Once I discovered that Canggu, Bali had street art, I knew I would enjoy it here. Canggu is an up-and-coming surf spot just up the west coast from the ever popular Seminyak and Kuta, on the Indonesian island of Bali. It’s a hip place for many, but for me, it was about looking for street art.

But is it street art or graffiti? There is a fine line and, whilst driving around from one day to the next, new murals would appear, and others would be painted over.
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Admittedly some of the urban art and cool graffiti is obscure, but other street artists’ murals are stunning.
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As usual with wall murals, I took a plethora of photos. I enjoyed the hours spent searching for street art in Canggu, so now I would like to show you how talented some of these street artists really are.

The 5th August 2018 was just an ordinary evening on Gili Air, Indonesia. We were in a restaurant eating dinner, choosing not to take our phones with us. We didn’t plan to be out for long.

At 6.46pm everything changed. A slow rumble could be heard, but it wasn’t thunder which comes from above. This thunder was surrounding us.

The ceiling and walls started to shake. Sy and I looked at one another, we knew what this was, we had felt it a few days before.

Earthquake.

Suddenly the lights went out. As the island was plunged into darkness, screams could be heard up and down the street.

We didn’t know it at the time, but this Magnitude 7 North Lombok earthquake, the force of which caused Lombok to rise by 10 inches, would turn Gili Air into a ghost town.
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This is my story of being in the Lombok earthquake, and Gili Air’s plans to be paradise again soon.

I really enjoyed Kuta, Lombok, it had that rustic feel of a developing town.

Everyone has heard of Kuta in Bali, the overcrowded “surfs up dude” party capital of Indonesia, but Kuta in Lombok, Bali’s larger sister island, is far superior if you ask me. Although Kuta Lombok is an up-and-coming destination, it has many local cultures and traditions which are still practiced there today.

Located in the South of Lombok, the coastal town of Kuta is growing steadily and making a name for itself. With its rugged views, lush green hills and white surf beaches, we wanted to see what the fuss was about. 

So why should you visit Kuta in Lombok?

Sitting in the restaurant of our accommodation at Daniels Lagoon Resort, I reflected on our recent dives in the Lembeh Strait. Surrounding the lagoon were tall, lush green trees, and sounds of the jungle could be heard all around.

I’m torn between the jungle being my happy place, and the beach, I couldn’t believe my luck when I found both!

Lembeh is macro diving heaven for any discerning scuba diver, and is considered by many to be the best muck diving place in the world.

​Lembeh, Suluwesi should be on your scuba diving bucket list if you love weird and wonderful critters.

Scuba diving in Lembeh, however, is a whole different experience. It’s unlike any other diving we have done. But why? What is it about Lembeh that draws people here? Is it because the black volcanic sand creates mesmerising images?
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Let our photographs help you decide.

Tarsiers. What funny looking creatures they are! A cross between Yoda and a gremlin, these small animals with big eyes and freakishly long fingers, are the smallest primate in the world.
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Unique and rare, Tarsiers are found in Tangkoko Nature Reserve, North Sulawesi in Indonesia. When we were scuba diving in Lembeh, we were only an hour away from the Park, so couldn’t pass up the chance to view these weird and wonderful, googly eyed creatures.

However it wasn’t just the Tarsiers who left a lasting impression. Tangkoko Nature Reserve is the setting for the infamous monkey selfie lawsuit, and home to Black Crested Macaque, Kuskus, Hornbills, Kingfishers and a plethora of birds only found in Sulawesi. It’s a bird watcher’s paradise, and people come from all over the world for the rare birds found here.
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If it wasn’t the Tarsiers who were the star of the show … what was?

Flores: This Indonesian island is the gateway to Komodo National Park. You may not have heard of it, but I’m sure you have heard of Komodo with its infamous, prehistoric Dragons. Seeing Komodo Dragons was a bucket list item for me and had been for quite some time.

​Our journey along the Flores coast from Labuan Bajo into Komodo National Park was one of the best boat trips we have encountered, only Raja Ampat could rival its beauty. Whilst passing lush green, hilly islands, dolphins playfully jumped alongside our boat, teasing us with a flash of their dorsal fins in the turquoise and deep blue water. 

It felt like we were entering a special paradise, one which should be kept secret from everyone else.

But we weren’t here just to see the Komodo Dragons … we were here to dive with manta rays!

Greenpeace says “Plastic is everywhere. It’s in our oceans, eaten by our fish and even in our sea salt. Plastic has invaded our natural world”.

The world has a plastic problem. Every day on my Facebook feed I see news reports and graphics showing how devastating and far reaching the effects are. This problem is 100% caused by human activity. It is humans that have done this to our world.

Tens and thousands of animals and seabirds die each year from entanglement, ingestion and suffocation.

If fish are eating plastic particles, chemicals from the plastics remain in the fish, then we eat fish. Humans are inadvertently ingesting plastic particles in the food we eat.

The 2018 World Oceans Day Action Plan is “Preventing plastic pollution and encouraging solutions for a healthy ocean”

We have lived on the paradise island of Gili Air, Indonesia for over a year, and have seen with our own eyes how plastic has affected our oceans, and our world. 

But all is not lost. I am humbled by the dedication and commitment of islanders and organisations who are trying to make a difference. Trying ... and succeeding. They are proof that if you work together, if you make changes, if you educate (and are prepared to learn) and more sustainable methods are taught, you CAN make a difference.

If you are a cat lover, what is better than a cat café? A cat island, and that is what the Gili islands are! No dogs are allowed so cats roam free, but how do you keep a cat population from spiralling out of control? Have a cat clinic, that is how!

As an animal lover, especially cats, volunteering to help our furry friends was puuuuurfect for me. Every six months, the non-profit animal welfare project Cats of Gili run a free cat clinic to spay/neuter the islands’ felines. During our time on Gili Air, I was around for two clinics and was honoured to help.

The experience was humbling, tiring, emotional but very rewarding. There was a wonderful community spirit as volunteers gave their time, islanders donated what they could, and I was in the thick of it.

Let me share with you my experience of volunteering at a cat clinic, and show how such a small act can provide such a huge impact.

If you are planning a visit to Gili Air and looking for a home from home, Family Hideaway Gili Air is a luxury villa perfect for you.

Family Hideaway Gili Air is a new luxury house, and already a hot topic of conversation on the island. I was very excited to visit this luxury retreat, it was a shame we could only spend one night there.

We immediately felt at home and were surprised at how quickly we settled in.

But why? What was it about this 3-bedroomed luxury villa that made us feel so comfortable?

​Maybe the answer is already obvious.

The GIli Islands: ever increasing popularity, these three peanut sized islands are synonymous with paradise. There are very few sand islands in the world where no motorised vehicles are allowed, but these idyllic dots are just some of them.

But the secret is out. No longer an off the beaten track destination for those seeking a slice of heaven on earth. Who hasn’t heard of the famous three Gilis: Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air? 

Dotted around the coast of Lombok, there are actually 26 other GIlis. “Gili” means “small island” in the local Sasak language.

Known as “the secret Gili Islands” or “the other Gilis”, we have made it our mission to visit as many as we can! For our wedding anniversary, we decided to visit Gili Sudak and Gili Kedis. Due to the time of year, we had the island of Gili Sudak all to ourselves.
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How many places in the world have you visited where you can make that claim?