Gili Air (Mar. 3, 2015)

Mar. 3, 2015

Well, I made it to Gili Air, the third and middle sized of the three Gili’s. I got up this morning and gathered my belongings to catch that same boat to Gili Air. I was a bit longer of a boat ride this time because Air is the furthest island from Gili Trawangan and closest to Bali. It is lovely and I found a decent, and reasonable hostel to stay in. It’s called Gili Air Hostel, I know, how original. Anyway, it has air con, and actual beds in the dorm, not bunk beds, and includes breakfast. All for a whopping $10 CAD. The only weird thing about it is, that it doesn’t have WiFi, and I didn’t even think to ask, assuming all places would. In any case, there is another new hostel down the road about one minute, that will let me use the WiFi and have a drink of tea or something. It’s a nice hostel too, but has no air con and the huts house three people on the main floor and one on the upper deck. It is really hot here, so I imagine that with 5 people in the hut, and no air con, it must get really hot. 

Movie watching room/beanbags

Dorm room

Bathroom area

Open ceiling shower

Front of hostel

Outside common area

So after I got checked into the hostel, I wandered around for a bit to get a feel for the island. It’s similar in feel to Gili Meno, except quite a bit bigger. I like it and the people seem really friendly. There are dirt roads all around the perimeter of the island that house tourist cafe’s, hotels, and dive shops. Inside the town, the locals live, with great Warungs, stores and mosques. That is where I walked as it offers the most interesting sights.

Juice bar I stopped at for Dragon juice

Shop for pony wear

One main road....lol.

View sitting on the beach under tree

Me under tree at beach

As I was walking around, I came across this lovely yoga studio in the middle of the island. It was called H2O Yoga and owned by an older Australian guy named Bindu. His stage name as he called it…..lol. Anyway, it’s all outside, and gorgeous, so I took the class times and decided to return for a candlelight evening class, with Tibetan Glass Bowls included. It was really relaxing and I was glad that I had decided to take a class.

Entrance to yoga studio

Second area for yoga classes

Large area where we did the class

In between walking and going to yoga, I stopped for some lunch, at a local Warung, and you guessed it, had Nasi Campur. The lady who owned the Warung was really nice and was in the process of making some home made sambal. That is the name of their spicy salsa that you put onto all the food. I love it. She told me how to make it, and I watched, so I took some photos of the ingredients, and the way it looked, and will definitely be making fresh sambal when I return. 

Then, I lounged in the common area of my hostel, on beanbag chairs, dozing. It was so hot, with no breeze and I was a bit tired. Last night the others in the room were coming in and out a lot and my sleep felt interrupted though I didn’t really feel tired this morning. By the afternoon, I was very tired, and hot, so just hung out and dozed until it was time for yoga. Not a bad option….lol.

After yoga, I popped into the hostel down the road, to have some iced tea and use the WiFi. There is an open air terrace above the office that has hammocks, a TV and some bamboo tables to sit and chill out at. A really great first day in Gili Air. I think I will go to bed early tonight as there are not many people in my hostel, and it’s got a spread out format, with cement walls so the sounds are really muted. I’m looking forward to sleeping in and just taking my time tomorrow.

A nice Canadian girl that I met at yoga, who lives here and has a hotel here, invited me to meet some of her friends and her at a nearby Beach Bar. I don’t know if I’ll go yet, but might venture down there if I am still awake. Otherwise, I will crash and figure out what I want to do tomorrow. I haven’t any plans, yet. I will dive the day after tomorrow, then go back with the dive guys, to Senggigi. That will be fun.