12 hours to Gili Meno -- was it worth it?

6:30am departure from Kuta Bali

30 minutes of driving around Kuta to pick up other tourists destined for the Gili Islands, the tropical paradise I have been dreaming about since Liz, the crew and I visited back in July 2006.

Lesson learned: next time, just take the fast boat!

2 hours of scenic highway driving from Kuta to Padangbai, Bali.

2 hours of waiting for the "right" ferry to Lembar, Lombok

4.5 hours on the slow ferry across the ocean -- that's right, it's called the slow ferry.

20 minutes waiting to fill our van in Lembar

30 minutes drive to Mataram.

1 hour delay in Mataram (I'm still not sure why)

1 hour drive to Bangsal harbour

30 minute boat ride to Gili Meno

= ~$15 USD

Lesson learned: next time, just take the fast boat!  :)