Apart from what I picked in travel guides and Google, I had no clue on the ins and outs about Indonesia – the people, the expenses, the culture... the works.
After contemplating of places to explore, I opted for Gili Trawangan.
And so, the much-awaited adventure began!
Planning a trip can be an exhausting affair especially if you're travelling to a new place.
Before going somewhere, I'm sure everyone reads up about their destinations.
The rule of thumb is to read reviews of the destinations and do a checklist based on the respective guidelines. Think of your travelling mode -- for relaxation, luxury or budget travelling, i.e backpacking style?
As for me, I'd normally choose backpacking as it seems more challenging, and not to mention, economical.
So off we went... me and my companion, Ain for a five-day trip to Gili Trawangan. We brought with us RM1,000 (which is approximately IDR4,000,000 to spend on meals, activities, transportation and souvenirs for family and friends back home).
GALLERY PHOTO: GILI TRAWANGAN: A SLICE OF HEAVEN
Getting there
There are two airports that greet travellers to this exotic islands of Lombok and Bali.
We opted to fly to Lombok airport but I suggest you opt for the latter as it is relatively closer to Bali.
As I boarded the plane en route to Lombok from Sepang, Malaysia, a sense of overwhelming feeling took over me. The all-girl trip was something that I had planned for awhile.
As soon as we landed at the Lombok airport, we flagged for a taxi to the Bangsal Harbour.
We hopped on to a Toyota MPV but instead of taking us to Bangsal Harbour, the taxi driver or Indonesian man (also known as supir in Indonesia) named Erwin, took us to a private jetty simply because we requested for a speed boat. Well, the locals call this 'fast boat'. Funny!
It was approximately a two-hours drive to get to the jetty. After negotiating on the fare of the 'fast boat', we settled for IDR600,000 return (RM182) per boat.
The journey was short -- it only took us 30-minutes to reach to Gili Trawangan.
If you’re looking for a cheaper ride, you should opt for the ride in Bangsal Harbour at the price of IDR50,000 (RM14). And yes, this is the best bargain, according to our friendly supir.
If you choose the boat, the ride is longer as it makes multiple stops. If you're 'lucky' enough, you would get to see goats and cows onboard too! What a sight!
The moment my feet touched the soils of Gili, I knew I made the right choice.
The place was far beyond my expectation. The place is lively, well-developed and modern. Rows and rows of eateries, hotels, entertainment outlets and shops lined the mostly-paved cobblestone path on the island.
Getting around
There is a limited option of transportation in Gili Trawangan. You either take the famous horse-drawn carts known as cidomo or bicycles, which are available for rent all over the island.
The price for tourists is IDR30,000-50,000 per person, depending on the rental duration. Even if you choose to rent longer to explore the island, the cost will only be IDR100,000. A steal, I must say!
However, as the island is considerably small in size -- it measures at three kilometer in length and two kilometer in width, exploring the island on foot, is another option. If you fancy taking a slow stroll around the island, it takes between two and three hours to do so.
Prices for the cidomo rides vary widely. A gentle reminder: the drivers will try to charge higher so use your bargaining skills to reduce the price.
The last time we asked a driver to quote us the price of a ride to get to Gili Inlander, the guy proudly said RP150,000! (Oh Mas! (which means brother in Indonesian dialect), you certainly can’t fool us.)
Since we were on a shoestring budget, (and thankfully for the free bikes from the hotel), we cycled all the way!
Food hunt
Our first stop was the night market
After we checked in at the little hut, we rode vigorously, to the centre point of the island.
Aside of exploring the area, we hunted for food. Food stalls and restaurants were easy to find.
The food prices, however vary. The cheapest meal we discovered was tagged at IRP20,000 - 50,000, normally it would cost you more than IRP75,000 (approximately RM23).
If you're not cautious about your expenditures, food hunting can be quite tricky and you'd end up burning a hole in your pocket.
For cheap meals, here's an advice: Try the night market if fresh seafood titillates your taste buds.
The place is a reminiscent of the famous Uptown food court in Damansara Uptown in Petaling Jaya.
Reeked with smoke from the BBQ stalls, the place is one of the main attractions on the island.
The heat was not an issue as we really enjoyed the fresh seafood served from BBQ pits.
Famished, we ordered a mixed set of BBQ seafood made up of two small squids and four small prawns and two bowls of rice.
The only setback was the price. We paid a whopping IRP200,000 (approximately RM60) for the modest dinner.
“Yikes!” Yup, we screamed in unison!.
Bad score for the first night! So be careful with what you order.Some of the locals even told us that food prices there are cheap, but food sellers would hike up the tags for tourists.
* Nur Alya Mohamed loves the sea, sun and lazing on the hammock. This is the first installment of the two-part series of her recent Gili Trawangan escapade.
** Look out for second-part of the series on where to stay, what to do, next Sunday.
