I'm out of here #12: Gili Trawangan - Between Mindblows and your Inner Peace

I still have loads about Australia to tell you guys, but I'm Feeling more inspired to inform you about the places I am visiting now in Indonesia. I'll save some Posts for the cold and rainy days back home, before I'll head to my next destinations in Europe. Fortunately, I still have interesting stuff coming up, so I might won't be that affected from post travelling Depression :)

One of the things you absolutely should consider when visiting Indonesia, is taking a trip to the Gili Islands. These tiny pieces of paradise are located in the Lombok area, and can be reached from Bali in about 3 hours (for Details see the Infos below).

I decideed to choose Gili Trawangan for my base Destination. I've read a lot of stories about Gili T, and really wanted to figure out what is true and what is myth: the parties, the drugs, People going crazy and other madness. But I also read about how peaceful it can be. So I tried to put an ideal one week trip together, trying to set everything in chronological order ;)

"Fly me to the moon"

The Island is known as the "big City" of this trio surrounded by turquoise blue, so if you plan to do some Party, you made the right choice. Gili T attracts a younger crowd, most of them between the 20s and 30s, the ones who want to Party and have fun, which is pretty hilarious to watch at some Points of the evenings. The main street right at the Harbor is mostly populated by bars. In order to not compete with each other, you'll have one bigger Event just at one Location per night. The Parties move from bar to bar each night and are different themed depending on the day of the week.
If just alcohol doesen't satisfy your Party Lion Needs, don't worry: on a certain time at night you'll have plenty of Dealers offering "to fly you to the moon", which means, obviously, that you can buy some "Magic mushrooms".

Sama-Sama Bar on the Main Street

Live Music

I don't belong to the drug Lovers, but if you consider to go out and you eventually wanna enjoy a laid back Drinks night, I'll definetly reccommend the bar Sama-Sama (which by the way means "you're welcome" in Indonesian), which has great musicians playing live every evening. I was actually very impressed to find so many talented musicians here.
You'll spend 25K for a regular Bintang Beer, 50K for a Long drink or Liquor. Ladies, please Keep always an eye on your beverages! ;)

Into the Blue

In the last three months on my travels, I discovered my love for snorkeling. This Island is perfect for it because of the clear water and the high number of turtles that aren't afraid to  come very Close to  the beach. The underwater world is stunning and very colorful here, it will Keep you entertained for a whole afternoon. The best  snorkeling spot is located around a Restaurant called "Bamboo": from there  on you'll  have less People and a wonderful view on Gili Meno almost for yourself.

Cycle around and be romantic

Gili T is free from any Kind of Motor vehicles, so you have the choice of how to get around on the Island. You'll be around it in 1:30 hrs by walk or in 45 minutes by bike. The clouds from Lombok will start to come over to the Island around 3 PM, that would be the perfect time for a cycle since it's not too burning hot.
In Addition to that, if you decide to cycle around at that time, make sure to stop at Casa Vintage Cafe around 6 PM for sunset watching. It's a beautiful spot to hang in a hammock, drink a beer and order one of their huge platters for a late afternoon Snack. The sunsets  are stunning  and you'll go home with tons of amazing Pictures. Casa Vintage also Features a secondhand shop as well, which has a lot of great stuff in Terms to bohemian themed Fashion.
There are several cool spots around Gili T to shoot some great Pictures, like the swings into the ocean in front of the Villa Ombok Resort.

Casa Vintage

Calm Down

It's not only about the Party here, even if it seems so. If you move one street behind the Harbor, you'll hear almost no noise anymore. This is the nice Thing about this Island: it's the perfect fit for everybody, wheter you wanna Party or just relax. Since Bali is very spiritual, I joined some yoga and Meditation classes at the Yoga Place, which is only 6 months old. The Studio offers also a vegetarian Café and you can enjoy your meal with a view over Gili T's roofs. Most classes are Held in the morning or around sunset. Prices vary between 80K and 120K. The teachers are amazing and the courses are also suitable for beginners, give it a try!

Escape

If you should seriously get bored on Gili T, you still have the possibility to have a 30 minutes boat drive over to Gili Air. This Island is more rough and less noisy, but it's absolutely worth a visit. You'll walk around almost by yourself, will face some huge Spiders :) Boats depart daily around 9 AM, tickets are avalaible directly at the Harbor usually for 60K.

Practical Infos

Where to sleep: once again, we were lucky by booking through Airbnb. David, Marc and Adam's place was the perfect retreat: Close to the port, a couple of the best Restaurants in Walking distance, free bikes to use, awesome breakfast and a great familiar atmosphere. You'll get a cold Bintang at your Arrival and will get some precious informations for your stay. You can book your room here.

Granola, Yoghurt, Honey and Banana Pancake *.*

Where to Eat: For those who want some good fast Food, Le Petit Gili has a great selection of burgers. It's located right next to the street market, in case you'll still hungry, or if you just wanna try some street Food.

If you want to get out of your Hotel for breakfast, then you should totally try Café Kayu, located on the main street. Have fun deciding here, it's actually pretty though! The menu Features breakfast types for every taste, some yummy smoothies and (this is important!) Illy Coffee.

