Summary
Kayaking to another island, capsizing, losing a bank card, and then finding myself. Gili gave me one last gift.
I didn’t plan to write about my last day in Gili because I wasn’t expecting any special experiences.
Of course – and to my happiness – life often overrides my plans. This was the case in the last 24 hours.
My plan, as stated in my previous post “Gili: hello 2026!”, was: I will wait for the afternoon and go for a swim in the Indian Ocean.”
With this idea in mind, I set off for the town. I thought I would take a long walk and stop for a swim in a few places.
I became a sea explorer: the first conquest
But while walking, I suddenly saw something interesting. Not far from me, a couple was getting into a kayak. I immediately remembered that I had planned to go sea kayaking in Koh Samui, but then it was left out of the time I spent there.
I stopped in front of a kayak and paddle rental table. I acted immediately and we made the deal. I rented a single kayak for two hours.
I was already used to the fact that the rules protecting life’s safety work differently here. After I paid for the kayak, the owner pointed to a red kayak on the shore: “That’s yours.” He asked if I had done something like that before. I answered yes and didn’t want to get into it, that only in Hungary and only on rivers, never at sea.
“Have a good trip!” That was all we had to do with the conversation and preparation. I asked if I could get a life jacket, and another gesture and a few words were the answer: they are there if you want them.
I wanted to: I love to live!
So I grabbed the life jacket, the paddle, and the kayak. The third minute after the thought occurred, I was already in the kayak.
I immediately set my sights on the nearby island of Gili Meno. Off to adventure!
I had probably gone 30 meters when I heard the guy shouting after me. I turned around and heard him tell me to paddle close to the shore. I was a little disappointed, it would be fun, but not for me and not for two hours.
I told him that I wanted to paddle to the other island. Oh, then I should go diagonally and that would be fine. Hurray! I got my port clearance.
Kayaking on the sea is another dimension of existence.
The word “soul-sucking” immediately made sense as I moved away from the shore. The beautiful blue of the water is also a frightening black. Each of the friendly waves carries the message: I can overturn you at any time.
As the distance from the shore increased, the feeling of being alone and physically dependent on myself also grew within me.
Yet I felt no fear. I had my life jacket on. And I always have something more important with me. The knowledge that the soul is guiding me and that I can take care of myself.
So I simply enjoyed the magic of this new experience. The sea water was shaking, the physical work and the sun made me sweat, the colors and the air fascinated me. An experience familiar from movies enchanted me: there is a fabulous charm to the sight of an approaching land from a boat bobbing on the water.
This experience became a special film experience here: I filmed, watched and enjoyed the film of my life.
I reached the chosen stretch of coast in about 20 minutes. I energetically jumped onto the sandy shore, because the idea had already been formed in my mind before.
I became an explorer. I reached a new island on my own vehicle. It was the first time I had set foot on a piece of land that I had conquered.
I had no flag with me that I wanted to plant. I did not bring with me a desire for possession that I had to satisfy. I felt that I had conquered another piece of my own heart there.
A desire that had been kept quiet and formless until now transformed into a determination in these minutes. I would like to make one of my next conquests with a plane that I would fly. I will never stop dreaming!
That day the dream continued in the present. I returned to my own island.
I paddled to the port where I arrived on this island, then paddled close to the shore. As I passed by the place where I got into the water, I saw the owner of the kayak greeting me with a big smile and a thumbs up, acknowledging my achievement.
Maybe that’s why he kept one eye on me the whole time?
Before docking, I had another new experience: I capsized with my kayak.
10-15 meters from the shore, the sea wanted to show me that, despite all its friendliness today, it was the master. The capsizing happened in seconds, and it happened with full presence. It started and I was forced to accept that there was nothing I could do about it.
The water was pleasant. The life jacket definitely kept me afloat. I simply lay on my back and, holding the boat and the oar, swam to shore.
I don’t remember ever capsizing in a kayak. I needed this experience, and I knew I would have to go through it sooner or later. I feel like it happened here in a very good place.
The last day on the island of Gili Trawangan
After landing, the owner asked me if I had seen the underwater sculptures.
Of course I hadn’t, because I didn’t even know they were there.
And so the last day’s program was.
The next day’s kayak rental started with some excitement.
I needed cash, so I withdrew money from an ATM 10 meters from the rental place. At the same time, I did something I’ve never done before: I forgot my bank card in the machine.
After about two minutes, I discovered this painful mistake and went back to the ATM, where someone had already occupied the small space, holding a neon green Wise card. I asked him hopefully if he was holding my card. I had no luck.
After kayaking, I went back to the “travel office” next to the ATM. This is actually a small booth where you can buy boat tickets.
Here too, with hope in my heart, I asked if someone had given them my bank card. They immediately pushed a pile of bank cards about 3 centimeters high in front of me for me to look at.
The height of the pile of cards filled me with joy. It showed that I was not the only one so lame as to leave my bank card.
My Wise vegetable was not there. However, there was a guy with whom we somehow started talking, and then he came up with an offer very quickly. If I feel like participating in an illegal action, then he has a solution.
In practice, this was implemented by him calling someone. The someone arrived about 20 minutes later. He got a screwdriver and went into the room where the ATM was stored for a minute. Then he handed me my card…
This is a legally feasible process, by the way, without a screwdriver and in 2-3 weeks. I liked this solution better now.
Using the card I had back, I withdrew 300,000 IDR (6,000 HUF, 18 USD) and used it to support the screwdriver master.
Statues under water
To reach the underwater statues, I had to row across the strait again. I docked again on the island of Gili Meno.
Then I put on a pair of diving goggles and a matching snorkel. Then I just had to follow the direction, where about 6 anchored boats and 50 people frolicking in the water showed me the location of the statues.
I did buy a waterproof phone case, but in the sunlight that was there that day, it was simply useless. So I don’t have my own photo, but I’ll show you what I saw.
Exactly!
With those little zebrafish.
This experience was also amazing.
I was floating on the surface of the water.
And also in my own dream…
The pictures were taken without a camera in the present, but for the rest of my own life.
For a while I felt one with the sea.
I am grateful for this union.
Buy me a coffee?
If you enjoyed this story, you can buy me a coffee. You don’t have to – but it means a lot and I always turn it into a new adventure.
Buy a coffee for Steve
Linktree
Short introduction