Getting to Gili Air is no small feat, however I can assure you that once you arrive, you will want to put your whole life on hold and move there immediately. This was one portion of our trip that my mother and I planned on just kind of winging. For one, because there is simply not a lot of concrete info out there about the island, the logistics of getting there from one of the larger islands, etc. On our last night in Ubud, we spoke with the owner of our home stay and he assisted us in contacting a company that was supposed to get us all the way from our current home-away-from-home right to our new place in Gili Air for one price. It seemed like a lot less headache than trying to coordinate with several different transportation companies and we were grateful for his help. Well, the journey (and it was indeed a
journey. One might even say, a voyage) was not without its surprises and snafus. If you're interested in reading all about the ins and outs of getting there, read ahead. Otherwise, feel free to jump ahead to see what we did once we made it!
Still with me? Well then, let's carry on. So the first, let's say, 1/8th of the trip was quite pleasant. A shared shuttle bus picked us up from our home stay in the morning and we were greeting by about four other travelers and a roomy, air conditioned van. After about an hour or so of traveling to the coast of Bali however, we pulled over along a busy street and were told by our driver that we were stopping for a bit so they could visit the office for whatever reason. None of us thought much of it though and treated it as a bathroom and stretch break. However, when we got back about 10-15 minutes later, our van was gone. We come to find out that the driver had switched vehicles while we were gone and we were now to all pile into a MUCH smaller, MUCH older van. All our luggage had already been moved into this new van, with about a third of it in the middle row of seats at our feet. I climbed into the very back with two other travelers and my mom was in the middle. As soon as I sat down and they began to shut the doors, panic set in. The van was STIFLING hot with zero air circulation. Since I was in the very back, there was no window to roll down, only one of those push out windows that allowed about an inch of open space (it was also broken, so I had to use my arm to prop it open). I try not to overuse the word "literally", but I literally thought I was going to pass out from the heat.
Curious as to how long we were going to be traveling under these conditions, we asked how long the rest of the journey to the coast would be. Bare in mind, we were initially told the whole trip to Gili Air would be about a four to six hours. Our driver let us know that we had roughly two more hours until we made it to the coast of Bali. We arrived at the dock of the large slow boat that would take us to Lombok (there are two options for getting over the sea from Bali to the Gilis- a slow boat, and a fast i.e. speed boat. My mother opted for the former, and I have to say I'm glad she did, even thought the slow boat takes about twice as long. I believe it is also cheaper than the fast boats), and after paying for our tickets, a bellman or sorts (for lack of a better term) began to collect our luggage. We protested at first, but when he persisted, we assumed he was an employee of the company we were traveling with and also that we'd need his help navigating the large ship. This tiny man lugged both our over 50 pound suitcases up three flights of stairs while my mom and I whispered about how we'd better make sure to tip him nicely once we got to our seats.
Once he lead us to the very top of the boat and sat our bags down, we discussed briefly how much to give him. I didn't have a ton of cash on me, and wanted to hold onto most of it because we weren't 100% sure that the island would have an ATM once we got there (Gili Meno, it should be noted, does not). My mom decided on what we thought was a fair price and tried to hand him the money. Well, the man was not at all satisfied with this, but with neither of us speaking the other's language, the argument turned into a lot of him waving his hands, clearly perturbed, and us looking pleadingly on to other passengers trying to get someone to help translate. Unnerved and already very exhausted, my mom said we should just have a seat and try to ignore him. We moved to the other side of the boat and had a seat while he continued to try and convince us to tip him more. It was clear to us now that this man was not just a helpful employee of our transportation company and certainly just a local trying to make a buck off of some unsuspecting naive foreigners.
Eventually the man left us alone and we began to consider how maybe we didn't even really need to go up that many flights of stairs. Certainly there were other, lower areas of the boat we could have sat at, and we'd have gladly lugged our bags ourselves, had we known any better.
Trying the make the best of it, we settled in and enjoyed the gorgeous blue ocean and sky, read our books, and had a few snacks. I will say, our seats did allow us a gorgeous breeze and great photo ops. This portion of the journey took us about four hours (roughly six hours into the trip at this point), and once we arrived at the Lombok coast, we (the other passengers from our shuttle as well) quickly found our driver for the next shuttle potion which would then take us the the northern coast of Lombok from where the Gilis are located. Another long and uncomfortable, yet unforgettable in a magnificent way, sort of drive. Traveling hillside through the mountains of Lombok was truly incredible. The tiny villages, the breathtaking ocean views, and perhaps most exciting- the families of monkeys hanging out on the side of the road, made the tiring excursion just a bit better. After about and hour and a half we stopped AGAIN at a tiny road side cafe, for what reason exactly? We weren't really told. My mom and I grabbed a bite to eat and had a drink; the rest of our companions did not succumb to the, later very clear, money grabbing trap (We think it's safe to assume the owners were of some relation to our drivers). After about a 30-45 min, we were then told to haul our two suitcases, personal items, and ourselves onto the back of a horse cart. Mind you, this horse cart is about 3' x 5' with a tiny bench up front for the driver, and is being pulled by about the tiniest horse you could possibly imagine without categorizing it as a pony.
