GILI ISLANDS

Following our tough hike at Rinjani, we all fancied a bit of R&R on the beach so we caught the boat over to the Gili Islands. Getting around Lombok is an absolute hassle despite the island being so small. There's no organized public transportation between towns and always people are trying to overcharge and rip off travelers to use the private means of transport. And of course it's never on time and often involves stops or changes that were unexpected. So the idea of being on an island small enough to walk around for five days really appealed. The Gili Islands are three and we stayed on the largest, Gili Trawangan, which has nice beaches and a decent nightlife.

It was a great place to chill. The beaches are nice and there are enough people to create a good vibe, but still with a peaceful atmosphere and not too many vendors hassling. The water was beautiful and clear with mediocre snorkeling right on the main beach. We had heard big sea turtles were often visible there, but didn't spot any when we rented gear and snorkeled by ourselves.
However a couple of days later we went on an organized snorkeling trip which stopped at three different sites for snorkeling. Despite major hangovers (obvious from the above video) and a shortage of sleep, we all enjoyed that. And at the second site we were lucky enough to see two huge turtles with shells as big as my torso. We even got within three feet of one of them.

Brothers forever. I think.
Best friends forever.Gay.
We like snorkeling. But the deep water is scary.