Lombok: Part One: The Gilli Islands...turtles & beach sunsets

I was so excited to catch the fast boat to these trio of islands off the west coast of Lombok. Gilli Trawangan is very hyped up as an island and I'd seen lots of amazing photos of its white beaches and clear waters before visiting for myself.It also has a growing reputation as a bit of a party island! The islands consist of Gilli Trawangan,Meno and Air and I spent three days based on Gilli T, as it has been popularly nicknamed.There is no denying it is a beautiful location although the main strip was very crowded and has become crammed with shops and restaurants. Horse and carts,the only form of transport hammer up and down the roads all day transporting tourists and their luggage around the islands. Some people might find this to spoil the island's appeal but personally I think it added to its charm.Despite its hustle and bustle it was still relatively easy to find peaceful stretches on the beach with only a handful of swimmers/sunbathers for company.Although I only stopped briefly on Gilli Meno and Air as part of a snorkelling trip they looked to be much more underdeveloped and the beaches fringing Meno were mostly deserted. The turtle hatchery was a great place to visit..it's free and you can just drop in and watch the baby turtles paddling around their pools.I was also lucky enough to see some large sea turtles in the wild!