The Rare Gili Air

Before the wooden out-rigger even pulled into the tranquil clear blue waters of the small Gili Air harbor, it was becoming clear to me that this might actually be the island paradise of which I had often dreamed and a local that had managed to elude the Lonely Planet-clutching masses. From 200 meters out, the entirety of the island, with it’s swaying palms and white sand beaches, could be taken in without a pivot of the head. Later we would learn that the whole of the island could be circumambulated in around two hours, with time allowed to take in a pint of Bintang and a sunset. On an island this size, you are always conscious of the fact that you are truly on an island. There is just no mistaking it.

Our paradise was made so by a magical mixture of thatched roof cottages, friendly local villagers, and horse drawn carriages (cidomos) jingling down the dirt path that encircles Gili Air. See…there are no cars, scooters or motorized vehicles of any sort on the island. If you require transport beyond your own two feet, you hail a horse and carriage…a sight that seems at once asynchronous yet completely at home in this tropical environment.

The tourist population of the island was so thin (almost non-existent) that at times we had the feeling of having been ship wrecked there and then taken in by the benevolent local population. It did not take long before we had encountered most of the villagers and they never failed to greet us with a smile and a “hello how are you.” Sometimes we would even get a “hello have fun today” or even a “enjoy yourself. good times!” Once again expectations and preconceptions were shattered as we realized the friendliest and most laid back local in our travels thus far was 100% Muslim.

The village occupied the interior of the island with a mosque and a football pitch as the centerpiece. The village chief (and his four wives) occupied a place of prestige from which he handled all the managerial and judicial needs of the island. There is no police force and, apparently, no problems (save for the kitten that was murdered next to our bungalow by a meter and a half long cousin of the famed Komodo dragons endemic to the island of Komodo to our east. I suppose crimes of this nature are outside the chief’s jurisdiction anyways).

While the island itself was the definition of idyllic, it’s real treasure lay just off shore. Rainbows of reef fish made their home in the crystal clear waters 50 meters from our veranda and we joined them for a swim every morning after breakfast. On our last day we finally had the pleasure to share the sea with the majestic Olive Ridley sea turtles, among the worlds most endangered creatures. As we hovered along the surface of the water, they could eventually be spotted feeding along the bottom. With patience we waited until they returned to the surface to gulp down some more air. It was only then that we realized the enormous size of these docile creatures. They began to rise from the bottom (where distance made them appear minute) to the surface where it was very clear that their length was almost equal to mine. Sharing the water with them was truly an otherworldly experience.

After 8 days in paradise (and several real estate enquiries) it was time to move on. I slung my hammock up along side the top deck of the ferry for the four-hour ride back to Bali and fell asleep dreaming of turtles.

We are now in Bali’s artistic and cultural center, Ubud and are looking forward to absorbing all it has to offer.