bali beaches

the horse taxis on gili

another day at the office

the hut we stayed in

gili island sunset

yogi on a deserted beach

emil says:
the surf, the sunsets, the beach scene, the inexpensive accommodations directly on the beach, the outstandingly fresh and uber cheap recently spear-gunned fish are omnipresent on the gili islands. but the trouble with paradise is its usually in a third world country. and sadly environmentalism appears to be a first world problem. the water resources are strained to say the least by all the new hotel plunge pools and the numerous restaurants proclaiming 'triple washed salads'. the plastic water bottles that we seem to buy thinking they will be recycled liter the beaches and low tide can reveal some exquisite nastiness. and the big building cranes continue to operate at full steam along the beaches of bali and its islands. on a positive note...it's nearly impossible on gili island to eat any meal without being at most 10 feet from the surf, beers are $2 and a 3 pound snapper freshly grilled with all the fixins costs $10. in uluwatu if you want to stay on the beach for $10/night and rent a surf board for $5/day you can (is this possible anywhere else in the world?). bali has some super spots. something for every budget and style. surf, become a yogi, grow rice, find peace, party hard, don't find peace, whatever. and due to the extreme affordability it just makes it all the more fun, just beware of what seems like warp-speed growth and resource straining that is bringing an uglier side to the foreground.

lone surfer at uluwatu

uluwatu temple

monkey see, monkey do, monkey meditate

surf master laurel ponders the beach break

surf shacks with $10/night accommodations and $2 beer

laurel says:

when we were finally able to peel ourselves away from our zen like state in ubud, we made our way to some of bali's best beach destinations: the gili islands and uluwatu.  the gili's are a group of three tiny islands (with perimeters of 8 kilometers) off the coast of lombok.  to call them laid back would be an understatement.  there are no motorized vehicles (the cabs are horse drawn carts) and most hotels don't even have fresh water.  we got in the gili spirit staying in an aline beach hut with an outdoor bathroom.  the gili's are a real mix- you can party cancun style, do some of the best diving/snorkeling around or just relax on any of the deserted white sand beaches that ring the islands.  there are very few americans and the people watching is quite entertaining: everything from euro trash to the tres chic.  uluwatu has a completely different energy.  a slice of surfer paradise where a room on the beach will set you back $10, as long as you don't mind sleeping next to a crate of bintang beer.  the vibe is super chill and the sunsets looking out on the water while perched upon a cliff-side bar are second to none.  we spent our last couple days in uluwatu putzing around on a scooter, exploring the many remote beaches and counting the days until our return trip to bali.