Gili T

Gili T is a chilled out island where backpackers and domestic tourists come to SCUBA dive, lay on the beach, snorkel, and party, no cars or motorbikes are allowed on the island so transport is by horse drawn carriage or bicycle, there are no police on any of the Gili Islands either.

"Magic" mushrooms are legal in Indonesia and are readily available, 2 packets of shrooms (10-15 per packet) in a pot of tea were $6 and tasted immensely better than shakes I've had previously. Weed is also readily available on Gilli T but is illegal and punishments are harsh.

The high wasn't as intense as Thai shrooms the euphoria was there but the enhanced visual experience wasn't.

A few quotes from the night:
"If there was a professor of flashing lights, it would be me"
"Pat the horse it's so furry, I wonder if they are all like this.... Let's find out"
"Do you think the staff are trained to screw with people on shrooms?"

Update: If you have more shrooms they are just as good as Thailand if not better.

Here is an amazing sunrise on Gili Trawangan:

Other available items $20
Dinner at food market $5.5 water, fried chicken, fried noodle, spicy chicken curry, two satay sticks.
Lunch at a restaurant coffee, water, nasi goreng $6
Bike hire $3 for the day
Shrooms $6
Beers, spirits, etc (enough to be happily drunk) $23

Gilli to Lombok

The trip from Gili to Lombok is a 30 min public ferry for $1 the view of the three Gili's and Lombok is pretty spectacular, you can also opt for a speed boat, but the local boat is a good experience, especially if there are chickens on board (this time there weren't any). The ticket office is on the beach, some people pay more if purchasing through an agent.

We then organised a guide (Jo) to pick us up from Bengsal Harbour in Lombok and take us for a quick tour of Lombok, breakfast and lunch, before dropping us in Kuta Lombok, the price for 3 people was 500,000RP or
$50 for 3 people, which is by no means the cheapest but check out the photo's of the waterfall we otherwise would never have seen, definitely worth the extra few $$. Here is our view for breakfast, you can make out the waterfall which is only a 10 minute walk after breakfast.

 Here is Jo at the waterfall:

 

 A quick stop to feed the monkeys, get some peanuts or banana's first.

 If you want to organise Jo you can contact him on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/jo.gili

We also paid 10,000RP or $1 each for entry to the waterfall, and both Jo's and our drivers lunch and coffee.Coffee for breakfast and lunch Mataram in the mall was $8. $10 per night for accommodation opposite Kuta beach is basic and could have done with a basin in the toilet but was otherwise OK. Small Bintangs were $1.60 and dinner of fried chicken with chili sauce, spring rolls, and 2 large beers was $8.

NYE 2013 @ Gili T

Starting the day with some snorkelling and some afternoon Yoga before a huge night. The snorkelling here is incredible with turtle sightings the norm.

Bringing in the new year with an epic firework display that makes Sydney look average (or maybe the shrooms were really good). Simultaneously hundreds of people and a few boats launched thousands of fireworks from 4 different islands. The view was amazing.

 

Cheap beers and 3 packets of mushrooms made the night one to remember that finished around 6 am, a minor burn from some fireworks was the only bad thing about the night.

 

I realised that you can't have sex on mushrooms cause "it's too purple around the edges" and that even though I can only speak one language "I can think in two"..... Needless to day the shrooms were quality.

 

New years day like most before it was a complete waste of a day but made better by cheap food and good weather.

 

Mushrooms $9 for 3 packets (about 10 per packet)
Other readily available substances $10
5 vodka red bulls, beers of an unknown quantity $40-$60 I can't really remember.
Seafood BBQ dinner with squid, snapper, prawns, lobster $20
Accommodation $25 (price was much higher for NYE period)

Bali to Gili T

Left Bedbunkers Hostel in Bali at 7:00am, overall a friendly clean and cheap place with very cheap room rates.

 

After leaving the traffic and chaos of the Kuta end of Bali we enjoyed scenic views of rice terraces, volcano's, and lush greenery on the way to Padang Bai, roughly a 2 hour journey.

 

After breakfast and some waiting around we board the fast boat and are treated to volcano's more lush greenery and rice terraces before getting soaked on the roof if the ferry and retreating below deck.

 

Gunung Agung rimmed by cloud

 

 

Arriving in Lombok we pick up a few more passengers and 10 minutes later arrive in paradise (Gilli Trawangan).

 

The remainder of the day is spent lounging on beanbags on the beach, at the amazing café below:

 

 

Fast boat one way $22 (some people were paying triple this by ordering online)

Breakfast omelette and coffee $3
Room on Gilli T basic with 2 fans Queen bed, western toilet and shower $25

 

I stayed at No Name Homestay and highly recommend it, its just off the main road if you turn at the Yoga and Freediving place. Agus the manager is awesome on the guitar and can also source cheap mushrooms for you and makes an incredible shroom tea.

Dinner at market BBQ squid, chicken wing, stay chicken skewer, fried noodles, small Bintang (beer), small water $6.5
2 x large water $1

$57.5 for the day