Our plan in Bali was to stay in Seminyak for a few days just to chill by the beach, then head to the Gili Islands off the coast of Lombok for a week or so exploring a couple of the islands, before heading back to Bali to explore more of the island and immerse ourselves in the culture some more. We gave ourselves 2.5 weeks to complete all of this as we had never been to Bali or the Gilis and were really excited!

Seminyak is on the southwest coast of Bali and known for its lovely beach and nightlife. We spent our days relaxing on the beach and made friends with two locals who had a small patch of the beach to sell their 8 sun loungers… They gave us great tips on where to get some great Indonesian food for lunch and served us Bintangs on our loungers whilst the sun set - it was idyllic and felt really luxurious compared to our previous travels. The beach was pretty crowded with lots of people trying to sell you anything and everything, but it was great to relax. Dave hit the surf and managed to catch a couple of waves, although needs some more lessons! Unfortunately we didn't find much in the way of nightlife in Seminyak so headed into Kuta (the main tourist place, mostly for people from Oz). We had a great night and ended up in this rock bar called the Espresso Bar chatting to some other travellers and locals, and listening to a great live band pumping out all the classics. One thing that struck us right away was how friendly the locals are - they really go out of their way to chat to you.

After 3 nights in Seminyak, we got the morning ferry over to Gili Trawangan. Gili Trawangan is one of three islands, making up the Gili Islands. The Gili Islands are unique to most places in that there is no motorized transport - just bikes and horse and carts, making the islands really peaceful and quiet. There is also no police on the island, just a 'Head of the Island' who attempts to sort out any problems peacefully without involving the law. Gili Trawangan is known for being the party island and we decided to spend 6 nights there, followed by a few nights on Gili Air. The minute we arrived into Gili Trawangan we fell in love with it (power cuts and all!) - it has come to be one of our most favourite places in the world and we can't wait to go back.

We stayed in Manta Dive, which was convenient for me doing my SSI Open Water course there. The Manta Dive team became really good friends of ours, giving us some great local tips on where to eat and watch the sunset etc and also where the parties were at! We spent a few heavy nights with those guys! The first day we just relaxed on the beach, enjoying the beautiful white sands and clear blue waters. The next 4 days I did my Open Water course - I was nervous doing it, having had a bad experience trying to dive in Thailand 7 years ago, but it has been so amazing and I can't believe how peaceful and calm the underwater world is when you are down there. A Dutch guy, Rolf, and an English guy, Dan, were on my course, which was led by a very calm Freddie from Sweden, accompanied by Tom, a Dive Master in training. The first two days were spent in the pool and doing the theory - I am glad we took our time with this as it really built my confidence. We then took to the open water - the first dive was amazing and convinced me I was going to love it. I had a few buoyancy issues - especially on the second dive where there was a medium current but I could feel myself improving and my third dive was the real breakthrough, where I felt at ease in the water, could hold my position and enjoy taking in the marine life. The final dive was awesome and pretty memorable, as it was a wreck of a pier off Gili Meno, which loads of fish and coral now call home. Freddie put our certification cards in a barrel sponge whilst under water for us to collect and shook our hands - it was a nice touch J Marine life I saw over the first four dives included turtles, batfish, angel fish, trivali, clown fish, sweet lips, puffer fish, bearded scorpion fish and a reef octopus!

Dave was undecided about whether he wanted to do any diving initially, but after chatting to the really friendly staff at Manta Dive decided to do a day's Discover Scuba course. He loved it and on his first dive down to 12m saw 3 turtles, loads of fish and amazing coral! He is even considering doing his Open Water course when we are in Thailand. Whilst I was doing my course, Dave enjoyed chilling on the island and also took advantage of exploring the great night life on the island with the Manta Dive team, having a fun night at the Irish bar getting home at 4am!

As I ordered the course online, I got a free fun dive - my first dive without Freddie, which I was a bit nervous about. I had a local Indonesian guide who, as he had been scuba diving in the waters most of his life, knew exactly where things would be and was excellent at spotting marine life. I was so happy that we saw white-tipped reef sharks, as well as more turtles, fish and a stingray! I felt really comfortable in the water and definitely have the diving bug! On our last night, we hit the island's nightlife with the Manta Dive team and their students - it was a fab night with both tourists and the locals enjoying the music and drinks on the idyllic beach setting…

It was really sad to leave Gili Trawangan and we can't wait to go back soon. Next stop - Gili Air (a more chilled out island for some rest and recuperation) and back to Bali!