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Gili Meno
Friday, 14 May 2010
We took a taxi to the coastal village of Padang Bai. It was nice to be in a less popular place. We found a beautiful bungalow by the sea and enjoyed the pebble lined swimming pool. The ocean looked nice. However, the sand was very coarse and tough. It reminded me of quinoa. With every step you would sink to your ankles making walking a bit tricky. Plus, there were a lot of boats tied up and debris in the water.
The next morning we gratefully hopped on our boat to the Gili Islands. Normally, I would have rode on the local ferry which takes about 8 hours. They can be nice. You have a deck to hang out on and you usually meet some nice travelers. However, we opted for the fast boat that got us to Gili Trawangan in one hour. There are 3 Gili Islands off of the northwest coast of Lombok (east of Bali). Since we had missed the daily shuttle to the island we wanted to stay on (Meno), we had to wait in Trawangan until we found 4 French guys with their surf boards who were willing to go in hiring a private boat to Meno. The ride cost us each $3.50. It’s cheap here!
Meno is a peaceful island with incredible snorkeling. I got to go scuba diving as well. Before tourism brought in the dive companies, dynamite fishing was common. Between that and el Nino bleaching the coral, a lot of reef is dead or severely damaged. However, there are some gorgeous places nearby that are untouched.
A typical bungalow here is about $15 a night with fresh water showers and breakfast included. For dinner, we go to the local store, point to the seafood we want then they BBQ it up with corn and potatoes. Last night I had giant prawns and Reuben had the snapper. We have a boat out to Lombok tomorrow. It is just a kilometer away. There is a huge 10,000 ft volcano over there we want to hike up.
Posted: 05.14.2010
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