Christmas on Gili Air! After a week in Bali, it was a treat to get back to the boat and head out to the small island paradise of Gili Air. The kids had been out that night, and when they arrived back at Thorfinn, at about 2300, we left the marina and began the eight-hour sail. There was no wind, so we motor-sailed throughout the rest of the night. I was on watch when the sun came up. It was a beautiful sight. The super-calm conditions and sleeping kids scattered all over the boat… priceless.
When we arrived at Gili Air, we went ashore for breakfast and then the kids went off to find accommodation. Dwayne and I grabbed a sun lounge out the front of “Chill Out”, and when Jacqui arrived around midday, she joined us for a cocktail. We discussed the video she wanted to do.
The following day I used what I had on the boat and what I could find ashore to make sate ikan (marlin sate) and ikan bakar (grilled fish) with fresh sambal for Jacqui’s video.
Jacqui came out to the boat around midday and filmed the cooking. It was a long day but a lot of fun. The kids came aboard for a feast after swimming all day, and the sates were a hit.
Click here for my Sate Ikan recipe.
The majority of our time on Gili Air was relaxing. Snorkelling, swimming, walking around the island and using our new stand-up paddle boards. The paddle boards were our Christmas present to each other and something we have wanted for a while now. They are awesome!
On Christmas Eve, Alex, Kye and Kailey moved to Oceans 5 resort. We spent the afternoon in the pool having a few drinks and playing a hilarious ‘Marco Polo’ game.
Christmas on Gili Air
We had Christmas breakfast at Scallywags. Excellent buffet with real bacon for $8. We opened our pressies and took the requisite family group photo before heading back to the beach to relax.
We spent Christmas morning at the beach relaxing, paddling and snorkelling before we had a traditional roast Christmas lunch at The Beach Club. Roast turkey, lamb and beef with all the trimmings!
On Boxing Day, 26th Dec, we motored around to Gili Trawangan. We all went our way on shore to find lunch and things to do. Dwayne and I found a great little Warung. Dwayne saw them cooking Ayam Taliwang over the coals and had to have it!
Gili Trawangan is busier than Gili Air, with lots more to do, see and buy. I preferred Gili Air because it is still reasonably quiet and easy to get around. On Gili Trawangan, we dodged traffic (bicycles and horse carts) and people. After a brief look around, Dwayne and I spent the afternoon on the beach paddling and snorkelling. Not much to see snorkelling. However, we enjoyed the cocktails.
Kye went surfing and put a hole in his new surfboard; Jedd was bartering for an antique mask. Alex, Marie and Kailey joined Dwayne for a cocktail before we were all back on board at 1830 for a BBQ dinner of lamb and pork chops, snags and potato salad. We then slept until 0130 before sailing back to Bali. It took nearly 11 hours because of the powerful currents, and we arrived at Benoa Harbour around midday. We packed up our gear and headed into Kuta to the hotel we had booked. Ready for round two of Bali!
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