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Tasmania was very cold this year. We badly needed some warmth, sun, sand and sea.
And turtles. More about that later. 😉
Bali & the Gili Islands, here we come!!
😍
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BALI
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Bali has never really been on my radar as a holiday destination, however to get to the Gili Islands, we needed to go via Bali.
There were a couple of things that we wanted to do in Bali. I had seen some lovely photos of people swinging on swings over the valley so that was on my hit list.
Hubby was looking forward to learning how to make silver jewelry. Both of these activities are mainly located in Ubud which is the arty part of Bali.
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UBUD ALOHA SWING
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I am so glad that I did this. Yes it's tacky lol, but hubby took a couple of nice photos of me in my flowing red dress.
😎
There was more than 1 swing too. I only went on 2 of them as I became frustrated at the rudness of the local Indian ladies that inundated this place. It became obvious quickly that they don't do lines.
I had another sad moment when hubby's Go Pro didn't cooperate as he tried to take a video of me on the big swing. At least he got the nice photo above. 😇
He did manage to take a video of me on the first swing. Check it out below.
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MK2 SILVER CLASS
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We both enjoyed making our rings.
😁
There is a lot of steps involved. I am not sure I would like to go through this process again. My hat goes off to silversmiths.
MK2 Silver Class was a great choice! I give them 5/5 stars! They were very helpful and patient.
Here is a run down of some of the stages we went through in designing and making our rings. We took 2 hours to make them.
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ALAM UBUD VILLAS
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I chose this accommodation as Ubud is also known for being surrounded by jungle and I wanted to feel the full jungle experience. We also enjoyed peace and quiet which you are not going to get if you choose accommodation right in Ubud village. Ubud itself is very busy and crowded which is something we don't do these days.
Alam Ubud Villas is built on the hillside with a waterfall and running river down below. The only down side is there are a lot of steps and so going up and down from our villa to the restaurant, bar and pool was exhausting. At least we were able to feel quite fit after staying here for a few days.
😀
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As mentioned before, the village of Ubud itself is busy and crowded. Our hotel offered a free car ride into Ubud so we took a trip in.
Needless to say, we didn't last long in town after negotiating tons of people, traffic and tacky market stalls. We spent most of our time at a couple of bars, people watching. 😊
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GILI ISLANDS
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I discovered the Gili Islands on youtube a few years ago, before they became popular. The Gili Islands are located north/east of Bali and near the bigger Indonesian Island of Lombok.
They are made up of 3 islands, Gili Trawangan (comonly known as Gili T), Gili Meno and Gili Air. Gili T is the party island, Gili Air is more laid back and Gili Meno, in the middle is the quietest island.
I chose for us to stay 4 days on Gili T and then 4 days on Gili Air.
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GILI TRAWANGAN
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| Lensbaby art Lens - Sweet 50 |
We took the Eka Jaya Fastboat from Padang Bai for the 1 1/2 hour journey to Gili T. Don't expect any organisation. It was bedlem at the Ferry Terminal in Bali and again upon arrival at the Island.
I knew from watching youtube videos that this would be the case and warned hubby beforehand. So we were well prepared and just took it in our stride.
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| Padang Bai Ferry Terminal, Bali - Photo thanks to gilivoyages.com |
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GILI T ACCOMMODATON
I chose Pearl of Trawangan as it was not too far from the Ferry Terminal but away from the main street where the partying is.
We loved the architecture here - made out of bamboo.
This was the view from our room. Frangipani lined pathways and a gorgeous pool with swim up bar for afternoon cocktails, plus upstairs restaurant overlooking the beach. Doesn't get any better!
😎
Below photo taken by hubby.
I love it! 💗
So we were sitting upstairs in the restaruant having breakfast and when I looked down, there she was!
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AUSSIROSE STORY
I met one of my fellow youtubers here!
How good is that?!! 😲
Gili Trawangan Retiree is a lovely lady who lives here and is making nice videos, showing the world how beautiful these islands are.
