Gili Trawangan

Arriving in the island, we got together with Michael and Laurence again and went with them so that they could drop their stuff at their place. We then went to have some lunch by the beach, we ordered some pizza. Afterwards, they also decided to go with us while we dropped off our things at the hostel Frida picked. We saw the hippie beach where there were stands selling magic mushroom shakes, and one of the guys manning the stands named Sam called us and we talked for a bit. It was a bit of a walk and it took us deeper into the island, where there were less people and more vegetation. There was quite a disparity between the outer borders of the island where it was particularly geared towards tourists and the inner island where the actual island's inhabitants lived and carried out their lives. A huge contrast, I would say in terms of standards of living.

We arrived at our supposed hostel, it had a very hippie vibe but at the same time it also didn't feel exactly safe. Seemed like a druggie hostel actually. It took a while before a pregnant woman showed up and showed us our room. It was small, old, and dim. It had a wooden bed and little to no ventilation. To be frank, it was horrible. Frida and I put our things on the bed and left to explore the seaside with Michael and Laurence. I was quite troubled as I did not want to spend a night in that horrible place, it was cheap for sure but at what cost? We went back to Gili Bong, where Sam was, and Michael ordered a drink while I had some banana juice. I shared to Michael my concerns about how I didn't want to stay there and I later approached Frida about it. I was relieved to find out that she shared the same feelings and that she was looking for another place to stay as well. I booked a place at My Mate's Tom, a party hostel while Frida booked a room all for herself at one of the other places that was actually pretty near my place.

We went back to get our things and I hurried off to my hostel, I checked-in without problems and it looked like the pre-party was already starting. The people had their own groups and I had a free welcome drink. I approached a group in the back and asked if I could join them. I was welcomed warmly and they all turned out to be from New Zealand. After the pre-game, it was time to head to the Jungle to party. I went with the group and we danced the night away, as the drinks and cigarettes flowed, the fun really started to pick up. Even though it was raining, everyone was still dancing. I decided to call it a night as I was already tired from the day's trip, drinking and dancing.Read more