I could only afford one night at Le Pirate Boatel, but it was worth every overpriced cent. You don’t get much better than a dreamy oceanside bed that you can roll off into the big beautiful blue.

Despite accommodation mishaps, blisters, and a few brief moments of boredom or alienation, the 3 days I spent on Gili Meno were, for the most part, beautifully blissful.

The wildly beautiful landscapes, exquisite sunsets and dynamic oceanscapes of this ridiculously epic adventure have totally stolen my heart, and I truly hope that life brings me back this way one day so I can do it all again.

While the Gili islands are predominantly a tourism hub, there is still something magical about them and I certainly wouldn’t mind getting stuck on any of them for any length of time.

I wouldn’t stay in Kuta for any longer than a night, but I found it intriguingly overwhelming (which is strangely a good thing) to experience my first night in Indo there.

I set a mid-range budget for this little adventure, and have generally just aimed for clean, aircon preferable, centrally located accommodation so far. Nothing fancy, just standard private rooms. My new criteria is simply four walls and a door.

I think turtles always look like they know something incredibly important that you don’t, like they have some ancient wisdom to share. It’s one of the most beautiful experiences a person can have in my opinion, just sharing a quiet moment floating in space.

I woke up before sunrise and made my way through the darkness to the other side of the island in search of “Nest”. I was the only person there and it was an eerie, magical morning that I won’t soon forget.

This was not the introduction to Bali I’ve been imagining. I’d prepared myself for the culture shock of arriving in Indonesia via Kuta for the first time, but I could never have prepared myself for this level of heartbreak.