I'm always in search of places less explored, not too commercialised, somewhere I could still perhaps experience most of its original charm in its natural state.
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| pc: tripcanvas indonesia |
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| pc: indonesiad |
Gili Trawangan (Gili T) is the largest and most cosmopolitan one, with plenty of modern cafes and upscale dining options, accompanied with lots of new hippy accommodations, a wide variety of fun dive resorts, with more blooming on the way.
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| pc: tripadvisor |
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| pc: bali-indonesia/shot by Luciano Mortula |
Having limited time for the Gili Islands yet wanting to see and experience the most out of it, we decided to go with Gili Trawangan! J and I are both advanced-certified divers, so we plan to see what the underwater world there has to offer too!
Getting to Gili Islands
Accessing the Gili Islands from Bali takes just 1.5 - 2 hours by fast boat, departing from Padang Bai Port. Many ferry companies offer that service with the boats departing between 09:00AM to 1:00PM.
Do not fall into the trap of ordering your fast boat tickets online because you'll end up paying 2 - 3 times more. Instead, get your tickets from one of the many tour agencies located along the streets when you're in Bali. Prices start from IDR 200,000 per pax (one-way), depending on the ferry company.
We got ours near Ubud Village just one day before our ferry departure date.
Woke up to enjoy more of the rice field views from our hotel, then realizing we actually still had a bit of time before our ferry ride to Gili T at 1:00PM this afternoon.
So, we packed all our bags, checked out of the hotel early and dropped by the popular Tegenungan Waterfall!
Located just 10KM from Ubud, it took us about 30 minutes on our bikes to the waterfall.
The skies were blue, it was sunny yet cooling at the same time, making the riding journey perfect. If you don't have a bike, you could arrange for a driver to send you over from your hotel.
Tegenungan Waterfall is open daily from 6:30AM - 6:00PM, with noon time being the most crowded. Bought our entrance tickets,walked through some restaurants and cafes before we saw the waterfall from the first viewing point.
Nestled among a lush jungle setting, it takes just over a flight of 100 stairs to reach it! Sounds like it's gonna take a while but don't worry, it's not as tiring as it sounds.
It is apparently one of the rare waterfalls in Bali that isn't situated on high grounds, and from this point we could already hear the sounds of water gushing down strongly.
When we got to the waterfall, there were many people enjoying the magnificent sight! Many were busy taking photos, some bathing with their swimsuit on, and some were just playing with the water.
Due to the strong force of this waterfall, people are not allowed to get too close to it, for safety reasons.
Now when the sun shone in a particular angle, we were lucky to have caught two beautiful rainbows!
After dipping our feet in the chilly waters of Tegenungan Waterfalls, it was time for us to head to Padang Bai Port to catch our ferry to Gili Trawangan.
The ride took about an hour, and though our ferry departs at 1:00PM, we've got to get there by 12:30PM to collect our official tickets from the ferry office at the port.
When we got to Padang Bai Port, we parked our bikes safely along the road and went to the ferry office to collect our tickets, only to be told that our ferry will be delayed by 45 minutes.
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| At the waiting area where all passengers were |
Since we haven't had lunch, the delay gave us some time for food! We walked around and ate at a simple local restaurant facing the sea so when our ferry arrives, we can walk back to board.
Our ferry ended up being delayed by 1 hour 30 minutes as by the time everyone boarded and the luggages were loaded, we departed from Padang Bai Port at only 2:30PM. This means we're only reaching Gili Trawangan at 4:00PM.
Making full use of the 1.5 hour ferry ride to catch up on some rest.
Time passes faster when you're doing something productive, like sleeping LOL. Next thing we knew, the boat man calling out to all Gili Trawangan passengers to disembark as we've arrived!
And wow.. The white pristine sand was soft, the waters went from clear turquoise to sky blue, and the cool breeze blew non stop, it was a paradise indeed!
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| pc: manta-dive |
There were plenty of accommodations to choose from, but we picked Manta Dive because they seemed like a reputable dive resort to dive with (positive reviews online), and their Traditional Lumbung Bungalow (SGD$90/night) just looks too cosy to give it a miss.
Although Manta Dive is conveniently situated on the main stretch of Gili T where all the action is at, a short walk after the reception led to a private sanctuary filled with tranquility, where we found our room facing the pool.
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| pc: manta-dive |
Absolutely loved their open concept shower facility too! Cuz it's just so shiok showering under the open sky filled with stars especially at night!
Dropped our bags and to make the most out of the remaining daylight we had, we went cafe hopping.
J found Casa Vintage to have such a insta-worthy decor (how thoughtful of him :)), and suggested we have a look. Besides, it was just a short walk from our dive resort.
It is a 3 storey boutique cafe with the 1st level selling beachwear and accessories.
2nd and 3rd storey was where the cafe is at. Comprising of some indoor and outdoor seating, this vintage themed place was nicely decorated with lights, and had a lot of wood element that made the whole ambience feel so comfortable.
Tried their local Gili coffee while we enjoyed the whole space to ourselves.
It was tempting to order food from their menu as it was approaching dinner time and we were starting to feel hungry, but we saved our tummy space for some local food delight at the night market nearby.
Gili Trawangan Night Market
This is what we call real food! Here at Gili T's Night Market, it's the main public dining spot where there's a good selection of hearty local food.
From seafood, to different kinds of meat and vegetables, you have it!
Most food stalls offer diners to choose their side dishes where they would cook/BBQ it on the spot, pairing them with rice or fried noodles. For greedy people like us, we had both rice and noodles LOL.
What's the next best thing to do after having a satisfying scrumptious meal?
SLEEP of course :D
We've got an early date with sharks and turtles underwater tomorrow morning!
[Singapore. Ubud, Bali. Gili Trawangan, Lombok, Indonesia]
[Mileage Clocked: 281KM]
[Weather/Temperature: 26°C/Sunny]
Next stop: Gili Trawangan
