187.| Gili Trawangan

Several of my friends told me that Gili Trawangan is one of the most beautiful islands in Indonesia. Today, my boat landed here on my wandering journey.

By setting foot on the second Indonesian island, I did not become a great explorer of the country, since I only visited 0.01% of all the possibilities.

The official number of Indonesian islands is always changing, the country consists of about 17,500 islands. Of these, about 11,000 islands are uninhabited, which also means that 6,500 islands are inhabited… For me, these are shocking numbers!

0.01%… This number is small even with a magnifying glass. Just like the island itself is small. However, coming here was a huge experience for me.

I can’t even explain why to myself, but I was much more excited about this day than I was about my arrival in Thailand or Indonesia.

How did I get to the paradise of Gili Trawangan?

Some members of the Nomad Cruise group and I decided to spend the end of the year on another island. We helped each other out, sharing the costs where possible.

So today was mostly about traveling.

I called a Grab motorbike taxi around 9:00 AM. For a fee of 150,000 IDR (3,000 HUF, 9 USD), the driver showed up within minutes to rock my ass for almost an hour and a half over the 50 km distance.

As soon as he arrived, he immediately started by saying that the destination was too far, and that I should pay the fare out of my own pocket. I told him that I wouldn’t pay more, then I would call someone else. We agreed on that, so I stayed on the shoreline.

Soon the second driver arrived. He also started by saying that the money he was getting was not enough, and that I should please add to the official fee, because it wasn’t even enough for gas. I didn’t believe it, but I immediately felt that it wouldn’t be any better. I asked him what he meant. He said that I should give him 100,000 – 150,000 IDR. The situation was quite infuriating.

I was currently learning chess on the Duolingo app, so I couldn’t decide whether this was chess or checkmate. I didn’t have to pretend to be angry. I told him that I understood that it wasn’t enough, but that it wasn’t my problem. But to move on from this situation, I told him that I was willing to add 50,000 IDR to his salary, but 100,000 was out of the question.

We agreed and set off.

It’s very uncomfortable to sit on a motorbike for an hour and a half. It’s especially bad in the back. My feet are on the footrest, I hold on to the driver’s waist and keep myself balanced. A few days ago, I was lucky enough to have someone carry me for two consecutive days. In the traffic here, it’s quite hard work when someone is sitting on the motorbike and you have to support their weight while maneuvering between vehicles.

I rarely feel muscle soreness, but the pain from the ride a few days ago is still there in my legs. I felt this today after about 10 minutes of riding.

Then I thought about the fact that this man would carry me for an hour and a half and then come back, probably without a ride, so he would work 3 hours for very little money. So I changed my mind and told him that I would give him 100,000 IDR (2,000 HUF, 6 UDS) at the end.

The result of this was a selfie together at the end of the trip, which he asked for.

We took a boat from the island of Bali to Gili Trawangan. We had to check in to the boat, and we had to squeeze through a lot of people. It was quite a torture, considering that New Year’s Eve was coming.

We sailed for two hours on the ocean, at a pretty high speed. We docked at the island of Lombok, and then arrived at one of the 3 Gili islands in the early afternoon.

What was it like to set foot on this island?

These islands are exactly as they are described in fairy tales. Fairy tales.

The mountains show the direction from afar on the sea. Everything is green. As we approach the coast, the horizon begins to bustle with life.

The small boats grow larger. The sand is getting browner and, what is even more beautiful: whiter. The palm trees suddenly start waving.

Each island gradually reveals itself.

Setting foot on a tropical island is a huge experience for me. I hope it will be like this every time.

It was a very hot day today as well. The sun was scorching, but luckily there is a lot of shade beyond the harbor. Every street is shaded by the green of the trees. The air is fresh and you are surrounded by friendly faces everywhere.

There are lots of restaurants, shops and bars on top of each other. And of course, there are many diving schools, because these islands are famously beautiful diving paradises.

The main road runs along the ocean coast the entire length of the island. Between the road and the water, hundreds of umbrellas, chairs, and bean bags cover the sandy beach. Everyone is sunbathing in their swimsuits and most of them seem to be enjoying the place.

Our accommodation is a 10-minute walk from the port. We immediately took our room and then set off to explore the island.

My first day on Treasure Island

First of all, we looked for a good restaurant, because for some reason no one had eaten anything today.

After we made up for this lack, we rented a bike and set off on the road around the island. Some people stopped to watch the sunset. Some went somewhere else.

I cycled almost the entire island alone. At a very slow pace, it takes 45 minutes, 6 km. The entire circuit is somewhere around 7 km.

The cycling itself is quite difficult. There are no cars or traditional motorbikes on this island. There are small electric motorbikes, and horse-drawn carriages. And bicycles. But there are as many of these as there are stars in the sky.

Traffic morals are the well-known Asian practice. They come from behind and ring the bell. They come from in front and come from across. Three of them side by side, opposite me on my side. Nothing special, just the usual.

This is compounded by the fact that the road that encircles the island is also a sidewalk in many places. Therefore, you also have to be aware of the ingenuity of pedestrians while cycling. Walking in front of you without looking around, meeting you with an unwavering face, or playing the group road-taking game are all traditions that give new meaning to the idea of riding freely.

So, don’t get ready to break the world speed record for cycling here.

But this place is not for that.

The island is very beautiful. I stopped in many places for photos, and I will now present some of them.

It is eight o’clock, and I am slowly finishing this article.

The evening may continue, with a visit to some noisy and crowded place.