I had viewed a few of her videos before we took our holiday and enjoyed the way she puts them together. They are very relaxing to watch. You can see them here on this link -
So we were sitting upstairs in the restaruant having breakfast and when I looked down, there she was!
I couldn't believe my eyes.
Hubby was wondering why I was so excited and pointing, "I know her!"
Turns out that Jeanette decided today to do a review of Pearl of Trawangan. We watched her in action and then a few moments later, she came upstairs to take a video of the view from the restaurant and I introduced myself to her and said that I have seen her videos. She was taken back and very happy that someone recognised her.
😊
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BIKING AROUND GILI T
The Gili Islands do not have cars. You have a choice of bicycles, horse & buggy or walking to get around. We chose to cycle.
We were a little out of practice and I used my bell alot because I didn't want to have a prang whilst going around blind corners or at an intersection.
It's a great way to see the island.
Biking around the whole island doesn't take long. Gili T is only 3 k's long an 2 k's wide. There are parts that are just soft sand so you need to get off the bike and walk. For that reason, we didn't do the whole island. Still it was pretty cool to bike around for a bit until we came across a nice bar on the beach.
😀🍻
This couple gave us a bit of a laugh.
Took them ages to get into the water with their flippers on. After a while they figured out that it would be easier to walk backwards.
Derr...😉
Check out the short video below.
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Turtle Point where all the action is. We listened to a reggae version of a Pink Floyd song. Check the video below. 😊 |
The Island Grill, not far from Pearl of T and near the Ferry Terminal.
This place was probably our favourite.
We saw the Eka Jaya Fast Boat come in.
We made a mistake in thinking that the seafood on the Island would be good. Unfortunately, BBQ seafood next door was not nice. So we resorted to the only thing that we knew would be good as many youtube videos attested to.
Pizza.
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| Check out the spelling ;) |
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GILI T SUNRISE
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Most of the action happens at sunset and after.
Our accommodation was on the eastern side of the island and as we were not interested in biking around to the west nor taking a buggy as it is well known that the horses are not treated well here, we were left with photographing sunrise.
Well that wasn't such a bad idea as sometimes sunrises can be just as good, if not better than sunset.
So, here they are.
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GILI AIR
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We both liked Gili Air the best, due to it being more laid back than Gili T.
I had planned for us to take the local boat to Gili Air, however our snorkling guide was so cool, that when he suggested that he can take us personally in a speed boat directly out front of the Pearl of T to right on the beach front of our accommodation on Gili Air, we jumped at the chance!
Welcome drink....s. 🍸
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GILI AIR ACCOMMODATION
The Zipp Bar Bungalows are located right in the heart of the main street but it still felt like a bit of paradise away from the tourists. 😉
It was very cheap compared with the Pearl of T, only $200 for 4 nights. However we had the pool to ourselves, our bungalow was cute and had an out door shower and loo, the staff were wonderful, and the bikes they gave us looked like they were brand new.
The only down side was that although it looked very close to the Ferry Terminal, there was major ring road reconstruction works going on and they had the street blocked off so that you had to go around which made it further than we would have liked.
Anyway, the Zipp Bar is a well known venue right on the beach front. Like the Pearl, we had breakky included. Not much of a variety but the fruit and fruit juice was fresh, along with a view to die for.
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Hey, it's a KFC Boat! |
This couple, with their cute little baby girl, were both almost blind. They took it in turns to look after their little daughter and both together when taking a dip in the sea as a family.
When you see people like this, it really makes you appreciate what you have.
They were having the time of their lives and the little girl was so good. We noticed that the little one's shoes had come off when she was paddling in the water. Hubby quickly raced down and was able to retreive one, but sady the other shoe had floated out too far to swim to. Here, there are big rips and tides. More about that later.
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CYCLING AROUND GILI AIR
Same as on Gili T, everyone bikes around the island. We liked cycling here better as we could ride through the centre. We explored more too.
