My first three weeks in Gili T, and I love it here! Everything goes so slooooowly on this island, especially in the Northern part of Gili Trawangan. Gili Trawangan is known for being a party island, which you can definitely do, drunk, high, or flying high after some magic rooms, but that was not the reason for me to come here. I wanted a place where I could work remotely, learn surfing, and just live the laidback island life. Why I fell in love with this island and why I definitely want to come back here every 2 months is what I will explain to you in this article.
Loving the surfing vibe but never touched a surfboard before
"I'm going to a surf camp in Gili Trawangan, to learn surfing!" "Why there?" many people said. "Are there even waves?" Oh yes, there are waves! There are actually 2 surfing spots in Gili T, as I love to call it, depending on the wind. However, many people have no idea you can even surf here and the people on the island are not really advertising it, and they are not planning to do so. This creates this very laidback surf vibe, perfect for beginners because the ocean is not crowded at all compared to places like Berawa Beach in Canggu, Bali. Most of the time we were only with people from the surf camp, in the water, which will always be with a maximum of 8 persons. Besides that, the island has white sandy beaches and crystal clear water. So in Gili, you will be surfing while you see turtles swimming near you!
Somehow, I always wanted to learn how to surf. The beachy surf lifestyle with sandy feet and salty hair is something that attracted me a lot, for years! I love the tanned bodies of surfers, the wavy voluminous hair of girls and men-buns. The ocean has something calm but at the same time roughness over itself. I love listening to the waves, I love watching the point the waves break and not to forget; I love love love every single sunrise and sunset!
The silence and darkness in the North of the island
I'm staying at a very authentic place in the North of the island with 4 little bungalows that felt immediately like home. The place belongs to the beautiful couple, Kadek and Jennifer. Kadek is the surf teacher and Jennifer does all the online stuff from the surf camp and bungalows. Close friends of them are walking each day in and out and the whole place is managed by Faris, the smiley face that is welcoming all the guests and who does all the
things around the place. Because I stayed for 3 weeks I got to know the local people and connected on a deeper level with them. This is one of the many reasons why I fell in love with Gili T, because of the people who made me feel like I'm family.
I really like to hang out with locals, the same as in Bali. I love to be in melting pots with different cultures and nationalities because they give me so much more understanding of life. Every culture has its own perception of the world and it's so interesting to talk with people about these kinds of topics.
Little fun fact: It's in my Human Design to live in a place where I can find all the different elements and be in melting pots of people.
Take it EASYYYYYY and go with the flow
Another huge reason why I love Gili is the laidback vibe on the island. Everything goes very slowly. No cars are allowed, only bicycles and horses and a few little electric scooters. The island is really small, you can cycle all around which is more or less 7 to 8 kilometres. You feel the go-with-the-flow-vibe all around you and people do not worry so much. One of the guys with who I hang out mentions it multiple times per day: "Eaassyyyy Liz, Eaaaasyyyy" and I love that.
The island is besides being laidback, very alive and vibrant with the most beautiful sunsets. It barely rains in Gili, just a few days per year, therefore you will see many times full sunsets going into the ocean. There are many bars, restaurants, and warungs.
During the day, you will hear laidback reggae, cumbia or afrobeats from the speakers in the little beach bars. Signs with "We have super duper sexy mushrooms here" you will see everywhere around you. Mushrooms and weed are not really legal here but it's kind of "allowed" for tourists. And the people who know me, know I love to smoke a joint so now and then and that I love to understand the magic about reality explained by a mushroom. ;-)
Evenings in Gili T
I have to admit, till the end of my 2 weeks, I haven't seen a bar from the inside yet. I have been staying with my Gili T family in the North of the island, chilling in the evenings on the beach or at the place where I'm staying, while they are all playing guitar and cajon, which is a drum with the best beats. I love to smoke marijuana, drink very tasty rice wine, have conversations, sing, and just enjoy the laidback island vibe.
In the night it can be very dark because there is no light outside in the North of the island. Only the roads near the harbour and centre are illuminated.
During the last week of my stay in Gili I went out 2 times and it was great! Gili T is very alive and it's a lot of fun to be outside on the main street. But as I said before, if you want something else than partying, Gili T is the right place to slow down and work remotely as well.
Surfing in the morning
Every morning around 7AM I surf and the waves here are perfect for me because I'm a beginner. I learned surfing here, and I love it! It's a very good cardio workout because besides surfing you paddle a lot. It's a great exercise for your upper body and core and the water is so refreshing in the morning - especially if you have a little hangover from the tasty red rice wine from the night before. And the best thing about all of this; the ocean is refreshing but never cold!
Besides that, surfing feels like life. Sometimes it's a lot of waiting for the right wave to catch. Sometimes the wave can crush you when you respond too early or too late. But sometimes you are really in tune with the ocean, so catching the wave at the right time, standing on your board and balancing yourself with the ocean is such an amazing feeling filled with adrenaline!
