Gili T-July2014-C

Gili Air was kind of couple-y so I headed on the local boat to Gili T which is supposed to be much more lively.  I had another Dutch guy on the boat and we decided to find a hotel together.  (Un)fortunately, he had this idea that we could find an amazing, but cheap place on the other side of the island and we ended up walking around the whole island (2 hours) with our backpacks on, just to end up where we had started.  We finally found a home stay that I ended up staying at, but he went to another just down the road.  I met up with the two Aussies from Lembongan and we made plans for the  night.  THey had had a misadventure the night before so they were wary about going out, but Gili T is known for its nightlife so I wanted to head out.  We started at the open night market which is a crazy hectic place where all the raw food is layed out, you pick what you want and then they cook it on a BBQ.  I ordered some safe skewers (I did try fresh red snapper) and rice.  We then went to bar where a band was playing.  They were pretty good playing Bob Marley to Foo Fighters.  People were definitely there to party.  We met some Brazilian guys who quickly got too rowdy for us.  We briefly saw the Norwegians, and the Dutch guy, but the place was so hectic and loud you really couldnt keep track of anyone!  After seeing a bunch of girls fall of tables and drop their drinks everywhere we moved on to a silent party.  You see everyone dancing but hear no music because everyone is dancing with headphones on.  The funny thing about this place was the fact that there were two DJs on two channels so half of the bar was dancing to more pop music while the other half was dancing to hip hop.  I loved dancing at this place-no shoes, on the beach with great music.

I planned on staying on Gili T until I headed back to Bali but I was talked into going back to Gili Air and there are just more day activities there.

We rode the boat back, I got my bed back at the crazy hostel and we set out to snorkel and SUP.  The snorkeling was very nice again-such a variety of fish.
The Aussie girls and I got the SUPBoards  and started messing around.  Becky did gymnastics and was willing to play around with tricks on the board.  We did headstands, backbends and some ridiculous jump turns.  I can not wait to SUP again.  This was especially nice because the water was so clear, you could see the sand, coral, and fish underneath you as you are paddling along.

We are going to get a lounge area tonight and relax as it is my last night on the islands and I head to UBUD tomorrow!

We found a great lounge area on the beach and settled in to try some local flavors and relax to enjoy the sunset.  I caused some trouble by flying a paper airplane to the guys at the table next to us.  One thought I had sent it directly to him...oops.  We were unimpressed by the local shakes that we had gotten, which really disappointed me because I was really looking forward to them :(  My so sweet south African friend joined us for a bit as we ate.  Then we headed to the bar where the paper airplane guys were as well as others from the local dive shop.  I didnt want to call it a night since it was my last night on the islands but i headed home to the hostel where I found a friend from before and Im sure we drove the others crazy as we whispered between the beds.
On the boat back to Bali, we stopped back by Gili T and I found a part of the island that I hadnt paid attention to before because I was with the Dutch guy looking for a hostel-the adventure part.  There were SUPs, kayaks, and a really beautiful beach.  The rest of the island is kind of gritty or really exclusive but I liked this little area and wish I had noticed it before.  Since I didnt have my camera, I asked a very handsome German to take some pictures and email them to me-we'll see if I get them!

The day was especially beautiful and I was super disappointed to leave.  I could def. have stayed a couple of more days on Lembongan, Gili T and Gili Air.