Living Like a Bohemian on Gili T
Some of the most memorable experiences I had while backpacking came from veering off my plan and discovering places I’d never heard of before. On my 2017 trip this happened with Koh Rong Sanloem, and this time I happened to hear about the Gili Islands.
The Gilis are three small islands located near the northwest coast of Lombok, the major island east of Bali. Lombok was originally planned as my next stop, but after talking with people in Canggu I realized that the Gili Islands were a much more backpacker-friendly option.
But before I get to that, I need to talk about my brief return to Canggu after my time in Ubud. I stayed at The Hideout Hostel again as they still had rooms available and I didn’t want to risk staying anywhere else. After checking in I headed down to Echo Beach to catch the sunset.
The next morning I got up in time for the hostel’s morning yoga session. It was run by one of the dons who was actually a girl from Toronto. It was good but brutal as I had never done a full hour of yoga before and I was dripping sweat by the end.
Afterwards a bunch of us went to Crate for breakfast. This time I got their brekkie plate which was delicious! It was the perfect meal to refuel me after my tough workout.
Later in the day I was able to get a scooter ride to the beach from an Israeli guy who was staying at the hostel. After hanging out at the beach he headed back to the hostel while I tried to find a cheaper boat ticket to the Gilis than I could find online.
Eventually I gave up and decided to head to Batu Balong Beach for the sunset. I wish I had done this sooner as this beach was much larger and cleaner than Echo. It was here where I had my first Bali Hai beer, the other major beer on the island. It was ok I guess, but I definitely preferred Bintang.
At this point I met up with the Israeli guy again and we went to an Italian restaurant for dinner which was really good. After that we met up with some other people from the hostel and went to a bar called Pretty Poison. This bar is very strange as it has a skate bowl in the middle! While it sounds like a recipe for disaster, I guess safety laws in Bali are lax enough for such a place to exist. It was definitely a unique experience, but drinking beers and watching people skate did get boring after a while.
Next we hit up Old Man’s, which is one of Bali’s oldest and most famous bars. If you know anyone that went to Bali over a decade ago, you will probably get a nod of approval when you mention Old Man’s. It’s a large, open-air beach bar with lots of seating and several dance areas. While there are lots of great beach bars in Canggu, it’s worth visiting Old Man’s if only for its reputation.
So that was my brief revisit of Canggu before heading to the Gili Islands. The three islands are Gili Trawangan (more commonly known as Gili T), Gili Meno and Gili Air. Gili T is the party island with tons of bars, hostels and resorts lining the beach. Gili Meno is primarily known as a secluded getaway for honeymooners, which I skipped as there isn’t much for backpackers to do there. Gili Air is very popular with both backpackers and scuba divers, offering a quieter and more relaxing alternative to Gili T’s party vibe.
When I arrived on Gili T it had just rained pretty hard. I quickly became acquainted with the many horse-drawn carriages that make their way down the walking street. They move very fast, so keep your distance and be careful. I imagine many a drunk person has been trampled in this way. Fortunately you can hear their bells from quite a distance, it’s like Christmas but terrifying!
I made my way to my hostel which was called La Boheme Sister. It is the second “sister” hostel to the original La Boheme which is also on Gili T. Both hostels have a cozy, family feel, and are very rustic as everything is made from recycled materials. The staff were super nice and I highly recommend staying at either of the La Boheme Hostels.
After meeting some other backpackers we headed to a wood oven pizza place for dinner which was absolutely incredible. It might sound weird, but this small Indonesian island had the best pizza I’ve ever had by a landslide! The restaurant is run by an old Italian man who makes each pizza himself from scratch. I ended up going there nearly every night during my time on the island. Unfortunately I don’t have photos, but it’s called Regina Pizzeria and you absolutely must go if you’re on Gili T!
That night we ended up going to the original La Boheme hostel where the two hostels faced each other in a beer pong tournament. Just like the tournament I was in at Ubud, my team made it to the final but lost. But it was still great fun!
After our pre-drink we headed to the beach strip to go to Jiggy Bar, one of the most popular bars on the island. As you can see it was packed with people which made it hard to get a drink at times. One of the British guys was wheeling some girls pretty hard, but the rest of us danced for a bit and then hung out on some picnic tables at the beach. It was a great way to cap off my first day on the island.
The next day the weather was much nicer. The La Boheme hostels have unlimited free pancakes all day, they just keep the batter in the fridge and you make them on the griddle yourself. After having some for breakfast I made my way to the walking street to explore and soak up some sun.
The road along the beach runs the entire circumference of the island and it takes about an hour and a half to walk the whole thing. A lot of people rent bicycles to make it easier to get around, but since I had the time I decided to walk. The walking street is lined with bars, clubs, restaurants, diving schools, rustic hostels, and luxurious resorts.
After some exploring I grabbed lunch at a place called Manta Dive. I was surprised to see they had pulled chicken poutine on the menu! It was the first time I’d seen poutine in Indonesia and the second time in Asia overall after Hanoi.
Once I was done exploring the eastern side of the island, I made my way to the beach for a Bintang. It felt nice to be back in the beach lifestyle after the hectic schedule I had in Ubud. I looked out at the ocean and the neighbouring island Gili Meno. From a certain angle you can see both Gili Meno and Gili Air, and the way they line up perfectly is both surreal and beautiful. It also gives you an idea of how small these islands are!
After my beer I headed back to the hostel to get away from the sun for a bit and meet up with other backpackers. Many of them had stayed up until seven in the morning and were still too hungover to function. So I decided to grab some dinner and enjoy the evening on my own.
I had dinner at a place called The Roast House. It had an interesting setup where you order your food at a small counter and then sit and eat in another building across the street. I had a roast chicken dinner and it was mind-blowingly good. Yeah the picture looks good, but it tasted ten times better than it looks. It was easily the best roast chicken I’ve had in my life (sorry mom!)
At this point the sun had already started to set, so I made my way to Sunset Bar which is just past the southernmost point of the island. While riding a bike would’ve been faster, it was about a twenty-five minute walk. By the time I got there the sun was pretty much set, but I was able to get a nice photo of the boats during my walk.
Sunset Bar was a great spot. It’s far enough from the main drag to feel like you’re away from the hustle and bustle while still having lots of cushions to chill on the beach. It made for a cool vibe at night with the spotlights. While I wished that others from the hostel were well enough to join, it was also nice to have a peaceful evening to myself.
I’m so glad I listened to people in Canggu and gave the Gili Islands a shot. I hope to go to the island of Lombok proper one day, but my time on Gili T was full of great people and some of the most delicious food I’ve ever had. The next day I made my way to Gili Air, an island I would end up enjoying just as much. It was time to get away from the party life and fully relax in one of the coolest hostel experiences I’ve had on my travels.
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