Gili Trawangan

---

From the moment I submerged my face in the crystal clear water and realised I was swimming with Moorish Idols was the moment I experienced the purest sense of joy. Pure because it cost nothing and I was clad only in bikinis, snorkel & mask without the interference of anything modern or commercial. Seeing sea life as it is, no tricks, no gimmicks, no hard sell, just them and me sharing a space and equally curious of each other.
This was my first day on Gili Trawangan!
Trawangan Island is one the three tiny Islands just off the coast of Lombok. Each Island is fringed with white sand, aqua waters and a kaleidoscope of reef fish.
Trawangan is known as the party island among the three where there is an open air party at one of the local bars every night. Each bar takes its turn to host the parties so that there is no competition for numbers among them. The parties usually start around 11pm and finish up in the early hours in the morning. A positive for me was that the party bars are a distance from most of the guest houses so there is no crossing over in noise. Should you want to enjoy a quieter bevy in the evening, many of the restaurants have standard dining tables as well as the bungalow huts where you sit around a coffee table on cushions. It’s not uncommon to see diners asleep at the table.
The journey to Gili Trawangan is mighty in a sense that you travel by bus, boat, bus and then boat again. A minivan will collect you at your hotel and take you to a port in which you will then travel by slow or fast boat from Bali to Lombok. Then you travel across Lombok in another minivan to the opposite side of the island where you will then board a long boat to anyone of the three islands. All this is the best part of a day. The journey to the Gili Islands is scenic and ever changing from the deep blue sea as you depart from Bali to the greenest jungle as you wind your way through Monkey Mountain on Lombok. A ticket to Trawangan from Bali cost me 260 000 rp (approx $30). This is a return ticket which also takes you to wherever you want to go when you return to Bali. I was heading to Ubud so I had a minivan take me directly to the area I was headed.

A pot of gold awaits you at the end of the rainbow and depending on what you prefer; gold comes in all shapes, sizes and glasses.
There is something for everyone on the island and most spend their day doing absolutely nothing at all. Lie under a tree and fall asleep to the waves lapping meters from you while the soft jingle of the horse & carriage carts make their way down the dirt roads.
There are no motorised vehicles on the island and the only means of transport is a bicycle or you can hire a local taxi which transports you not only to your destination but also in time as the taxis are old fashioned horse & buggy.
The Island is void of the sound of cars, motorbikes and the ever persistent horn blowing you hear throughout South East Asia. Occasionally you may need to ring the bell on your bicycle when one of the local chickens is taking up too much road.
Even though I am from the Whitsundays in Australia, I found the concept of stepping off the beach and into the water and upon a reef with flourishing reef fish so novel and new that it was my single goal every day. To immerse myself upon the coral reefs and swim around the many rock formations and cliffs that were underwater. All resembling a bustling Town as the many varieties of reef fish busied themselves as they grazed for food and darting about like a giant social network.
When I wasn’t face down observing the bustling sea life, I was sitting in one of the many warungs (eatery) or bars just watching the comings & goings of life on Trawangan. Siesta time is as always just after lunch where you can find many locals sleeping in hammocks under trees, on the grass, on veranda’s or just sitting whilst leaning on a table It is also a popular time for the local boys to strum on their guitars and sing among each other. It’s hard not to siesta on the island as the quietness rolls out the lullaby for a nap.
Eating, drinking, snorkelling, diving or just taking on a pilgrimage to the only hill for sunset/sunrise are the main activities on the island. You can stay on the island for two weeks and you would be hard pressed to sample every menu on offer. For those that want to keep their eating on a tight budget you can eat in the food market for a little as $2 to $3 per plate. But if you want to sit directly on the beach with flame torches providing the only light whilst listening to the local reggae band you can enjoy the ever popular seafood barbeque which is held every night. For this luxury you can purchase a whole snapper fish which is barbequed on a grill over hot coals. All seafood includes a full salad buffet and for this luxury you will be charged $5 to $10, depending on how much seafood you can eat.
Most of your budget guest houses are around $10 to $15 per night and that includes breakfast. I stayed for one week on Trawangan and my accommodation total was $60. ($120.00 shared by 2) I was to say the least quite sad to leave the island and vowed to return one day for my island fix.
In a few weeks I will be heading to Sulawesi where I will be sampling another island called Palau Kadidiri where the life on the island will be even more remote and less populated than that of Trawangan. But for the mean time, I am back on in Bali and kicking back in Ubud for two weeks. Getting my fix of modern life before losing it all on Kadidiri. Best I go and get my Starbucks coffee now and sit in a park and watch those cheeky monkeys.

---