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Paradise again! The standard for idyllic beach destinations had been set pretty high after visiting Fiji but we are pleased to report the Gili islands, just off Lombok, didn’t disappoint. Taking the high speed boat from Bali over to Gili Trawangen we were lazing by the side of the turquoise sea in no time. Trawangen is the largest of the three islands and though it has a small local population it is the most developed for tourists. This is good when you want to use free wifi, eat western junk food and watch latest cinema releases in private beach-side cinemas, but no so good when you want to pretend you are Robinson Crusoe. Cycling around the island we found a few quiet spots to chill out in with a steady supply of Bintang beer but after a few nights we were ready to head over to Gili Air for a more relaxed pace.

On Gili Air we checked into a smart new Italian owned placed right on the sea front and spent the next five days chilling in our own luxury beach hut and taking on their all-you-can-eat breakfasts. With so few tourists and a cystal clear sea we decided to put our recent scuba diving training into action; I signed up for an advanced dive course and Helen a fun dive. Despite having a very ropey time in Thailand, Helen now dives like a mermaid. The flat sea, wonderful visibility and giant turtles must have helped with the transformation. Since I was taking a course it was back to the books for an hour or so each day to learn about navigation, buoyancy, deep and night dives. Each skill was then put into practice under the guidance of my private instructor and diver-extraordinare Tony. Our time spent hanging out with the Blue Marlin guys was great and the diving was amazing, especially the night dive into the pitch black sea!