The view from Kayu Café

If you want to have it classy for one night or you're lucky enough to have a date, then I totally reccommend the beautiful Pearl Beach Lounge. This Restaurant is part of a huge Resort, your table will be directly on the beach, and the Service is impeccable. I tried their tuna tartare and the feta samosas, my friend Sandra the classic Nasi Goreng, and they were all simply delicious. <3

How to get there: the fastest way is to depart from Panang Bay. The easisest way to organise a stressful trip to Gili is to ask your Hotel or inform yourself via Google. There are a lot of Providers, but make sure you don't pay over 550K for both ways. You'll have a shuttle picking you up included in the ticket Price. Shuttle and Boat Transfer take around 3 hours.

The random stuff: Gili T should be fun for everyone. You won't really be in danger. The only tips here are the following: watch your  Drinks and don't expect to find your stuff on the beach if you go for a drunken, naked swim ;)

Enjoy Paradise <3

I'm out of here #8: Fiji - Cast Away, somehow.

When  I was a kid, I was fascinated by adventorous things. I made houses out of trees, pretending to live somewhere far away, or tried to make out stories while being in the outdoors of the wide land that surrounds my house back in south Italy. That always worked out for me, I never got bored and could spend hours by inventing new stories. Then the teenage years came and some of the Fantasy got lost on the way. I still love to tell myself stories to make the world around me brighter, but they're pretty different from twenty years ago and way more realistic.

Fiji Coral Coast

My childhood Feelings came up a Little stronger again when I hit the Fiji Islands. I didn't really have a clue of what to expect from this 300 Islands complex in the Pacific, but I knew I might gonna like it. Well, I wasn't wrong. Arriving in Fiji at tiny Nadi Airport is maybe the experience that got lost years ago in Hawaii: you're greeted in a very polynesian way with singers and guitar Players, which makes the whole Arrival pretty charming.

Sunset on the Waya Island

To spent my ten days to the fullest, I booked a Bula Pass for one week, which makes Island hopping possible between the Mamanuca and Yasawa Islands. Another Thing I always was interested in as a child, was the idea of being on a tiny Island in the middle of nowhere. Obviously the whole Thing was arranged more comfortable than in the movie "Cast Away" or the world famous 80s film "Blue Lagoon" :)
Still, it was a Little dream that came true, on our first catamaran ride to the first Island, which was two hours, I saw a lot of mini Islands surrounded by clear water. And the idea of being on a couple of those in the next few days was pretty exciting, according to the 8 year old me, who was here again, somehow.

one of the views during Island hopping

Transfer time

The first stop was on the Waya Island, for one night only, just to get used to the small Island vibe and be on a hammock facing the bright ocean. When I got to our Bure, which is a traditional house construction in Fiji, I almost cried. Literally. The whole Picture was like the ones you face during winter in Switzerland when you see a getaway advertisement for exotic destinations like Mauritius. I tried to make the best Pictures as I could to describe how I felt, and I think you'll notice what I mean.

Stop number two was on the Barefoot Island for three nights, and I am glad to have Chosen this place. The Island has two different sides, one facing sunrise and the other sunset, which is just amazing. The Bures here are more like huge tents, which made me experience a sort of "Glamping" for the first time. During my travel I discovered my love for snorkeling, and Barefoot is an amazing Island to do that. It's possible to snorkel all around it and I saw the most different creatures and corals so far. There is also a 20 minutes hike on the Island, with gorgeous views especially when sunset time kicks in.

Barefoot

The Hike on Barefoot

Fijian People are some of the most welcoming that I've experienced while travelling. They smile a lot and are very positive, even if they don't really own a lot.  It was also nice to see some traditional polynesian Dance Performances, where I've learned that Fijians loved to eat human meat in the past. Not anymore, but they "still got the taste", according to some local jokes. Another must is to try the local beverage Kava: it's made of a plant root and your Body gets more and more relaxed with every sip. It's a good alternative to alcohol, since you won't get a hangover and, as the locals say: "Kava makes a good Lover", apparently.

Fiji has some Indian influence, and you can also tell by tasting its cuisine. I had some fish Curry, which tasted delicious. Some Resorts offer one fix menu per day, others have a bigger choice of dishes.

Useful tips:

Plan your trip: Besides my one week Island hopping, I booked one night to see the Coral Coast, which has beautiful beaches for snorkeling as well. My stay at Mango Bay Resort was one of the best I had in Fiji. Please Note that you should book a Transfer from the Airport Prior your Arrival.

Mango Bay Resort

When to go: I was quite scared when I heard that February is rainy season in Fiji. There is actually nothing to be afraid of! We had maybe 20 minutes of rain in 10 days. It was the best time to book because of the low Prices and the very warm Tropical weather. You won't experience overcrowded places which is a good Thing in my opinion.

Getting around: Public Transport with luggage can be a Problem in Fiji, but the most Resorts and hostels offer free or very cheap Transfers. If you plan to do some Island hopping then I'd reccommend the Smuggler's Cove Hostel and Resort for short layovers. It's located very Close to Port Denarau and to the Airport as well. Transfers between the Yasawa Flyer and the different Resorts is always provided. You can book your Bula Pass here. By the way, "Bula" means Hello & Welcome in Fijian language, you'll use it a lot during your stay :)

Smuggler's Cove's great patio

Hotel Tips: Octopus Resort for Waya Island and Barefoot Lodge for the Yasawas

The Glamping experience on Barefoot

Island Life: Most of the Resorts offer different activities,  one of the most interesting I noticed was the night snorkeling on Barefoot Island. These places are very quiet, so try to take some stuff with you to Keep yourself busy in the quiet hours of the day. Oh yeah, and here again: bring tons of mosquito Repellent.

Vinaka (Thank you) Fiji, I had a blast.