Bali to Gili Trawangan

Image source

The Gili Islands are an archipelago of three small islands — Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air — just off the northwest coast of Lombok, Indonesia. Gili Trawangan is the largest of Lombok's Gili Islands and the only one to rise significantly (30 m) above sea level. (Source: www.wikipedia.org)

This time we are going to share our trip to Bali and Gili Trawangan, Lombok.

Day 1

We already had an awesome itinerary including seeing the dolphins at Lovina beach and monkeys at Ubud. We already booked everything, plane tickets with AirAsia, fast boat tickets to Gili Trawangan, hotels and rental car. We arrived at 17:55 lt and decided to just stay at the hotel because we were gonna have a very busy day ahead started in the morning. 

Harper Kuta Hotel

Day 2

The plan was to visit Lovina beach and see the dolphins, Monkey Forest in Ubud, Tanah Lot in Tabanan and wander around Kuta. We were so excited about it that we even went to sleep early. The distance from the hotel (in Kuta) to Lovina beach takes approximately 3 hours, so planning ahead, we asked the driver to pick us up at the hotel at 03:00. Annnnnd we got a big surprise when one of us (Joe) got sick in the middle of the night. The driver called us at 02:30 to let us know he was waiting at the hotel lobby. We really didn’t wanna take a risk by going and ruining the whole trip, so we informed the driver of our cancellation and paid him a cancellation fee. 

We couldn’t sleep until morning because we really needed to find a pharmacy first to get paracetamol then go to the doctor. This being our first trip together and all made the experience hard to handle at the time. We finally got the medication, but Joe’s fever continued to climb so it was time to find a doctor fast. To add to the drama, it was raining that day as we searched for a suitable doctor. We took the taxi and arrived at the 24-hour clinic to get  checked. The next surprise came when we received the bill. It’s $250 because it’s the normal rate for international tourist (we’re like WTF!@!@). Lesson learned. 

DO NOT EVER GET SICK IN BALI

Especially if you’re an international tourist!

Day 3

Even though we felt like we’ve been ripped off, the meds worked wonders. We ended up also cancelling the trip today because we thought it would be nice to rest for another day. Sooooo, our plan today which was a visit to GWK (Garuda Wisnu Kencana) Cultural Park, Bali Zoo, and Waterboom Bali, including lunch at the famous Ayam Betutuk Khas Gilimanuk were ruined. But that’s okay, maybe it’s just our luck and we can always come back later, although we did cry inside.  

Day 4

Honestly, we loved every morning at Harper Kuta, because they offer a lot of food options and they’re freaking yummy. 

.....AND BREAKFAST BAR!

Our special spot

But it’s our last day at the hotel because this morning, we went to Gili Trawangan (FINALLY we could do one of many things that’s been listed in the itinerary). We booked a fast boat from Wahana Gili Ocean and they have pick-up and drop-off service from our hotel to the harbor and vice versa. The cost was IDR 450,000 ($35) per pax. 

My bad. I thought we did not have the picture of the boat

There is another way to go to Gili Trawangan though, we could have taken a ferry boat but we felt that going by fast boat was most effective, easiest and fastest. It was really a nice journey from the hotel to the harbour and from the harbour to Gili Trawangan. The view was AMAZING. Look at this picture. #nofilter.

Once we arrived in Gili Trawangan, there was already someone from the hotel waiting for us. We stayed at Cotton Tree Cottages in Gili Trawangan, not far from the beach.

The good thing about Gili Trawangan is that there are no motorized vehicles allowed in the island. The only mode of transportation you can use is either by bicycle, or horse-drawn carriage. We chose bicycle and it only takes approximately an hour to bike around the island. The cost to rent a bike for a day is IDR 50,000 (About $4).

If you don't bring your own snorkeling gear, you can rent them for IDR 50,000 ($4). There are a lot of people renting them on the side of the beach. As we were walking toward the beach, there was a local who caught Joe’s attention asking if he was American. After he said yes, the local then responded with, “Ahh, yes. Obama, Obama! ….You smoke weed?! You want some weed?”. We hurried off but not before having a good laugh.

After snorkeling, we had lunch and decided to go around the island with bike. It was so much fun and you don't have to be worried to get lost because there are a lot of people cycling and it's not like we're in a jungle so it's really really safe. And if you got lost, you could ask the people who live nearby, you will find a house or two anywhere.

Zero fucks given. Eating and peeing at the same time

The bicycle track

Waiting for sunset

We returned to Bali on the next day and this time we decided to sit on the upper deck. If you really don't mind to get some tan, then we recommend to do it this way because it's really awesome, just put a lot of sunscreen and you'll be fine.

Bye bye Gili Trawangan

We can not wait to go back and explore all three Gilis next time. And hopefully nobody gets sick. 

Until next time!