My mornings can not start better than with surfing. I always love working out in the mornings, on an empty stomach. Because the best thing after a morning workout is your well-deserved breakfast afterwards!
At one of the two surf spots is a little local beach-bar with bean bags, called Enjoy Life Bar. After surfing I like to hang around there with a coffee before I cycle back to my place for breakfast. And in Gili banana pancakes each morning it is!
Working remotely in Gili
During the day, after breakfast, I mostly work at this beach-bar in the centre called La Cala. The wifi is good and it has a great view of the ocean which gives me a calm feeling. Sipping a coconut or ordering a cappuccino is what I love to do here while working. It's a 5km cycle from the place where I stay and I enjoy every cycling trip. I missed cycling a lot! So it's really good to be back on a bike again. The roads in the middle of the island are very sandy and bumpy, so I like taking the road next to the beach. Some parts can still be bumpy and slippery because of the sand but most parts are good for riding your bike.
Local food at Warung Seni
Since I'm here I eat almost every day Indonesian food from a local warung called Warung Seni. This warung is located in the North of the island, but there are many other warungs around the island. However, I have to say, Warung Seni is, in my opinion, one of the best Indonesian warungs I've been to so far! Indonesian food is very tasty and cheap. It has a lot of flavour with all the different spices and it is very recognizable for us Dutchies since we have many of the same dishes in the Netherlands, due to the history Indonesia and the Netherlands have.
In Warungs you can order whatever you want but it always comes with rice. Warung Seni doesn't use so much oil in their dishes and this is why I liked the food here a lot. In my opinion, this warung is the best! Once I love something, it's hard for me to go to another place. I don't like to cheat on my food.
Other sports on Gili T
Besides surfing, I did a few times Vinyasa yoga right after surfing, which is a great combination! You can stay very fit on the island without seeing a gym from the inside. Many people go for a run around the island and your bicycle is the way to move from A to B.
There is one gym you can go to which is located on the main street on the island. You pay a small amount per visit. Next time, when I go back to the island, I will probably go there for an intense leg workout once a week.
There is also a place called Jungle Gym, which is in the West of the island. It's a gym on the beach where you can work out with your own body weight or use wooden weights for some compound exercises.
However, running around the island is something you see many people do. Something I did as well on my second day, but somehow I misstepped and therefore I overstretched my ankle ligaments. Luckily I could surf, but for the first two weeks, I was definitely in a lot of pain with some movements such as walking down the stairs. But after all, it definitely gave me more slowing-down time since I was busy changing the ice bags to cool down the swellings around my ankle.
Amazing sunsets with amazing people
On some days, I loved to get a Froyo with granola, peanuts, and fruits at the end of the day. Because yoghurt is hard to find on an island like Gili, and it can be very hot during the day, Frozen Yoghurt is such a refreshing choice! You can choose the toppings you want and because it's yoghurt, it's not as sweet as ice cream and doesn't contain so much sugar.
Eating Froyo during sunsets is something I definitely recommend! There are two places to get Froyo on the island and it is called Gili Yo. The place where I used to go to get my Froyo is next to Mad Monkey and nearby Enjoy Life Bar. This is the place where I surf and where I mostly go to see the sunset. From this little beach bar, you see the sunset right in front of you.
For me, it is the place where I meet with locals and guests from the surfcamp.
Another cool place to see sunsets is at The Exile. This place looks really beautiful and during some evenings they have a bonfire and play drums. I loved each cycling trip to Exile. You cycle next to the beach and see the sun slowly moving into the ocean. The more you go South, the more it gets bubbly with amazing lights in the trees and music from the speakers. There is always something going on in this part of the island.
Private boat tour to Gili Air or Gili Meno
There are many things to do outside of Gili T, like going on a little boat trip to the other two islands nearby: Gili Air or Gili Meno. Both islands are more relaxing but it's nice to visit them with a private boat and go snorkelling in the ocean. Around the harbour, you'll find many places where you can book diving, snorkelling, or other island trips.
I have to say, my 3 weeks here in Gili were amazing! I met incredible people with all their own life stories and different nationalities. However, 3 weeks Gili was also a bit exhausting, especially my last week. This had all to do with staying up late, being very social, and waking up early every single day. I'm definitely going back within 2 months before I go back to Canggu again. But I will for sure spend my days a bit differently. And by different I mean being more by myself, drinking less alcohol, smoking way less weed, having more hours of sleep, surfing in the morning, hitting the gym so now and then, and hopefully running again! I still feel my ankle ligaments a bit, and I hope they will be fully recovered when I'm back in Gili.
I'm ready to live a more structured and healthy lifestyle on Gili, and still experience all the best of what this tiny island has to offer for me! For now, I'm going to visit my friend in Los Angeles and stay there for 4 weeks. Very curious about what I will be thinking about structured Western life again! I definitely know I love islands. I love the heat. I love the sun. I love Indonesians. I just love perfectly imperfect Indonesia.
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