Welcome to the Gili Islands!
Lombok and The Gili Islands are world Famous; full of lush greenery, gorgeous beaches, and wonderful people. An absolute paradise.
But there is something we need to talk about: The destruction and current living conditions of the locals after the August 2018 earthquakes.
In August of 2018, Lombok Island the Gili’s (Meno, Air and Trawangan (where these pictures were taken)) were shocked by two large earthquakes, only days apart from each other. There was a massive and devastating loss of life on all four islands with many more injured. So many people are now homeless and having to cope with the loss of their home or business or even worse, the loss of a loved one.
*We travelled here in October 2018
I was absolutely shocked when I wandered around through the island by myself. Equipped with my awesome Fujifilm mirrorless XT-10 and its gorgeous 35mm f/1.8 lens. I expected the entire island to be paradise before we arrived, to be built up and occupied by beautiful boutique shops, awesome seafood restaurants, fun souvenir stores, and art galleries that could keep you entertained for days. The reality was, this was far from the truth.
The day before, we hired a horse and tuk-tuk combo to take us (Rose, her mom Diane, and I) around the island. We thought this would be an easy, painless way to explore. After all, we were on a ‘vacation’ not a backpacking trip. As we were pulled and and pushed, we came to two separate points, where a local informed our driver that the road was still far too damaged to drive over which meant we had to detour. As we deviated from the beach road and into the islands - the ‘suburbs’, we saw poverty and poor living conditions but honestly, nothing out of the ordinary from southeast Asia.
I woke up early, around 5:30 to catch the sunrise and tour around the island as it awoke from the night. I love shooting in the morning, the light is perfect, the streets are empty, sometimes wet, and only the locals are awake. I started walking on the main beach road, towards the harbor and center of town. From here I could walk inwards, into the local part of the island. I made all sorts of turns, hoping to get lost and discover beautiful and unique shots. All I ended up coming across was broken a house, next to collapsed shop, nest to ruble, next to a shack - again and again. The residents of this island are resilient though, and are doing everything they can to bounce back. They are helping each other rebuild and clean. The locals that morning were nothing but warm, welcoming and maybe a little curious about my fascination with taking pictures of broken buildings and ruble in the road.
I was wandering around with the intention of taking pictures for our Bali & The Gili Islands article. I had been doing research on this trip for months, and I was excited to get to shoot it myself. While I was still successful, I was floored by my discovery. I knew about the earthquakes back in August, but nowhere on any travel blog or news site (that I came across at least) was there mention about this destruction.
Though tourism can bring some negative and destructive side effects, tourism can bring prosperity for many hundreds of locals, enrich and share the culture and bring preservation and recognition to ancient heritage and historical sites. Tourism is important and should not be forgotten about after a devastating natural disaster. When you visit these places you bring international attention that can lead to additional help, and you personally support the locals by purchasing their souvenirs, tour packages or meals at their restaurants. Tourism can bring money, hope, attention and a sense or normality. Tourism can help rebuild homes, careers, and allow people to prosper. Through tourism, responsible tourism, you will help. This is why you should travel to the Gili Islands, now! Go on an incredible vacation and leave your worries behind. Shop from local vendors, stay at local home stays and eat at local restaurants. The Gili’s are waiting for you!