Our daily ride took us past local villages and we saw lots of animals, local life and a school. Every corner we turned revealed something interesting.
Obviously there were also stunning beaches and bars for people watching.
As with islands that we have visited before, they all have a sense of humour, and here was no different. Check out the funny signs along the way.
😁
Anyway, we did manage to get up early in the morning on both islands to grab sunrise photos. Sometimes sunrise is better than sunset anyway.
Photos later.
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I have something to say about the food.
Later....
So I came to Bali prepared, with 2 bottles of Aussie wine as wine in Indonesia is very expensive and tastes like cr@p because it is so hot here that wine does not keep well. I was able to bring in 2 bottles as each person that enters Bali can bring in 1 bottle. So 1 from me and 1 from hubby. 😏
I polished off the wine in Bali so had to be content with either beer or cocktails here on the islands. So it was a cool beers in the day after pushy riding and then a few coctails in the evening as after 4pm, most places have happy hour where you buy 1 and get 1 free!
Therefore hubby and I drank mainly tequila sunrises or whisky sours, however the latter tasted better with a double shot. Years ago, spirits on the islands were strong.
These days I guess they have been told to water it down. That is probably a result of some young Australians giving us a bad name with their well known loud partying. How to spoil it for the rest of us.... pffft.
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FOOD
We were not really impressed at all with the food on the islands.
Here, at the Zipp Bar, they specialised in BBQ seafood nights. As we did not have a very good BBQ seafood experience on Gili T, we avoided it here. However the seafood did look way more fresh and was wrapped better and with no flies within cooie.
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Since I do not have any good reviews about the food here, how about a couple of bad ones?
I really wanted to have a nice meal and so we walked up the street on a lookout for a nice place to eat with cool views and happy hour. We should have stayed at the Zipp...
We had walked for quite a while without success. Hubby was getting real hungry and I couldn't find anything that I liked. So we stopped and....
Biba Beach Resort.
Please do not eat here! The food was absolutely horrible! I wanted a good Italian feed. The pasta was dry. There was no sauce at all. I had a plate of pasta with a few tomatoes. I covered it with parmesan cheese in an endeavour to make it tasty.
No. Just NO!
And worst of all ..... No happy hour!! WTha?
Hubby ordered Asian. He was not impressed either. Hahaha!!
The noodles were 2 minute and I have no idea what they added to the dish.....?
They didn't even put a table cloth on the table.
I couldn't wait to get back to the Zipp before happy hour finished.
I had a similar experience another night, a few doors down at the Raja Bar.
But at least the cocktails made up for my cr@ppy dry nachos.
Hubby was a bit more happy with his Asian dish this time.
So, the moral of the story is...
Play it safe and eat Pizza.
😉🍕
The last night of our stay, we enjoyed cocktails at the Zipp Bar and listened to an Island Band. The singer had a very strong voice that didn't really match his physique. Of course I requested a couple of my favourite songs and he knew them.
Check out the video.
Our last night just happened to be the full moon party. The Staff kindly warned us of this so that we could expect to hear the party goers until the early hours of the morning. And yes, we did. But it was all good. After all we remembered when we were young. 😉
Gee what a mess in the morning!...
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GILI AIR SUNRISE
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How is that lighting in the waves!! 😀
I think that is from a nearby boat that had some insane lighting that created nice dancing light on the water.
It was really nice a quite sitting and enjoying the colours of sunrise without the hustle and bustle of daily activities.
LEAVING GILI T
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I tried to find us accommodation not too far from the Ferry Terminal so that we could walk with our suitcases as it is well known that the horses are not looked after.
Unfortunately, due to road reconstruction works, we had to take a horse and carriage. We had walked to the accommodation and I didn't want to do it again. The islands had shorelines that were washed away from tsunami tidal waves caused by an earthquake.
