I would've loved to entitle this post 'Girls Gili Getaway' (due to my aptitude for alliteration (thanks to my mom for that!)), but there was a boy... so I couldn't.
With the dual purpose of escaping Bali's "Day of Silence", and having a fun birthday getaway, a friend organized a trip to the Gili Islands of Lombok for the long weekend at the end of March.
Gili actually means island, so I always feel redundant saying 'the Gili Islands', but I digress...
We had a blast! The Gilis are an interesting escape from Bali, and different in so many ways, and the best thing is, there are three of them, offering three different atmospheres, yet only a hop away from eachother! There is Gili Trawangan, the party island, which due to the lack of police in the Indonesian province of Lombok, has a great variety of 'happy shakes' and 'mystic pizzas' available! We didn't stay there. Although we transited there, so we got to see everything we were (NOT) missing (below, the red beer crate aftermath of one evening of partying)!
On the other end of the spectrum is Gili Meno... VERY quiet and subdued... in fact, we were told "there' nothing there"... except possibly some good snorkeling.
And the middle-of-the-road option, where we made ourselves VERY comfortable for 4 days, is Gili Air. Air meaning water in Indonesian (just to throw you for a loop). It was very relaxed, and had a little bit of everything, which was just perfect for a weekend rejuvenation getaway!
We were greeted by pods of hundreds of dolphins on our arrival!
It's a small island, so walking anywhere was certainly possible... but also available were a cute version of horse-drawn carriages, which had a certain charm and appeal... at least until you were rumbling along in one. But it was a great way to do a little tour of the island, and see all the sights!
But most of our days were spent between lolling in beach-side cabanas, drinking fresh juices, reading, and dipping in for a quick snorkel. Nothing too stressful here folks!
... and since my book wasn't very gripping, I even had a chance to delve into my camera manual and play with all the great features!
Sunsets were always stunning as well... especially this day when the reflections were perfect!
And of course, what birthday party, even on a subdued tropical island, would be complete without a little wine and birthday cake!?
The Villa Karang where we stayed was comfortable, and had a lovely pool and the restaurant had hands-down the best pizza on the island!
On Sunday, as we headed back toward Bali, I couldn't help but think what a special and fabulous part of the world this is!
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