The horse cart carried us about a quarter mile to the beachfront where our last boat would pick us up. Why the shuttle could not have taken us there? Beats me. And that's when we happened upon another surprise cost! Once we hopped off the horse cart and started making our way towards our boat, the driver stopped us to collect more cash. Never mind that we were told all costs of our journey were included in our ticket... Too tired to argue much, we haggled a fair-ish price and dragged our luggage through the sand to the small motor boat. And thus began the most anxiety inducing part of the trip. The wooden boat was about 50 feet by 10 feet and by the time we took off, there were about 30 passengers (ranging from infants to the quite elderly) plus all manner of cargo. Suitcases, backpacks, cases of produce, rubber storage tubs, etc. (On our return, we watched a man lug a lawn mower onto the boat) The boat doesn't pull up all the way to the shore, so you also have to walk through the water til it's up to almost your knees, being careful not to let your bags fall in. We hoisted out suitcases first, then ourselves into the boat and then tried to find a space to plop ourselves. A tub of tomatoes at my feet, I tried to settle in and not let the water splashing up the sides of the boat freak me out too much as we speed through the sea. Before we got on, we briefly met a French woman who assured us that the ride was a short one; about 15 minutes. Well that was accurate, but none the less they were certainly the longest 15-20 minutes of my life. As we rocked back and forth through the choppy water, I tried to steady myself while also trying to keep an eye on my belongings which because of space, where about five feet further back. Amazingly, there were whole families traveling with us- mothers clutched babies to their chest, and yet here I was praying not to be tossed overboard.
Paradise, found. This is the point where I said, "I'm never leaving."
There are no cars allowed on any of the Gilis so people get around via either horse cart or bicycle. Our lodging offered bikes for rent for a very small fee (less than 3 USD per day) so on our second day in Gili Air I borrowed one to explore the land.
Delicious and oh-so-fresh red snapper lunch
The most breathtaking sunset I have ever witnessed. It was truly otherworldly, and this picture does it zero justice.
Well, as you can imagine, we did survive. We made it to the shore of Gili Air upon which we were greeted with another set of horse carts ready to take us to our final destination. We had no real idea how far our lodging was from the shore, so even though we were pretty frustrated with surprise charges, we were also exhausted. So we hoisted ourselves onto yet another horse cart and were on our merry way. However, the cart could only take us so close, so once we got to the gates of our next home-away-from-home, we were greeted by a narrow, sandy path leading up to our lodging. We were additionally greeted by a tiny, hyper active local at the bar next door who offered to carry our bags to our room. Jaded and suspicious from our previous experiences, I declined vehemently, but my mom relented and he slung her suitcase onto his shoulders and lead the way to our inn. Surprisingly he didn't even stop to ask for a tip and as quickly as he appeared, this Indonesian sprite with shoulders of steel was gone. Turns out he was a friend of one of the employees at our hotel and a bartender from the watering hole next door. Lucky, as he later introduced himself as, quickly became one of my favorite people on the island and we had a great time talking to him and letting him feed us delicious, fruity cocktails.
We were there for all of five minutes when I threw my bags on the floor and headed for the pool situated right outside our door. I also pretty much immediately asked my mom what it would take for us to stay an extra night. We had only planned on staying two nights in Gili Air, but after the nearly 10 hour journey, there was just no way I could see myself doing it all over again in a few short days, even if it meant having one less day in Lombok. She agreed, and we made the proper adjustments to our itinerary. The next few days were spent, exploring, eating, drinking, and a whole lot of relaxing. As exhausted and frustrated as I was with the whole process of getting there, our time in Gili Air was my absolute favorite part of our time in Indonesia. Being such a small place and without any real tourist traps or major sightseeing to be had, we could spend our time truly enjoying the country and not feeling like we needed to run around to see absolutely everything. Bike rides took me to a rolling pasture where lazy, cute cows grazed, our afternoons were filled with gelato and shopping for local wares, and the nights ended with cocktails and the most resplendent sunsets you could ever imagine. Hopefully my story has not scared you off too much from visiting the Gilis. I know that on my next journey to Indonesia, I definitely want to give myself a full week to really enjoy the island, and thankfully, I'll know what I'm in for the next time around
{all photos are my own}