We struck another problem with the Ferry, Eka Jaya. Their office was this side of the work site and we didn't know that until we arrived on the other side at the Wharf. All of the other boat offices were near the Wharf..... but now ours. So we had to leave our suitcases and walk back following others with the same problem.
Tip, do not lose your tickets to present to the office to obtain your pass on the lenyard, otherwise you will need to purchase again. I had learnt this from youtube.
So, this is our horse & carriage.
Being early, we sat at the Alegria bar opposite the Wharf. It was nice sitting under the shade, sipping on our beers and people watching.
They have a tender here to get out to the Eka Jaya Fast Boat.
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SWIMMING WITH TURTLES
The moment you have been waiting for.
Yes, we swam with turtles! 😀
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We checked out a few private snorkling trips as they are much better than the public ones. It is worth it to pay more for a private trip as you get to go to the best places before the crowds get there. We were happy with our choice.
Our guide Sam was awesome. I would totally recommend going with him. He is on whatsapp - phone number below.
Sam was happy to take our Go Pro and take pictures and videos for us. He did a great job!
Unfortnately for me, this wasn't to be my day for snorkling. I forgot to test my mask before I got in, therefore I had mask filling up with seawater problems. You will see me struggling with this problem on the video below.
Plus in between the islands there is a well known strong current so Sam gave me the float ring to hold on to which made it alot easier. Getting old is not all it's cut out to be. 😟
Anyway, I got to see turtles which was amazing! And we saw the underwater statues just off Gili Meno which was pretty cool.
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LOMBOK
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Lombok is only a 10 minute ferry ride from Gili Air. As Sam had looked after us so well on our snorkling trip, we asked him if he can take us on a day trip on Lombok.
We chose 2 activities, a waterfall and the wildlife park. Sam looked after us and you could tell that he was happy to spend a relaxing day and get paid for it. We love to help out the locals, especially when they have little families to look after.
We will most certainly keep in touch with Sam.
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LOMBOK WATERFALL
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Lombok has a number of waterfalls. We left it up to Sam to choose one.
Sendang Gile Waterfall is located in the northern end of Lombok. The trip took us 1 1/2 hours. You can't walk to the waterfall by yourself. You need to pay to hire a guide. Sam had included the charges in his fee for the day.
The walk to the waterfall takes a bit more than half an hour with very steep steps at the end. There is plenty of shade along the way and you are accompanied by the sound of fast flowing water on the left hand side.
Hubby wanted to walk to the second waterfall. I wasn't interested. I stayed behind, put on my lensbaby lens and had a play. The lensbaby sweet optic has a sweet spot in the middle surrounded by blur. It takes a bit of practicing to get good results. I hope you like the photos.
Coming back was fun. After climbing up the steep steps you are greeted with a number of locals with motor bikes offering to take you back. As I was exhausted from the steps and the ride was only $5, I took them up on their offer. What fun!! This was the best bit. 😆
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We had lunch in a restaurant higher up the road. I have tried to find the name of it, but google failed me this time. Anyway, it was just ok, therefore the lack of photos.
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LOMBOK WILDLIFE PARK
I was disappointed that we arrived at the Wildlife Park near closing time. We had spent too long at the waterfall.
This was the first time Sam had been to the Park and he enjoyed it so much that he now plans to bring his family there.
I am not really an animal person, however we have visited a few select memorable wildlife parks in our travels. One that we loved was in Belize. Go check out my Belize page. Singapore also has a couple - Night Safari and the Bird Park.
Anyway, here you can tell they really look after their animals. You can also book a personal interaction with some of them.
I was happy with my photos here.
😄
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| Sam enjoying his surroundings. |
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LOMBOK DRIVING
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Just some photos quickly snapped from my back seat window view of local life as we drove along.
😊
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Like all other holidays, they go too fast and soon become a distant memory. That is why I keep my blog. I feel sad that I have such an extensive write up of more than 21 contries so far that hubby and I have visited, and not many people have visited my pages here.
😞
Anyway, we have come to the end of another adventure. But not the last.
