We could easily have stayed on Gili Air for a few more nights, but we were diverted by the discovery of a 4-day boat trip leaving Gili Air a few days after we arrived, from Lombok to Flores, taking in various islands along the way….it sounded like the perfect opportunity to explore some of the places we wanted to go to anyway (eg Komodo National Park) plus at around £100 each all-in, excluding alcohol, it seemed too good to be true!

So off we set, travelling from Gili Air through Lombok (an absolutely beautiful island we wished we had had more time to explore) to board our boat on Lombok's eastern coast - stopping to pick up fellow passengers and emergency supplies (beers) on the way. As with all these things where the price seems low we had our reservations as to what the boat might actually be like, but we were pleasantly relieved on arrival to find that it was a fairly decent-looking 50-foot wooden boat, with two decks, the upper being where all the passengers slept. This was fairly basic - the at-sea version of a dorm, with lots of mattresses lined up next to each other making sleeping arrangements rather cosy, but certainly nothing less than what we expected.

As supplies were loaded on board we had a few drinks out on the deck with the other passengers who would be our travel companions for the next four nights, basically about 20 backpackers ranging from early 20s to a couple nearer 50, and all mix of nationalities who seemed like an interesting group so as we sailed off into the sunset we were very excited at the prospect of the next few days ahead.

The next few days were absolutely fantastic and we still consider it (writing this 3.5 months in to our overall trip) a real highlight. Each day would start early with a healthy serving of banana pancakes and fresh fruit, followed by either a) jumping overboard for a morning dip or morning snorkel b) sailing somewhere suitably idyllic for the morning snorkel or c) exploring a nearby island we had moored at the night before, trekking through rainforest to waterfalls and bathing in freshwater pools. And then repeated in the afternoon, after a delicious lunch on board the boat.

When we weren't doing the above, we did some great walks on the islands of Komodo and Rinca, in search of the famed komodo dragons that reside there. The walks themselves were lovely, both islands being quite hilly and so with wonderful views from the top of the surrounding islands and turquoise blue sea. And seeing the komodo dragons was great - although supposedly the 'largest and most deadly lizard' on earth, these prehistoric creatures didn't seem too perturbed by us, although I wouldn't take one on in a fist fight. These massive lizards can grow up to 3m in length and live up to 50 years old - there are maybe around 5500 left in Komodo National Park, and considered an endangered species. Our guides taking us round both islands fed us interesting titbits of information, such as the fact that male dragons have two penises (something that was on all our minds when seeing a male and female trying to mate) and that Gywneth Paltrow and family had visited Rinca the month before, so we were obviously in good company.

The snorkelling we did each day was amazing too - both Simon and I agreed it was some of the best we had ever done, with a multitude of different types of coral and fish, and all in crystal clear water. We really felt like our boat had its own private aquarium to explore, and was a real joy to see after the ruined coral around the Gili Isles.

The only blip on the otherwise perfect horizon started on the second day when we were motoring just before sunset to our next destination: the sea became very choppy, so much so that my sunset beer suddenly remerged in front of some our new-found friends. I was forced to retire early without dinner (must have been bad), and after dinner as the weather and waves got worse, I was joined in the upper deck by almost all of the rest of the group as everyone was feeling the effects. There was definitely a storm brewing, the swells were getting bigger, and then followed a harrowing and sleepless night - the waves got progressively worse until the early hours of the morning, by which point none had slept at all, and as the boat rocked from side to side the sleeping arrangements got even cosier as if you hadn't held on tight enough to your side of the boat, you soon found yourself rolling on top of your neighbour. There are few times in my 33 years I have genuinely feared for my life, and this was one of them….particularly as it was the middle of the night and your imagination easily runs away with you. Simon did his best to try and comfort me but he was also interrupted with bouts of sickness and had to poke his head out of the port hole, also redecorating the boat's exterior.

Thankfully at around 4am it all seemed to subside, and the poor crew battling these waves were also given a rest as we managed to moor in a quiet bay. One couple came up from the lower deck - having not been able to climb up the ladder to the upper deck in time before the swell got really bad - and reported that water from the waves had covered the lower deck and that the waves were as big as the boat….this made us all the more thankful for the relative peace we now had!

After that everyone managed to sleep and it was a much later start the next day, at around 10.30am, when we headed off again. The waves were still pounding however and although I thought I had nothing left to throw up, I was wrong….but at least it was daylight and not nearly as scary as it had been. By lunchtime the waves started to subside and, starving from my unintentional 24-hour fast, was able to eat again. Before we knew it the water was as calm as a lake and as we motored to Komodo island, passing beautiful deserted beaches, and yet more turquoise water, it looked like absolute paradise and you could hardly believe what we all went through the night before.

As we watched another beautiful sunset on board the boat that night, not a ripple in sight, we also admired the amazing stars above us, and thanked them, and our boat crew, for our safe return to calmer waters. I think we certainly got a higher octane dose of adventure than expected so far on this trip, but another good story for the grandkids at least…