Posted by Chip on Friday, 1. January 1999 at 06:24 Bali Time:
In Reply to: The Gili Islands posted by Patricik on Thursday, 31. December 1998 at 17:31 Bali Time:
Hello Patrick,
I was in Bali and the Gilis during October and November. I spent a few nights on Gili Air which is the smallest of the islands as well as the closest to Lombok. I stayed at a resort called Coconuts which was very nice with of course Balinese style bathrooms. It was a single bungalow with fan ,mosquito net,nice little porch with a GREAT reataurant . I believe I paid about US $4 a night ( Rupiah to US $ was about 8500 at the time ) . The staff was increddibly friendly and very hospitable. They even have internet access. The only thing that I could recommend is that when you get off the boat on Gili Air you will find horse cart transportation. The driver of the cart will most likely take you to the place which has hired him to transport people to their resort. The driver will be happy to take you to any place you would like , but of course recommending their place the best.
Over all the Gilis I thought were great . We rented a boat from Gili Air and spent one entire day snorkeling from Gili Air to Gili Meno to Gili Trawangan with stops on each of the islands. Ok ..heres the tricky part. Instead of going with one of the larger boats ,we opted for a smaller boat owned by this young local kid. He was sooooo helpful although his english could of been better, however he was more than happy to show us around the different islands . You can walk around Gili Air in just about an hour. People there are Muslim so if you hear the load speaker going off @ 4 am ,dont be surprised.
all in all my trip to the Gilis was quite incredible.Though my report is in no way as detailed as Rob's, I think you'll find it a wonderful time. If there is anything else I may be of help to you for ,don't hesitate to ask.
have a wondeful trip!!
Regards
Chip