Celebrating New Years Gili Air style

Relaxing and exploring Gili Air. After a BBQ fish dinner at Island View, and enjoying the vibe (despite techno music at the bar) and beautiful breezes, our a/c bungalow beckoned. Had a brain wave and used the mosquito net canopy for its purpose and not just decoration 😜 as suggested by the plentiful bites all over me!

Wednesday.
Beautiful weather again. After our breakfast - tropical fruit then poached egg on smashed avocado, the masseuse arrived. We opted to have our massages on the beach in a kabana. I think mine was even better than yesterday’s. I dozed off so was a bit lethargic afterwards.

But thankfully, Dale suggested hiring bikes and exploring the island. Off we went dodging pedestrians, bikes, scooters , pony carts, sandy patches, mud and road-wide potholes.

It was great getting a closer view of life on the island, and what goes on behind the scenes.
When we got to the other coast we scouted to find a good spot with live music to celebrate NYE later that night.

We ate lunch at The Legend bar (another beach swing here) and had a swim. The beach is gorgeous and softer underfoot than Island View where there’s a lot of coral. A Chilean couple on their honeymoon offered to take some photos of us. So we chatted for a bit. Lovely people!

We rode further along the beach and eventually asked a young guy with a guitar if he could suggest somewhere with live music that night. He recommended the Raja bar, just a bit further up the beach. Plan made, we rode back to the resort to freshen up. Before heading off we watched a young woman riding a pony in the surf. It looked kinda romantic, but that poor pony was struggling with the steep incline and the waves.

We hired an electric scooter for the night. On the upside these things are so quiet and have no fumes. Downside, someone forgot suspension on the design, or maybe it gave up after being loaded with big tourists! Suffice to say my natural padding wasn’t quite enough! 😆😆

We ate dinner right on the beach, which was gorgeous. Later we moved into the bar to enjoy the music. 3 guys - a singer with guitar; a violinist and a guy on an electric version of a bongo. They gave it their all, and were really entertaining. The singer sported a big black Fedora and John Lennon style sunnies - what a character!

We thoroughly enjoyed the music, and the people watching!
We were back at our bungalow by 10;00 pm, and drifted off to the sound of the revellers - who continued until past dawn! Happy New Year!Read more