After some deliberation in light of the possible impending eruption of Mount Agung on Bali I decided to stick with my plan and headed over to the island. Here I took in the usual backpacker sights including the impressive Suluban Beach where bars are built into / on the side of the cliff, the perfect spot to relax with a beer watching the surfers and another magnificent sunset! Aside from the Suluban I personally thought Ubud, Kuta and Seimyak were slightly overrated (however I didn’t stay in any tranquil resorts and was on the go quite a lot – some looked stunning from the outside).
The Gili Islands just off Bali were beautiful and the perfect place to laze on peaceful golden sandy beaches catching glimpses of turtles just off the shore! I must recommend the late afternoon Gili T sunset bike crawl undertaken by most of the island’s backpackers… everyone rents bikes and cycles round to the west coast for a beautiful sunset all the while drinking in the beach front bars. Emily, from my last group trip, was also on Gili T with a new tour group. I took a gamble and assumed they would be doing the sunset bars. After cycling and crawling a few bars, I of course bumped in to her group and joined them sinking one too many beers in awe of the magnificent sunset. It was now time to attempt the return journey in pitch black, within minutes we had our first of many crashes! It was like the Gumball Rally in the dark, not too sure why we were going so fast!
The following day I headed out on a day trip to see the impressive underwater statues just off the coast of the neighbouring island Gili Meno. The statues were amazing! Maybe 4-5 metres underwater so with some flippers and a big gulp of air you could get down and swim around them! I got some average videos and photos… not much worth sharing here. We also stopped at Turtle Point, where our motor boat guide would drag us to a turtle sighting by a rope off the back of his boat nearly drowning us every time in the process! The nightlife on Gili T was quite raucous and after a few games of beer pong at the fantastic “My Mate’s Place” hostel we would head down to the beachside bars and clubs, for a small island there was a good choice.
Highlights
Best Drink: Joss Shot – somewhat similar to a jäger bomb… instead you pour powdered energy drink into your mouth followed by a shot of vodka, shake your head and swallow ASAP before it fizzes and explodes out all over the bar! The locals advise against the head-shaking step but sure do enjoy laughing at gullible tourists as the drink fizzes and spurts out everywhere across the bar!
Best Food: a plate of meats, vegetables and rice from the daily Night Market at the south end of the town (I couldn’t tell you what I shoved on my plate but it was all so delicious and cheap!)
Best Experience: the Gili T Sunset Bike Ride – something you must experience on the island as well as swimming around statues by Gili Meno.
