Nāpali Coast x Hanalei Bay

Shout out to Napali Coast Hanalei Tour for a terrific four hours on the water. 

In their small vessel we navigated the sea caves, went snorkeling, and they provided us lunch. The tour felt personalized - we had a lot of laughs and it was informative at the same time. 

Everyone recommended to us it is worth booking a water excursion in addition to the helicopter tour and I'm glad we did. There's nothing quite like seeing these majestic wonders from another vantage point. The red cliffs covered in bright green vegetation as they meet the sparkling blues of the Pacific is just mesmerizing. 

The boat launch was on Hanalei Bay Beach. We stayed to explore when they dropped us off. The afternoon took a sudden gray and cloudy turn - almost fitting for the mood conveyed in the photos of the beachfront homes devastated by the April floods. Believe it or not, it is not all sunshine and rainbows in Hawaii!

G I L I M E N O

It is impossible research a trip to Bali and not stumble across the infamous Lombok Gilis. There are three in a row off the northwest coast: Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air. A lot of travelers opt to stay on one of these small but popular islands and many come from Bali or Lombok on day trips.

The majority of our Gili Meno trip was spent on the water with Bagus Divers. It was awesome getting to hang on a traditional Indonesian outrigger. We snorkeled at a couple different reefs, then relaxed on a remote white sand beach with lots of shells; where we had lunch at the lovely Maha Maya Boutique Resort. All the while drinking beloved Bintang and Bintang Radlers.
 
Another cool thing about this day was actually our drive to and from Puri Mas with the Bagus crew. It was one of the most beautiful drives! The winding coastal road climbs to higher elevations lending spectacular views of the coast. A must do drive for anyone visiting Lombok! Below is the beach where Bagus Divers is located.



There were SO many beautiful + exotic fish, majestic turtles, and pretty coral. The marine life is rather challenging to capture (on a little point and shoot). But it's still fun to try...

Bagus Divers - a memorable day on an Indonesian outrigger and snorkeling the Gili reefs.