Located off the northwest corner of Lombok, Gili Trawangan is the largest of the three Gili Islands with an estimated permanent population of about 800. With powdery white sands and sparkling turquoise blue clean water, these three isles are unspoiled and a breath of fresh air for city dwellers.
Taking a fast boat from Padang Bai, we reached Trawangan within 12pm. Treading on the soft white sand, we walked to the parking space, where we booked a horse tonga to take us to our pre-booked resort.
One thing that you should note here is that there are no motor vehicles in Gili. The available options are the horse-drawn tonga, bicycles that you can book in local shops and hotels, and the good old 'walking'. However, as the island is quite tiny, these 3 options actually make sense.
Once we reached our resort - Les Villas Ottalia, we received a warm welcome from our host, who took us to our individual cottage, which had a private pool. She also arranged a pair of bicycles for me and my husband.
The private villa was really beautiful and well-kept. Hidden amidst pink bougainvilleas and coconut trees, it indeed looked like a hidden slice of paradise.
With bright blue sky above and crisp white setting, it almost felt out-worldly.
We grabbed an early dinner to watch the sun set and experience the eventful nightlife that Gili Trawangan is famous for. We went to a place called 'Fat Cat', which was the Beach outlet for a restaurant-cum-divers-joint called Trawangan Dive.
We had our dinner to the tunes of classic jazz, while our bare feet were tucked in the cool soft sand.
Having spent Day 1 enjoying the resort, and having an early dinner, we went out the next morning pretty early. Catching a quick breakfast at La Moomba, we set out for a swim in the clear blue waters.
The water was so clear that we could see tiny yellow and orange fishes swim with us, at times pecking on our feet.
After a refreshing swim, we changed back into our dry clothes and went for lunch. With our stomach now full and heads empty,we went back to the beach and laid back on the chairs, enjoying the view and the cool breeze, watching at the ships sail far off into the ocean.
As the sun rose higher, we went back to our villa to rest for a while and escape the heat. With our feet immersed in the cold water of the pool, and sipping chilled coconut water, it was indeed an afternoon well-spent!
When the evening set in, we cycled our way to the night food market, which basically is like a local food fair, just beside the beach and is a heaven for foodies around the world.
With a wide array of seafood displayed on benches, you could select a fish or clam or a crab of your choice, which the localites will prepare for you instantly and serve it with your choice of rice, gravy and other accompaniments. There were ample desserts, consisting of pancakes, crepes, waffles, cakes, muffins, and fruit salads. You can also grab a few bottles of chilled beer to go with your dinner.
The best part of this night market is that these delectable dishes comes is highly pocket-friendly prices.
Having spent two wonderful days at Gili, it was now time for us to head back to Bali. With an enriched soul and heavy heart, we bade farewell to this beautiful island on the coast of Lombok, and set forth to our next stop Ubud via Padang Bai, but that is a story for another time. Stay tuned! Will be back soon with another wonderful destination.
' fill='%23359391'%3e %3cpath d='M46.1538462%2c43.5714286 L41.5%2c50 L36.8461538%2c43.5714286 L36.8670256%2c43.5714286 C36.3173077%2c42.7142857 36%2c41.6851429 36%2c40.5714286 C36%2c37.4854286 38.4535641%2c35 41.5%2c35 C44.5464359%2c35 47%2c37.4854286 47%2c40.5714286 C47%2c41.6851429 46.6826923%2c42.7142857 46.1329744%2c43.5714286 L46.1538462%2c43.5714286 Z M41.4294872%2c39 C40.6150641%2c39 39.9487179%2c39.675 39.9487179%2c40.5 C39.9487179%2c41.325 40.6150641%2c42 41.4294872%2c42 C42.2439103%2c42 42.9102564%2c41.325 42.9102564%2c40.5 C42.9102564%2c39.675 42.2439103%2c39 41.4294872%2c39 L41.4294872%2c39 Z' id='Location-white'%3e%3c/path%3e %3c/g%3e %3c/svg%3e)
