Off we went to Explore the parts of the island that are not necessarily for tourist eyes!! But I think when visiting places like this island you should get the 'real' picture too. Travel is exploring and usually after a day of getting our bearings we always go to look around. Often we stumble upon amazing aspects of a place. So after a beautiful breakfast at KoKoMo we went for a walk. By the way, KoKoMo restaurant is a must do - excellent staff and excellent food.
The first amazing stumble upon was watching the locals moving large items via their heads to a boat. I can't imagine how strong you need to be to do this. It is a skill that many people in Bali and Gili T have, moving many things via their heads. Then we took a street off the main front street. We walked across eventually to the other side of the island. By doing this we did see the poverty and the simplicity. There is both happiness and curiosity in the eyes of the locals. Gili T is part of the region of Lombok which is more Muslim and the inner village areas of Gili T are more visibly Muslim. We came across the mosque and it had prayer being broadcasted non-stop. It is a very relaxing chant. There are other visible Muslim indicators, such as signs requesting respect in attire.
We had a map of the island with us but found it really did not reflect what we were finding. Most of the walk was done by asking locals, who were so friendly and by just walking and seeing where it went. At times, your guard yourself radar comes up but that is mostly from experiencing the unknown. In amongst the local homes, which are usually constructed of what could be found, are private holiday villas. A peek inside many showed beauty and relaxation.
The rubbish is a real problem. There are no waste disposal areas and the plastic water bottles are littered everywhere...and eventually entering into the beautiful ocean. I really don't know how they could address the situation. There has been some evidence of trying to recycle the bottles. I did see some mats constructed of joined bottle caps. There really is a contrast between the outside resort areas and the inside village areas.
Once we got to the other side of the island 'Sunset Beach', it was beautiful with some resort style cafes. There were some shacks by the oceans for beverages. However it was much more simple than the side of the island we were staying. The day had been well spent, it was a great walk and eye opening.
