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Gili Air

We flew out of Siem Reap at 7.45am, changed planes in Phnom Penh, arrived in Singapore at 12.10pm.
Flew out of Singapore at 4.45 pm and arrived in Bali at 7.15 pm, are we tired yet!!

Flying from Singapore to Bali Tannalee and I sat together she had the window seat. Next to me the aisle seat was free. I am very proud of myself as this is my third flight today with out taking my "I'm terrified of flying "drugs:):)

About half way into the flight the hostesses are serving food. I put my book on the seat next to me to get a lolly, then there is an announcement over the speaker system in Indonesian and WHAM!! A hostess lands in the seat next to me and buckles the belt in a swift movement that scares the life out of me!!!
I didn't have a clue what the captain had said but it obviously wasn't good... I've changed my mind want my pill :(

I look at the hostess and as she pulls my book out from under her butt I ask, "is it going to get bumpy?" "yes" is the reply, "it's rainy season it gets rough sometimes" :(:(:(

I start chatting to her, she is from Java but lives on Bali for work. she tells me how she feels like a tourist in her own country when she goes to Kuta because there are so many westerners. We chat for a good while and guess what, no bumps! false alarm :):):)

We spent two nights in Legian at The  Kusnadi Hotel

Our room #111 was bad, the sheets were clean, but stained with holes. The walls leaked enough that Tannas luggage got all wet, there was mould and the paint was actually flaking off the walls so much that it was sitting all over the floor. Funny but stuff like that I can live with enough to give the place a go. It's cute hotel and I think if you got the right rooms it would be really nice.

While we were there a lot of the guests knew each other, we felt like we were intruding in their private pool. Seriously guys if you are out numbering the other guest 20 to 4 there is no need to hang around the sides of the pools and have your conversations yelling over the water. Not the hotels fault though.
The staff were really nice, the pool and the garden were very pretty.



Captain Cook bar across the road. Funny because Ross works on the tall ship Endeavour and everywhere we go he seems to find a bar that has something to do with Cook!





Waiting for a taxi

Interesting foot path decor

We went out for Japanese one meal cost as much as two night accommodation, it was good but I wouldn't do it again.

                                           

I think you can tell from my lack of words and photos what I think of Legian. We only stayed here as the kids have never stayed around Kuta/Legian and I wanted them to make up their own minds. Riley hated it and couldn't wait to get out of there. Tanna didn't love it, but she couldn't understand why we dislike it so much and she would be happy to come here and go shopping any time:)


We flew to Lombok with Merpati Air on an early flight.
Just landed in Lombok, flight over with Merpati was better than some of our Jet Star flights!


The first part of our drive to the beach was full of traffic including horse and carts. It was very sad to see these tiny little horses pulling carts full of ladies with their shopping. The drive was pretty frantic, once out of the traffic they drive really fast on Lombok!

Below is the first boat we hopped onto, they pulled the boat out by the anchor rope, then couldn't start the motor. They pushed back to shore with a bamboo pole and we had to jump back out and into the boat on our left. The porter who had just received who knows how much from our driver to carry the bags a few meters from the car, now wanted about 100,000 to put them from one boat to the other!! We were happy to do this ourselves and really didn't want his help, but it would seem it wasn't an option, we gave him 20,000? from memory but maybe it was 50,000 he was very pushy and a real whinger!

I love this shot what a beautiful day to arrive at Gili Air, looks like paradise ahead of us doesn't it?

On Gili Air there are no cars just these little ponys with carts. I think they have a good life here. The guys seemed to take really good care of them and were very gentle with them.

Tannalee hopped in the back of the cart with the bags. It was really funny because the little horse took off with her and we couldn't keep up. Tanna went from this happy face because she gets to ride while we have to walk, to a MUMMY where am I going, save me face!!!! I couldn't stop laughing at her, that will teach her to be so quick to leave us walking.

Our hotel Manta Dive Resort

Our adjoining rooms

Our view.. we weren't to happy about the construction work. But the rooms were very clean, big and bright.The white walls made for easy mosquito spotting which was one of the reasons I booked this hotel.

Manta Dive restaurant, toes in the sand while you eat breakfast, that's what island holidays are all about:)


Our room

Path through the resort



This is where we ate most meals



My toes


Too funny, the front of the bale was totally open to the elements on the beach!

We were walking along when all of a sudden this naked little kid came running full speed out of no where grabbed his cow and ran away. It was very funny.
Walking around the island















View from the breakfast table.

