Turtle Soup

After loitering for 8 days around Bali’s surfer hangout Kuta, we were in need of a change of scene. We purchased cheap tickets for a slow boat to the Gili islands, famous for crystal clear water, accommodating reef sharks, manta rays and turtles. Turns out the cheap option wasn’t the best idea as we were repeatedly dropped off at cafes so the driver could get his commission and desperate salesmen tried to sell us return boat tickets, saying there was no way to get off the islands unless we bought tickets off them right away. We kindly declined their offers, as did everyone else we were travelling with, enraging the salesmen.

It was a long and indirect journey over 12 hours, consisting of an overcrowded bus, a very slow ferry to Lombok, another bus trip up the coast followed by a final trip in a smaller boat to Gili Trawangan. Exhausted from irate salesmen and the painfully slow transport we finally arrived as the sun was setting behind the island, turning the sea a dark bluish gold. In contrast to our budget travel option, had we taken the more expensive fast boat, we would have got to the Gili islands in 2 hours. Next time...

The following day we woke up and ate our obligatory breakfast banana pancakes washed down with a glass of gritty coffee and tripped over about 3 cats (The island happens to be overrun with beach cats, mostly without tails). We had showers but failed to feel any cleaner, quickly realising the water coming out of the shower was probably pumped directly from the sea. Feeling a bit grotty from the previous day’s journey and a dismal breakfast we were in need of some relaxation so headed for a nice spot to unwind by the sea.

We found a beautiful spot under a tree by a small beach bar, hammocks hanging from the branches and to Laura’s annoyance the sounds of James Blunt crooning in the air. I would have been annoyed too but had managed to zone out into a book. I don’t mind James Blunt, but we’ve heard little else but Blunt, Bob Marley, and Jack Johnson on a loop for the past 2 months and eventually it begins to grate.

We found an excellent way to avoid the endearing but tedious holiday drivel by sticking our heads underwater. Using snorkels and masks drowning was avoided and the water cleared as we paddled away from the crashing waves on the shore and floated over the corals below.

The friendly man who gave us the snorkelling gear was positive we’d see turtles if we headed out away from the boats ferrying tourists to and from the island. Feeling scarred from failing to see tigers on a tiger safari where there was a 100% chance of seeing one, I was unconvinced we would see a turtle even if it was right in front of us.

Feeling highly dubious about seeing anything remotely interesting we swam out over the corals to the edge of the reef where it drops steeply down and the sea turns a darker blue. To my delight the sea was teaming with wildlife, thousands of tiny silver fish swam in schools darting from one place to another in unison. Larger brightly coloured fish pecked at the sand and corals spitting leftovers out of their gills. It seemed like the whole cast from Finding Nemo was on display apart from one, the turtles.

After lunch we decided to have another stab at seeing the elusive turtles so hiked further away from the boats by foot till we were on a deserted part of the beach and donned our masks and fins. We paddled out further than before, past some fish patrolling an enormous coral growing from the seabed like a mushroom. A fat puffer fish glided along close to the sand looking for smaller fish to pick off with its sharp beak mouth. A patch of aneomes protected a pair of clown fish that were keen to show who was boss and snapped at my fins.

Feeling tired we began heading back along the reef to where we had left our bags. I was drifting near the edge of the reef by a steep shelf when I saw a huge brightly coloured fish that would have been an excellent dinner for a family of 6. The fish had incredible patterned scales and was in no hurry so I called Laura over to see it. We both began swimming after the big fish closer to the edge of the reef shelf when out of the blue a large sea turtle came into view. We were very close to it and it did a few turns right in front of us before swimming off into the deep blue. We had both resigned ourselves to looking at some pictures of turtles on Wikipedia that evening, but there was no need. As we swam closer into shore we came across another, smaller, turtle and swam around with it in circles before running out of enough water to swim in leaving us beached on the wet sand.

A good day's snorkelling - followed by an incredible dinner where we both ate coral trout. A delicate and tasty fish, probably one of the pretty things we had seen swimming about earlier.

Here is a lobster that was on offer at the restaurant we ate at. Apparently it is 1.5Kg, but the waiter assured us that we could get a 3kg lobster if we wanted.


The picture of the turtles above are from a turtle sanctuary where they are kept for a year after birth before being returned to the wild.