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Next Destination => Gili Gede, Lombok, Indonesia

Gili Gede is the new place I will call home.

 

I never thought I would make this move – moving to an Island with no electricity, no reliable water source, no hospital, no pharmacy, no supermarket, no shopping malls, no beauty salon, no restaurants, and so on – basically nothing is on Gili Gede.

But, I fall in love! No, not with a man – but with Gili Gede.

 

Let me introduce you to my new home.

Gili Gede means “big island” and the island is approx. 4km long and various from 300m to 1.5 km in width. Here is no transport on the island, other than by boat, but the beach and coast walk offer access around and across the island. If you need transport you simply wave at a passing local boat with a roof on it and it will pick you up and deliver you to your destination for a small taxi fee.

There are five sub-villages on the island; Tanjungan, Labuan Cenik, Orong Bukal, Pengamatan and Gedang Siang. I will live in Labuan Cenik. Most of the locals are generally fishermen or boat builders or both and are seen daily repairing their nets, boats and motors. More and more locals are participating in the tourist sector by working at hotels, building new accommodation, transporting and guiding tourists as boat captains etc.

The spoken language on the island (mother tongue) with much of souther Lombok, is Sasak. Bahasa Indonesia is a second language and used for general and inter-tribe communication in the whole of Indonesian.

As mentioned before, there is no electricity on the island as yet, so it is necessary to use a generator, generally form sunrise to about 11:30pm. There is also no reliable water source on the island so I need to bring fresh water by boat, which is obviously not environmentally friendly, until the government connects the island to the main grid electricity.

 

Typical house on the Island
Outdoor Kitchen
Boats
Views
Coconut Garden
Local ladies
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Lombok, a place where the sun always shines.

Lombok is the sister island of Bali. Lombok is a destination that is sought after by every adventure lover, be it a diver, surfer, beach-lover or mountain lover. Lombok offers a treat for every single visitor. You need enough time to explore every corner of the exotic island.  

Gunung Rinjani (Mount Rinjani)

Is one of three blessed mountains beside Gunung Semeru in Central Java and Gunung Agung in Bali. The Rinjani volcano also has an outstanding reputation worldwide for its breathtaking natural landscapes. Especially the emerald, pine-fringed crater lake Segara Anak, which is normally used as a campsite. There are three starting points for visitors, namely the Desa Sembalun (Sembalun village), the Senaru route and the Aik Berik route.

Gunung Rinjani from Gili Gede

Trio Gili

The three islands of Gili off the west coast of Lombok is an absolute must for Lombok visitors. Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air are popular destinations for many tourists. Gili Trawangan, the largest of the Gili Islands, is the most coveted island of travelers. This Island, is also called Party Island, and offers a variety of fully equipped accommodations. However, if you are looking for some quite place, you have the opportunity to travel to Gili Meno or Gili Air. I personally liked Gili Meno much better than Gili T or Gili A., but again is all about what you are looking for. Despite everything, the Gillis trio are overcrowded with the guests arriving by speedboat daily from Bali. There is a speedboat connection from Padang Bali, East Bali to Gili T.

Gili Meno

Gili Gede

Gili Gede means “big island” and the island is approx. 4km long and varies from 300m to 1.5km in width. There are five main villages on the island; Tanjungan, Labuan Cenik, Orong Bukal, Pengametan and Gedang Siang. The locals are generally fishermen or boat builders or both and are seen daily repairing their nets, boats and motors. The predominant, mother tongue, language spoken by the people, as with much of southern Lombok, is Sasak. Bahasa Indonesia is a second language and used for general and inter-tribe communication in the whole of Indonesia.

Gili Gede