This week - mid August 2024 - I am happy to announce that we have booked our exit out of Tasmania on the Spirit of Tasmania. We finally leave the cold on January 1st 2025, heading towards a much temperate climate.
We plan to travel through the middle of Victoria and into the middle of NSW, taking us up and then east at around Newcastle and up the coast all the way to Cairns, then Cooktown and back down through the centre of Queensland and over to the coast via Grafton and back down to Woolgoolga, just north of Coffs Harbour. We have already been told that we are welcome at Sunset Caravan Park there on a peranent basis. So here we come!!
In the meantime, another fantastic holiday is now documented for me to look back on and maybe family if they are interested.
I thank all of the accommodation along the way that helped celebrate our 45th anniversary.
I thank especially Sam to whom we will keep in contact with. His whatsapp phone number if you are reading this and are interested is -
+62 878-1669-5285
Just let him know that Ann & Howard from Australia sent you. 😄
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Not quite the end...
SEMINYAK
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KAYU RAJA
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It's always best to ensure you do not book your flight home on the same day that you come from the Gili Islands as it is not guaranteed that everything will run smoothly. There are too many vaiables to consider. The ferry may be late, you may lose your ticket and miss the ferry, there could be bad weather, the traffic in Bali could be problematic. With all this in mind, I made sure that we stayed in Bali prior to our flight home.
Hubby had already stayed at the Kayu Raja before and also wanted to catch up with his driver Gusty so it was without hesitation that I booked us here for 2 nights.
Our Villa had it's own pool which was awesome. We had arranged with our driver from Ubud, Sony to pick us up from the ferry and bring us here. It all went smoothly and only cost $40 which is amazing! We nearly could not find the accommodation as they had renovations happening out the front which made it difficult to locate them.
Upon arrival, we sat down in the bar area and had a coldie whilst they finished preparing the room. It was also nice of them to allow us a 2pm late check out as our flight was near midnight.
This holiday was also all about celebrating out 45th anniversary. Most of the hotels that we stayed at made a special bed setting for us. The first hotel in Perth had also given us a free bottle of bubbly which was fantastic. However, the Kayu Raja went all out and gave us a free floating breakfast. Thank you guys! What a nice surprise.
😃
I would recommend staying at the Kayu Raja.
It is a quiet oasis in amongst the hustle & bustle of Seminyak.
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SEMINYAK SEASALT RESTAURANT
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As this was our last day in Bali, I wanted to spend it enjoying lunch at one of the restaurants located on the beach. Checking out Google, I discovered the Seasalt Restaurant.
The Seasalt Restaurant is part of Alila Seminyak, a beachfont 5 star hotel. What made this restaurant stand out to me is that they specialise in seafood and I was hanging for a decent feed. And better still, they do a Sunday brunch turning into an all afternoon affair. Yes a long lunch seafood buffet and bottemless drinks! I was in heaven! Even the entertainment was amazing. Check out the photos below. Your mouth is going to water!
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GLORIAM GRILLS
&
GLAMOUR
What a name for a restaurant!
😎
This is an Italian Restaurant located near the Kayu Raja. It had raving reviews on Google so we ventured in for a late lunch and happy hour cocktails.
From the time we arrived, we were treated like royalty. The decor here is amazing and the staff are lovely. We ordered a pizza and coctails. They gave us a free little dish of fresh bread, dip, nuts, olive oil & balsamic which was a nice extra touch.
I totally recommend a visit here.
5 Star Review!
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GUSTY
Our Bali driver Gusty had the first day off when we visited. But he was there to take us to the airport.
We walked back to our accommodation at the Kayu Raja from the Grills & Glamour to check out. Gusty arrived to take us to the airport. It was hugs all around.
See you next time we come to Bali Gusty!!
😎
~~oOo~~
MAPS
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| GILI ISLANDS |
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| UBUD |
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| UBUD TO FERRY TERMINAL |
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LOMBOK
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