Around 8:30 am, we have breakfast at the hotel (always included in the price of the room). It’s a buffet correctly presented (coffee, tea, fruit juice, fresh fruit, chickens, bacon, bread, butter, omelettes, fried eggs, cereals …).
Then, we leave towards the meeting point for the start of the Snorkelling (almost the same location as the one where we landed the day before coming from Amed).
We are equipped with fins, masks and snorkels. We tryed to rent a GoPro to make videos with fish, turtles and corals. We give up quickly because the prices are not very attractive and the quality of the cameras was not good : these are not real GoPro with a not very clear image quality (300,000 Rp: 20 €). If you search in advance, you can find great deals.
The small boat leaves around 9:30 am with about fifteen people. We will make 5 stops:
First stop: Meno Stop: On the coast of Gili Meno. First Snorkelling session. We discover a lot of multicolored fish around the corals. Nothing special compared to what we saw the day before in front of the hotel.
The boat takes us to the dive site, the guide goes down with us. The boat goes away a little. Try to always stay close to the guide because there are many companies that make the same circuit and the boats look alike. The dive lasts between 10 and 15 minutes. After which, you have to join the boat to go to the next stop. The principle is the same for all Snorkelling stops.
Second stop: Turtle Point: Still on the coast of Gili Meno. We had the opportunity to see a big sea turtle. As soon as it rises to the surface, everyone is in a hurry and tries to touch it despite the guides’ disagreement. To see it clearly, you really have to go fast and even push other people inorder to make your way 🙂
Third stop: Gili Meno: The boat drops us off at Gili Meno. The guide takes us to Lake Meno and then brings us back to the beach to see the little turtles. The guide explains that it is an association for the protection and care of injured and sick turtles. We think it’s a small tourist traps business.
Fourth stop: Garden Fish: on the coasts of Gili Air. We observe the famous statues under water forming a circle. I must admit that in the photos, it looks more impressive, but it’s beautiful anyway.
Fifth stop: Gili Air. The boat drops us off at Gili Air for lunch. The guide takes us to « TAMI’S CAFE ». The warung is not located on the beach and the food was not very good. In addition, the price is really not adapted (Rp 250,000: € 16.6 for rice and basic noodles). You should also know, that you have to pay 10% tax in addition to the price on the menu (like everywhere on Gili). We strongly advise you not to go to that Warung 😦
Around 2:00 p.m., it’s time to return to Gili T. It is getting a bit cold, the sea is very rough and the skipper does not reduce speed. We take the water from the waves several times, it really shakes. We are really afraid of falling from the boat. Finally, we arrive at Gili T. We take the way back to our hotel for a little rest.
At 8:00 p.m., rested, we go out for dinner. We head north to discover the quieter part of the island, far from the beach parties. We wanted to try the restaurant: « Coral Beach » well rated, but it was closed for the evening. We look for another alternative and we find a very calm restaurant on the seafront just after « Coral Beach »: « Made’s Warung ».
The dishes are tasty, the place charming, what more could you ask for? 🙂
We take duck, the essential Mie Goreng (noodles), Arak, fried bananas and some Bintang 🙂 for a total of Rp 200,000 (€ 13.3). We are very satisfied with our choice. Finally, it’s good that Coral Beach was closed 🙂
Right next to the restaurant terrace, a small Balinese massage cabin is installed in front of the sea. My wife chooses the formula: Head & shoulder massage : 30 minutes for 80,000 Rp (5.3 €). The massage is relaxing and the place is in absolute calm, with the sound of the waves as background : splendid 🙂
On revient à l’hôtel. Surprise : Un gros lézard est accroché au plafond de la chambre. On appelle la réception qui nous envoie quelqu’un pour chasser la bête.
Il se sert d’un bâton à balai avec une corde autour en guise de trappe. Il fait passer la corde au cou du lézard et le fait tomber du plafond. Le lézard atterrit sur le dos de notre sauveur. Le gars ne tremble même pas. Il sort de la chambre avec le lézard sur le dos, le fait tomber par terre et revient voir si tout se passe bien pour nous 🙂
Un seul mot : Impressionnant 😮
We go back to the hotel. Surprise: A large lizard is hanging at the room ceiling. We call the receptionist who sends us someone to hunt the beast.
He uses a broomstick with a rope around it as a trap. He passes the rope around the lizard’s neck and drops it from the ceiling. The lizard lands at the back of the hotel employee. The guy doesn’t even tremble. He leaves the room with the lizard on his back, drops it to the floor and comes back to see if everything is going well for us 🙂
One word: Impressive 😮
My Trip Memories 