Gili Trawangan

Gili Trawangan was the getaway I needed after a week of rain in Bali. This small piece of paradise can be found off the coast of Lombok and is one of three tiny islands: The Gilis. Gili Trawangan is the biggest out of the three islands, and the most popular, with plenty of backpackers finding a temporary home here.
We stayed in Gili Backpackers, the most popular hostel on Gili T, as it has a good party scene and an amazing pool. We met up with some backpackers we'd met in Bali there and got straight into the nightlife with them, there are many great bars along the main street, each night holding a different location for the go-to bar of the evening.
There is no traffic on the Gilis and the only modes of transport are bicycles and horses. We spent a lovely day hiring bikes and cycling around Gili T coast, stopping at various locations to swim, sunbathe, eat and drink. It was lovely to get away from the main strip on Gili T and adventure the back route, it was a lot quieter and had some gorgeous beaches. On the opposite side were the famous sea swings, which provide amazing pictures and capture a gorgeous sunset.

There is an amazing food market every night which we ate from, you pile up the noodles, meats, veg etc. and it's dirt cheap. During the day we ate the classic Nasi Goreng, a simple noodle dish which can be bought opposite Gili Backpackers.
One of my highlights was when we hired snorkels for the day and headed down to coral bay. Closer to the beach most of the coral has been destroyed from boats and people stepping on it, but swim a little further out and there are some gorgeous formations full of colourful tropical fish. I was lucky enough to see two sea turtles which came to rest on the sea bed. I watched them for a good twenty minutes before they swam off into the depths and I returned back to the beach for a rest.
This island is a truly magical place and you would struggle to find anywhere like it in the world. I spent a great week with friends partying, sunbathing and exploring so got a real mix. It is a little touristy at times so would recommend one of the other Gili islands for a more peaceful retreat, however I felt this had good diversity and wasn't too tacky (unlike Kuta in Bali) keeping some of the traditional local wonders rather than being taken over fully by shops and bars.

Imagine

I like to imagine myself with my own little flat, probably on the outskirts of a city somewhere, and probably near to the sea. I would unlock my door after a long day at work, and be greeted by two cats, the friendly ones who love a good stroke. I would curl up with a book on my sofa under a lovely patchwork blanket I picked up from a charity shop. I would be surrounded by book shelves stacked with second hand books, and house plants that I sometimes forget to water, but they're not the fussiest kinds of plants so were still living.
I imagine having a small kitchen, with cupboards I'd scruffily painted over myself. I wouldn't have a lot of cutlery or much crockery but would have plenty of mugs for my endless cups of tea. White with two sugars. I would probably end up eating microwaved noodles in them by the end of the week when I hadn't done the washing up.
I would have a desk somewhere, whether in my bedroom or the lounge I'm not sure. But it would be my creative space with paints and sketchbooks and posters hung up around it for inspiration. I would sit there for hours every day when I felt even a spark of motivation.
My bed would be made up of lots of cushions and blankets I'd collected up over the years, and would be a cosy, peaceful space to return to at night, with a velux window as to listen to the falling rain on a dreary evening.
In the morning I would get up early and take a journal to my local coffee shop, writing lists of things to get done that day, maybe doing a spot of drawing and listening to a chilled out playlist.

I don't know if this place will ever be a reality but I like to think of it occasionally. It's a safe place to wonder around when I think about my future.

India on a Shoestring - Part Three

We got a long train starting in the early hours in the morning, and let me tell you, it was absolutely freezing. We had been warned it would be cold, but this was mad. I couldn't feel my toes or fingers and had two thick jumpers on. Probably my least favourite journey of the trip (and none of the journeys were particularly fun) but I still managed to sleep on the train, and read some of my book, Gone Girl.

having a nap on a local train

We got tuk tuks on the other side of the journey, Jaisalmer was a lot warmer than the other places so far, so it was nice to strip back my layers of jumpers. We visited the gorgeous lake in the afternoon, along with the buildings to the side of it: a palace and hindu temple. We then watched the sunset sat on some steps the far side of the lake, it was incredibly peaceful and possibly the most beautiful sunset I've ever seen. That evening we went for drinks in one of the hotel rooms and drunk a bit too much Indian Rum (that stuff is strong so it's easy to do), we also got to meet a few people off of the other G Adventures tour group who were a day ahead of us on the same tour. 

The next day, cradling a bad hangover, we had a lie in before heading to Jaisalmer Fort. The fort was amazing and the views stunning: looking over the whole of Jaisalmer, the golden city. We then went to a fabric shop where they sold things like pashmina scarfs, Suz, Ella and I left early though after having a little browse as the three of us were tired and just wanted time to relax. We got a tuk tuk back to the hotel and spent the remainder of the day by the pool trying to get a tan. 

Sunset over Jaisalmer Lake

view from Jaisalmer Fort

Jaisalmer was an amazing city and a place I would love to come back and visit one day. We only spent two nights there so I feel like I could have seen more, especially of the fort and surrounding area, as all I wanted to do on the second day was curl up in a ball and sleep.