The Gili Air Gang

Just walking around island style



On a pony ride

During this ride we rode threw a grove of bushes and the whole cart was swamped with mosquitoes. I have never in my life seen or heard about anything like it. Previously Ross being the cool dude that he is decided he didn't need any bug spray. He quickly changed his mind, you should of seen him spraying it on while about a thousand mosquitoes tried to eat him alive!!


Here is the beautiful little boy (the horse) who took us on our pony ride, not long after we left I thought what an idiot I had been, we should of gotten two carts. I didn't really enjoy the ride as I spent the whole time feeling like we were two heavy, the guy assured us it was ok for the four of us to hop in but we could easily have afforded two carts. We just didn't think of it!
I was so relived to get out and not find the poor thing frothing from the mouth.

When we first arrived on Gili Air we chucked our bags in the room and jumped in the water straight out the front of the resort.









Riley loved snorkeling

Mucking around with my camera in the resort pool

It was while we were swimming in this pool at our hotel that Riley suddenly said "oh hi" and smiled at some girls who had waved at him. "Who was that?" we asked, "a girl from my class" he replied! What are the chances? Tanna saw one of her teachers in Cambodia and now on this tiny little island Ry sees a girl who is not just from his school but from his class at our resort. Life can be very weird sometimes:)

One day we hired a glass bottom boat and went around all three islands


Our boat



Reef off shore from Gili Air



See the dot in the sky? that's a kite, the fishermen in the boat below are using it to get over the reef.



Off shore from Gili T
Our guide grabbed this turtle and held it up for Tanna to see from the boat, naughty I know but very nice of him to think of her!





We stopped at Gili Meno for lunch, if we come back to the Gili islands we'll stay on Gili Meno next time. It is a very clean and tidy little island,  Gili Air was very scruffy compared to it.














Bathroom stop! Don't worry Tanna I'll hold the door.
Turtle hatchery, it's pity we didn't get a good photo of all the baby turtles there were four holding pools and all together there must of been about one hundred tiny little baby turtles :)



The reef off shore from Gili meno





Back on Gili Air, dinner on our last night
While looking at the menu two girls sitting in the bale next to us said 'have the really big prawns they are delicious' they went on about them so much we couldn't resist. Look it was huge and easily one of the best prawn meals I've ever had.


The cats of Gili Air

Tannalee alternated between washing her hands with wipes, and using them as cat toys.

There was one lady at a bale next to us totally freaking out she kept pushing at this cat that had jumped up and it would just not go away. She pushed with her foot, menu and cushions but it just kept on laying down and wouldn't move. In the end her partner just gave it a really big(but gentle) push off the bale!

There were cats every where! One night it was actually a bit spooky how many cats were around, Tannalee jumped down from our bale to play with one and while I was filming about six more came wandering from out of the dark .
 There is a studio ghibli movie named the 'The Cat Returns' the kids and I referred to it a lot while on Gili Air :)
It's good thing we love cats.

This little black one lived at the resort, the cats here are so incredibly vocal, all you have to do is look at them and they are off.... meoooow meooow meoow, big story tellers they are!

This little kitten is only about is big as my hand





Time to go

We get up early have breakfast and wait for the skipper to come and get us, there is a bit of swell so we have to walk down the island a bit to get in the boat.







One, two, three... quick jump on board.

Ok we are going in the opposite direction to the beach where we boarded to come over. The guys on the boat don't speak a word of English we have no idea where we are going. All I know is that we are heading toward some huge swell !!

Finally... after I've spent the last half an hour thinking 'we're all gonna die', we pull up at this isolated beach, not a soul around except for an old lady and her cows.


Eventually from out of the trees appears a guy who is obviously there for us, we drag our bags into a very old jeep 'don't lean on the doors' is the order from me.
This driver is insane, I mean we want to get to the airport alive yes? I have never seen anyone hit the horn  as often it was embarrassing to be in his car as even the locals were giving him dirty looks.
  Eventually Ross asks him to slow down. Now we are going so slow we hope we don't miss the flight LOL
At one point we stopped for petrol and at the next pump there was a Ute full of elderly ladies crammed into the back tray. They were all looking at us like we were aliens funny!

Flying over beautiful Bali. Flying to and from Lombok is the first time I've seen Bali from the air as we always arrive and leave during the night.


Next stop Taro Elephant Safari Park Lodge