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Gili Islands - Don't judge a book by its cover

Hello, my dear reader! How are you today? Please take your time to read this post.
In the past 3 days we've been in Gili Trawangan, the largest of Gili islands. From Lembongan we took a fast boat which had one stop in Bali. The ticket was 450000 IDR (~28 EUR) and the ride took ~2.5h. It was a smooth journey. We watched movies the entire time.
I have to admit Gili T doesn't look as I pictured. The island was severely affected by the major earthquake from August and it's still recovering. If you put aside this aspect and enjoy the simplicity of this place, you will find your inner peace.
Ruins after the earthquake
Some people left after the earthquake, others stayed to protect their business.
Most streets look like this one. From place to place the street is paved
The cool thing about this island is that there are no motors! The transportation available is by foot, by bike or by horse drawn carriage. We tried the first two options. At the property where we stayed the bikes were included in the bungalow price. And, yes, this time we stayed in a bungalow! The Island Beach bungalow is a stunning place.

We really enjoyed our stay here. Our hosts were very friendly and always happy to help us. Andy, one of our hosts, reminded me about an important lesson: "To earn respect, you must show respect!". Thank you Andy for this! After the checkin we took the bikes and went for an island tour.
From time to time I was stopping to take a photo

Palm tree forest. The property where we stayed was in the middle of it
Horse drawn carriage 
Live music in a reggae bar 
The next morning I went to a yoga class in a tree house studio with sea view.

Namaste!


For the rest of the day I was lazy by the pool!
Iced Lombok coffee! It has a rich aroma. The volcanic soil of Lombok island and the climate proved ideal for growing coffee.

I've been noticing in Indonesia cats are stumpy tailed. Apparently they born like this. At first I suspected the locals are cutting them.

The flower fell from the tree and seamed appropriate to accessorise my hair with it. 
On this side of the island (north) leave mostly locals and is very quiet. More to the south, near the harbour is where the parties start. 
Cozy terrace by seaside  

The island lacks public illumination

In our last day we took a boat ride to Gili Air, one of the other two Gili islands. From Gili T we took the public boat. The ticket was 40000 IDR (~2.5 EUR) one-way and it took around 30 minutes with one stop in Gili Meno (the other Gili island). 
This island looks less developed as Gili T. Most of the streets were like this one

It took us ~1h to walk around the island

Who put the bike in the tree? On this side of the island the sea was at low tide

Little mermaid on the pink beach 

So pink!

The place had an amazing vibe! So chill & zen! I felt so disconnected from the entire world!
We spent the rest of the afternoon by the beach. Near the harbour there is a lovely beach with crystal water. It's the perfect place for snorkeling.

In the horizon, Lombok island
We returned with the same public boat. This time the sea was a little bit agitated and the boat ride was bumpy.
Next stop: Ubud, Bali!
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