Gili Meno Lake
Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Mon 12 Sep 2016 22:27
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Gili Meno Lake – Bird Watching
in Paradise ???
  At ten o’clock, shortly after tying
Beez to a ‘Christmas parcel’ looking buoy we ventured the short distance to Gili
Meno – not expecting to see much in the way of birds as it was so hot, we
nonetheless left Baby Beez in an idyllic
spot and bimbled the few hundred metres down a well
maintained track.
  Soon, to our right, we were by a shallow, muddy area (tide out) edged with slow-growing mangrove and a few
trees.
 To our left a substantial lake that we
hoped to bimble around (we could see an observation shed on the opposite
side).
The Lombok Guide says: Gili Meno
is the middle and the smallest of the three Gili Islands, with the lowest
population and the least number of visitors. The island has not developed as
quickly as Gili T or Gili Air and suffered unpopularity when, in the mid-90’s,
The Lonely Planet wrote that the salt lake on the island created mosquito
problems. This was untrue – mosquitoes are no more prevalent on Gili Meno than
anywhere else - but the damage was done.
Many would say that the bad
publicity was a blessing in disguise. Today, Meno is the quietest of the three
Gilis, with the laid-back charm of a true castaway island.
Although investors are steadily
buying up land, especially on the west coast facing Gili T, there is no major
development on the island as yet.
There are few upmarket villas, but no large resorts.
Fortunately, much of the
investment is low-key and – perhaps recognising the pristine nature of the
island – development tends t be along ecologically sound concepts. Ever the
intrepid, off we go.
 We bimble as far as we can between the
shallow bit and the lake, find two shabby lookouts
and a dead end, back we go to try the other way.
  A chap watches
us intently.
     A couple of
heron shift to better their fishing opportunities..........
 ..............another chap thought he fancied his chances on what was
left of a platform.
   We were watched
from the air and a little chap at the edge of the lake.
  In the bushes a big chap made quite a
racket.
   A little one
with a red vent gave a happy song.
 We followed the track
once more, to our left and open area, ahead a few boutique bungalows on stilts.
A well-laden man coming along with tourist rubbish
and empty water bottles – both a real nuisance to get rid of and have to be
ferried over to Lombok.
  To our right we found
what was once a nice visitors’ toilet, now a sad
sight.
  Just beyond the toilet
was what was once a lovely raised boardwalk, the end with nothing more than a spiders
web........
  We stood for a while
watching a heron in very intent pose, but
nothing.
 A
‘one careful owner’ this side of the lake.
 Back to whence we came
and we watched just two other tourists bimbling the
boardwalk.
  We poked our heads into
what was clearly an information room, above would
have been a watching area. A pretty pigeon gave us
the once over.
 Back by the shallows,
a couple were scruffing about.
  A final look across the
lake.
 Back to Baby Beez, over to
Beez to pick up our snorkel kits and return to the southern end of Meno
for a snorkel before meeting the gang for lunch on Gili
T.
ALL IN ALL SUCH
POTENTIAL
JUST A LITTLE MONEY WOULD PRODUCE AN AMAZING BIRD
WATCHING EXPERIENCE
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