Our next destination in Indonesia was the Gili Islands, a short speed boat ride across from Bali. You'd probably need a magnifying glass to spot this tiny archipelago on a map but they are real I promise. The Gilis are made up of three beautifully symmetrical dots called Tawarangan, Meno and Air and were only settled on in the 1960s by fishermen from Lombok and Bali and have remained amazingly peaceful since. We found it particularly amusing to learn that the islands have no police whatsoever, any crimes are reported to the Kapala Desa (village chief) who deals with culprits as he sees fit. After a couple of hours at sea we finally pulled into this trio of desert islands lined with white sand and palm trees set in bright turquoise waters. First thing first, we hollered a taxi in search of our hotel, only it wasn't a taxi, it was a horse and cart. The Gilis have no cars or motorbikes so getting around is much like it was in the 1800s.
Having settled into our Indian style hotel, we escaped the heat and washed down the day's travels with a few cocktails before heading off to one of the few but beautiful beach BBQ restaurants. Unfortunately for Sai, this was to be a silent first meal for we had located the best buffet on Gili (as many visits as you like). The most she got from me was the odd satisfied grin as the rest of the time was either whilst gorging or en route to / from the buffet. This scenario would be repeated 3 nights in a row until we were banned.
The beautiful weather instantly drew us to the beach and subsequently into the crystal clear waters armed with our snorkels and flippers. The gentle current washed us around the dive sites and bright coral reefs where the sun bronzed our backs (I would later resemble a lobster) and we observed families of fishies passing by. The absolute highlight of the visit came when a giant sea turtle, probably on his way to a seafood buffet, gently swam past us and popped his head above water for some air. Like a scene out of Finding Nemo we snorkelled along side him for most of the stretch of the bay until he disappeared on cruise control into the abyss.
Eager to make the most of our second day we headed straight for the beach once again in search of turtles when disaster struck. Gili's unpredictable roads sent Sai flying off her bike into the road. Ouch. Throughout our whole trip we have observed bandage covered backpackers and prayed it wouldn't happen to us but alas; accidents happen and on this day we were unlucky. This didnt stop a very brave Sai from getting back on her bike that evening for a ride across the island in her bandaged limbs.
The next day we set off aboard a glass bottomed boat for snorkelling trip around all three islands. With the whole boat praying to see turtles (not having been as lucky as us to stumble across one the previous day) we finally came across one late in the day. Leading the race amongst 30 odd swimmers to see the turtle first, I swam deep down and touched his tough shell. As you can imagine he popped his little head into his shell before shooting off into the darkness leaving a group of very disappointed, non turtle seeing amateurs.
The Gili islands were a definite favourite of the entire trip as they remain still so unspoiled and picturesque. Devastated to leave, the journey back to Bali mainland would bring more excitement a school of dolphins and a giant whale appeared along side the boat to show off for tourists and bid us farewell.