The beautiful ocean gloriously reflected the morning sunlight. Streaks of pink and orange in the sky accompany the faint sun appearing on the horizon. I shielded my eyes from the sunlight and jerked my hammock in motion where I had slept the night. Gili Meno was already impressing me with the morning sun.
The hammock which I selected was on the top floor of a bamboo structure set up by the hostel. This was one interesting hostel and I was glad to discover it. Truly eco-friendly in nature, the structures had no percentage of concrete in it and even the sanitation system was managed organically. You can read more about this hostel here: Staying in an Eco Hostel – Gili Meno, Indonesia.
My Hammock at the hostel. I just need to sit up to see the morning sun and shimmering ocean
I was ecstatic about what else the island had hidden under the azure waters and behind the beautiful palm trees swaying in the wind. In 24 hours, I was in a tropical paradise from the bustling city of Bali.
The morning birds chirped joyfully, welcoming the sun. I was not able to sleep because of the alluring melodies and for once, I was not upset because I couldn’t sleep more. I recalled the start constellations which appeared last night in high definition. They had disappeared now and only a couple of stars twinkled, close to being dominated by the sunlight in no time. This morning, I realized I didn’t have to rub my eyes; they were already wide open due to the ocean’s beauty that conjured in front of me.
I jumped off the hammock and headed to the hostel’s kitchen. The pancake batter laid covered for us to make pancakes. A chocolate sauce juxtaposed with it promised a delicious breakfast.
The kitchen setup to make pancakes!
After having breakfast, I decided to relax with the hostel folks, knowing their travel stories and adventures. Later, I started walking towards the jetty where Scuba diving facilitators had set up offices. As I walked along the coast, I couldn’t help but admire the lovely landscapes.
Gili Meno is a part of the beautiful the Gili Islands. It is the smallest island of the three islands which form the archipelago of Gili Islands. Gili Air & Gili Trawangan are the other two islands, later being most famous and crowded. However, Gili Meno receives less attention from travelers, hence making it an offbeat destination. Very few resorts and more of hostels are available on Gili Meno as an accommodation option. have a penchant for offbeat destinations and Gili Meno brought nothing but joy for me. Pure, unadulterated joy!
In Indonesia, they say the farther you venture in east, the more beautiful it gets. This is mainly due to the time it takes to reach these islands from Bali, where most of the travelers start their Indonesia trip.
In order to reach Gili Meno island, I had to first reach Gili Trawangan from Bali. It took me almost an entire day to reach Gili Meno due to the boat timings. I was supposed to reach Gili Meno one day before as planned. But, I missed my bus to the coast from Ubud and hence reached Gili Meno one day later than planned.
I reached Gili Meno at 5:30 PM, to notice a gorgeous sunset waiting to amaze me. At the horizon, a stalwart mountain stood tall, leaving an imposing image on the orange sky. Hidden by clouds, the peak remained invisible. The clouds gradually shifted to reveal the magnanimous mountain peak. That’s when I noticed the mountain was actually an active volcano.
The Volcano as it looked from Gili Meno
When I reached my hostel, darkness had dominated the sky and moonlight bounced off the ocean waves. I had a little talk with the fellow hostel dwellers while sipping beer. Later, I got the hammock from the reception and tied it to the topmost storey of the bamboo structure.
Next morning, I started towards the Dive shop to enjoy Scuba diving experience. I reached out to Blue marlin dive shop which immediately assigned me to an instructor and we started our training. Due to a shortage of time, I was only going to enjoy one dive in the ocean. The cost for this one dive was Rs 4,500 and it would take me to a depth of 18 meters.
Blue Marlin Dive shop
After the training session, we were taken right to the diving site, “The Wall”. This diving site is famous for turtles. The boat took us to the deeper parts of the ocean. We sat on edges of our boat with our back facing the ocean. The instructor counted to three and we let ourselves fall into the ocean. In no time, we became one with the scintillating marine life.
We spent the next one hour to discover the world of marine life! The fish swimming across our faces and clear visibility due to the afternoon sun made the experience blissful. I was indeed proud to have chosen Scuba diving as an experience to indulge in.
To read more about my Scuba Diving experience, read this blog: Scuba Diving in Gili Islands. The blog post includes a video as well!
Scuba Diving in Gili Meno
I stayed at the eco hostel in Gili Islands for 3 days and met a lot of travelers and heard some great stories. I wanted to stay for longer in order to experience more of Gili Meno, but time didn’t permit me. However, I did enjoy the 3 days to the fullest.
When I boarded a boat to leave Gili Meno, I couldn’t stop admiring the coastline of this tiny ocean. Lush green palm trees dotted the beach. The boat engine started and as it created ripples in the ocean and drifted forward, with every lapsing minute, Gili Meno island looked smaller and smaller. The speeding boat left a white trail in the ocean, but I had left my heart in Gili Meno!
If you are planning to visit Indonesia, do try and visit Gili Islands as well. If you have time in your hand, you should also not miss Gili islands!
Let me know your experience if you have visited Gili Meno. If you have any questions, do let me know in comments below.