We had booked transport from the hotel in Legian to Gili Air
and though a bit pricey, much more comfortable than working things out for
ourselves.
Stepping out of the ferry, we were welcome by horses and
carts. No cars on Gili Air and it reminded me of one of my favourite places in
France, L’Ile de Brehat. I just loved the peace and calm feel to this island,
not to mention the architecture of the houses and traditional pointed huts with
thatch roofs and wooden doors, absolutely magnificent. Our goal was to take our
open-water diving course and learn how to dive. At the end of the three-day
course, we all passed. Stupidly or just naively, I realised what diving was all
about: admiring marine life and swimming with fish. I don’t know why I hadn’t
put it into these terms before but I smiled during one of the dives- got water
in my mask as a result but we had been taught how they get rid of it so I was
quite proud of my skill (one of the few I mastered, but never mind)- and
realised I was in a big aquarium watching the underwater life: tortoises,
myriads of fish, we recorded it all in our dive log, as one does when diving! We had booked
our course with www.giliairdivers.com
and they were excellent. We stayed at Omah Gili, a beautiful hotel just a 100
meters from the beach. On our last morning, before heading out to Lombok, we
took a stroll across the island and along the beach. Delightful, really. Even
though we live in a village in the jungle, let’s face it, there’s not much to
Brunei, Gili Air on the other hand is unforgettable. One of the local diving instructors is from
the island and has been as far as Lombok in his life, mainly through lack of
money, but it does put things in perspectives. Gili Air might be what I see in
my head when I think of paradise!
See you in Part 3 :)
PS: Apologies if you're received many emails. It took a while and many tries to upload. :)
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