almost everyone could speak English.
The main street and market of Gili Trawangan
The best part about Gili Islands is that there are 'no vehicles run by fuel'; none! One could either walk or take a horse cart ride. Walking is the best way to explore and soak in any place, so we mostly walked in our entire trip.
The total circumference of Gili T is 6 Kms that could be covered in about 2 hours.
Gili islands are perfect destinations for swimming in the sea, snorkeling and scuba diving. I had to be content with swimming, but it in itself was awesome and I could spot fish and coral even while swimming, so no major complaints there :) One could find snorkeling gears everywhere, so you don't really need to carry your own snorkeling gears while traveling to Gili.
We would never ever miss the mystical sunsets of Gilli T. The most beautiful sunsets I have ever witnessed in my life!
With these beautiful memories of Gili Trawangan, we leave for the rest of the two Gili Islands; of which I will tell you in our next post!
Till then,
Cheers!