Hey there, long time no speak! I’ve realised that blogging when travelling has proven to be more challenging than I thought. In the past 3-4 weeks I’ve been moving around a lot, visiting the islands Gili Trawangan and Nusa Lembongan as well as exploring more of Bali. It has been very fun but a little tiring so blogging has not been prioritised too much. However, I think the next few weeks will be a lot calmer so I intend to put a lot more effort into Chasing Cultures.
Agnes left two weeks ago so I have been spending time with my sister, her boyfriend and their little baby Jorm since then. But before she went home, me and Agnes spent a week exploring Gili Trawangan and Nusa Lembongan, a couple of the smaller islands in between Bali and Lombok. It was my first time to Gili T and I have to admit I arrived with pretty low expectations. Having heard it was “the party island” I wasn’t super keen to begin with, but I ended up being very pleasantly surprised!
Thanks to our friend Samantha, who’s been to Gili T several times before and loves it, we had the best guide. She helped us avoid the drunk teens and tourist traps, and instead find the hidden gems. I swear you would love it Ellie. We spent our days sunbathing on white sandy beaches and snorkelling with turtles. In the evenings we went to watch the sunset from a beach bar with cocktails and dinner. We should really go together one day! For anyone else planning a trip to Gili, here are Sam’s top tips to make the most of the island:
- Rent a bike and cycle to Le Pirate for a nice beach day. Later, head to Casa Vintage for dinner and a sunset drink.
- Go to turtle point, rent snorkelling equipment and snorkel out from the beach on your own. Here you’ll find turtles, corals and beautiful fish without having to pay for a guide or have 30 others chasing that same turtle.
- If you stay in a hotel or homestay you will have more peace and quiet as opposed to a hostel. can always just head to one of the party hostels for pre-drinks instead. That way you avoid being around rowdy drinkers all day long, but still have the option to party.
I’ll leave you with that for now, but I am working on many more food reviews and posts covering visits to Medewi, Uluwatu and Nusa Lembongan, so stay tuned!
EMILIE GARNES. 