We arrived on Gilie Trawangan in the Gilie Islands from Bali and immediately wandered what the hype is about.
The islands have the pre-requisite white sand beaches and turquoise waters which people dream about and the islands are popular dive spots.
The problem I had with the Gilies is the rubbish that covered the island, everywhere you looked was garbage. The resorts and accommodation providers work hard to keep their stretch of beach clean however on every vacant piece of land rubbish is dumped. There were times, when the tide was coming in one could not walk into the ocean with out floating garbage clinging to your legs.
While it is very easy to blame tourism for this however I have been to many popular tourist spots in other developing countries and they seem to be able to manage their garbage…..
There are loads of stunning islands in the world I’d choose over the Gilies.