There is a huge range of accommodation on the Gili T island, from hostels and Lumpungs, to resorts of all levels of luxury. The value for money is exceptional in Indonesia, so if you are wanting to experience high-end, lush and nominally out-of-budget accommodation, Indonesia is the place to do it! This time we’re in Los Angeles. It’s December 1967 and a young army nurse travels there to find her missing brother. A serial killer is terrorising the city and she fears he is the next victim. Dante Sanfillipo is a mob “fixer”, looking forward to retiring at a newly acquired vineyard in Napa Valley, unhappy about being summoned by the head of the local mafia for a “last” job—find the mob boss’s son, a bail jumper, who may be dead. If dead, Dante is tasked with finding his body. Also remember that sharing is caring! Share this post with your family and friends, so they can get planning a trip of their own to this beautiful part of the world. The other option is to simply enjoy the view of the beach and walk around the island. If you were to walk all the way around Gili T it would take you 2-3hours, which might be a lovely activity for one of your days on the island. If you are simply wanting to get to the sunset swings, if you leave the Gili T harbour and walk with the sea on your left it will take around 20-30 minutes to walk to the swings.

If you want to go straight to Gili Trawangan I recommend looking at flights into Lombok Praya Airport, from here you can travel from Lombok Airport to Bangsal Harbour in 90 minutes and get the boat from Bangsal to Gili Trawangan in just 20 minutes. Initially, the pursuits of these three characters appear to be unrelated. The only thing in common among the three story lines is that each character listens to Chet Baker singing ‘Alone Together’ on the radio. For readers who know about Baker’s history of heroin abuse, this provides a clue to the direction that overall scenario will take. Ida’s friend, Louis Armstrong, flies into the city just as her investigations uncover mysterious clues to the killer’s identity. And Dante must tread a dangerous path to pay his dues, a path which will throw him headlong into a terrifying conspiracy and a secret that the conspirators will do anything to protect . . . For obvious reasons, I am not mentioning any spoilers over here. I would really like people to read this series.The City Blues Quartet started in New Orleans in 1919, took in Chicago in the 20s, New York in the 40s, now we’re in Los Angeles in the 60s and each time and place has been depicted vividly and atmospherically, incorporating real characters and events. I’ve loved these books and am sorry this is the final one, but I enjoyed very much catching up with those characters I was drawn to during the series. Of course, we understand that some people are more able to walk than others, however, we ask that you try your best to avoid using these taxis and use the other options instead. Ombak Resort is one of the most popular resorts on Gili T, it’s a great place for honeymooners and therefore it has a well suited, double swing, perfect for sunset swing photos on Gili Trawangan. As I said, most of these swings are situated on the western side of the island, as this side tends to be more popular due to the sunset. As you head around to this side of the island you will see countless bars and restaurants all with their own version of the swing off the shore of their beach. One of the best things about this series has been the attention to detail – whether it’s 1900’s New Orleans, Chicago 1928, or 1960’s Los Angeles, the author manages to capture the sounds, sights and smells of the period. This is America in the sixties so there’s the Vietnam War, riots, gangsters scrabbling to survive, conspiracies and hippies and sit-ins. Ray Celestin perfectly weaves real-life events into the story, and we get some heart-wrenching scenes with Louis Armstrong that will live in my memory for a long time.

Ida looked at the band's leader with the saxophone in his hand. He was in his mid-twenties, she guessed, and looked a mess, his suit rumpled, his posture slumped, his eyes glazed over, staring at the boards of the stage below him. He looked disturbed, just a step away from homelessness. But the crowd all seemed in awe of him, leaned forward almost as one, expectant, excited. Ida Young, recently retired Private Investigator, is dragged into helping the police when a young woman is discovered murdered in her motel room. Ida has never met the victim but her name has been found at the crime scene and the LAPD wants to know why . . . This being a series centered around the history of jazz, it shouldn't come as a surprise that some of the best scenes were taking place in seedy bars. Here is one of my favourite parts, from book 3: New to the series is U.S. Army nurse Kerry Gaudet, on leave from Vietnam, searching for her brother in the L.A. runaway scene. She's fortunate enough to cross paths with Ida, and the two end up making a formidable team as Kerry's search for her brother just happens to criss-cross with Ida's serial killer investigation. When the applause had died down, the saxophonist looked around the room again, announced the next song.

The public boats between the islands are cheaper, although they only tend to run twice a day, and only leave when they are full. Make sure you are aware of the timetable for the public boat to Gili Air to avoid finding yourself stranded until the next departure.

There was a smattering of applause and a few of the members of the audience laughed, Shelton and Eubie among them, as if the name of the song was a joke. As the sunsets over another day in the paradise island of Gili Trawangan, the only way to end the day is with a visit to the famous sunset swing. Floating above the crystal clear blue waters, surrounded by the colours of an Indonesian sunset, the Gili T swing is guaranteed to have you head over heels for this island (as if you weren’t already!). Then just as abruptly as they'd started, the song came crashing to an end. And all that could be heard was the sound of the musicians catching their breath, the tap of their sweat dripping onto the stage.The stated 5-year guarantee applies to all wooden, stainless steel and HDPE parts on climbing frames and swings for public use if our anchors have been used accordingly throughout the service life. In any other case, the two-year statutory warranty applies. Further information regarding the scope of the guarantee and its enforcement can be found in our guarantee declaration. If you are planning to stay longer, you will need to apply for a Visa on Arrival before you leave the airport. Your passport must be valid for more than 6 months for you to fly to Indonesia. Here is a map of the best and most popular swings on Gili Trawangan to help you plan your photo adventure around the island:

As you may be aware, Bali is one of the most photogenic places in the world, so you definitely don’t want to forget your camera. No matter where we go in the world, we always ensure our camera bag is fully topped up. The tide is everything! As I have mentioned, when the tide is in, although the swings appear close to the shore, the ocean floor drops so they are in fact pretty deep in the water, which means you should probably wear a bikini on or at least a dress you can pull up as you will be waist-deep in water. However, when the tide is out, the swings look pretty rubbish because they are no longer floating in the water as you can see in this photo…Ladies and gentlemen,' Eubie said, 'thank you for coming here tonight on this cold, wintry evening. Hopefully we can warm you up a bit. I'd like to present to you the Charlie Parker Quintet. On trumpet Miles Davis, on piano Duke Jordan, on bass Tommy Potter, on drums Max Roach and on alto saxophone, the one and only "yardbird" himself, Charlie Parker.' Finally, if you are already travelling around the small Indonesian islands, there is a boat from Nusa Lembongan to Gili Trawangan which cuts out all of the bus transfers! Starting with the one to avoid, when you arrive on Gili Trawangan you will no doubt notice the number of horses that are used for transporting local goods and tourists around the island. These horses are not always kept in the best conditions and are known to be overworked to the point of collapse and even death. There are no queues! Well, at least when I’ve seen the swings during my half-year in Gili T, there have been no queues. Maybe because I was in Gili Trawangan during the low season or maybe because there are more swings now, but unlike in the past and past stories I have heard and read, I personally didn’t see any big queues which helps the experience of getting a photo on the swings more fun and less commercial I think.