bye bye bali
After the Philippines and Bali, Frida (my friend from Mexico) and I booked a pretty cheap service that takes us from our hostel straight to Gili Trawangan, including the ferry for a very reasonable price thanks to my contact on Couchsurfing. He was a local and had really good connections and was also the one who hooked us up with an airport pickup to Ubud.
We had to go to Pandangbai to take our ferry but before that we had to pick up some other people before heading to the port.
We stopped by at a much fancier place than ours. From the villas, emerged a couple that joined us inside the car. They were very friendly, especially the man who immediately started making jolly conversation. Words flowed very easily between us all. We then exchanged introductions and found out that they were Michael and Laurence from Canada. They were on a vacation, both served in the military and totally in love. They considered themselves already husband and wife though they didn’t have any plans to get married.
We enjoyed each other’s company throughout the drive, enjoying the views and making small talk every now and then.
pandang bai
Arriving at Pandang Bai, Frida and I went to get our tickets and waited at the pier where we ran into Michael and Laurence again. Michael was once again pretty much just chatting up everyone, and he even bought as all some Bintangs, Indonesian beer, while I went ahead and bought us some chips. A vendor also offered us free bracelets when Laurence bought some stuff, but later took them back when she realized we weren’t interested in buying from her. Soon it was time to board, and though the boat ride made us both seasick, seeing the island and getting off really got us excited again.
pizza on the beach
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. It was really nice to finally be on land again. I could really appreciate the serene beauty of Gili Trawangan with it’s turqouise waters and white sand that’s just as beautiful as the Philippines’ El Nido. Speaking of which, being able to just eat pizza while barefoot, feeling the soft sand, was so liberating.
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 at Gili Bong named Sam called us to him. He had a really funny vibe and it was actually a lot of fun talking to him. Frida and I originally came here to try out the mushroom shakes and Sam seemed really trustworthy though they had mushroom shake stands everywhere on the island. Somehow they’re legal only on this island and not the rest of Indonesia, I mean one of the mushroom shacks was right in front of the police station!
very bad juju
Our hostel 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. Not much light, infrastructure or roads in general. Even deeper in the island was the garbage dump. I really had mixed feeling about it. It was like Gili T’s beaches acted like a facade, hiding a darker reality of things.
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 to 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 Place, a party hostel while Frida booked a room all for herself at one of the other places that was actually still pretty near my place.
We went back to get our things, left the keys, and hurried off to our respective hostels as it was already really dark. Without any lights it was really hard to find our way. 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. The whole hostel migrated there and we danced the night away, 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 long journey.
shrooms & tranquility
Day 2, in Gili Trawangan. I got my free breakfast of fruits and pancakes. Something I can never get tired off traveling around Southeast Asia. I ate what I could and headed to the beach towards Gili Bong, where Sam was. Sam’s such a kind and funny guy, his vibes were so good. That’s why I decided to go with his magic mushroom shake. He gave me a discount and gave me 4 grams worth. I drank it all and proceeded to sit by the beach bench. Anxiety started to kick-in as the come-up started and I started to worry that my skin was gonna get super tanned because of the sun and the ocean wind. So I went to Sam to borrow some sunscreen, and he did lend me some with a perplexed look saying that it was very cloudy today (haha). The trip started to kick-in hard, I was getting mad closed-eyed visuals. I let Sam take care of my bag while I went swimming.
Frida also planned to take hers but I took mine a bit earlier. I started to gain such intense euphoria, I had to go back to Sam and ask what do I do with it and he told me to go out there and throw it in the ocean so I did just that and went to have a swim. I enjoyed playing in the sand like a little kid.
Michael and Laurence once again showed up on bikes (it was a small island afterall). I enjoyed Michael`s company while he had a drink. At the same time, I was tripping too hard and was absolutely floored. There were other people in the area having fun with me, I met my friend El, who offered to take me to see some sea turtles. I was afraid I would drown so I backed out much to my regret now. Seeing turtles would have been hella dope. There was another guy tripping with me and he mentioned something about Spongebob which made me laugh my ass off.
I went back to the water for a bit where I finally saw Frida. She was laughing at me and I encouraged her to join me so she went to the Sam`s while he brewed her his concoction. Just mushrooms blended with soda, it was enough.
Michael and Laurence finished their second round of biking and came by again, but this time I was tripping too much and was excited and gave Laurence a hug but ended up getting a lot of sand on her. At this point, time is a bit non-existent and things were going at a blur. Fast forward, somehow both me and Frida are tripping now, she was happy and laughing at first, I was enjoying it a lot. The next time I saw her however she had tears in her eyes but I was too far gone to understand what was happening. She had to go back to her hostel she said, and I let her go.
Meanwhile, I ended up in the far end of the ocean and some of the people I met while tripping tried to get me back to the beach but I was just getting annoyed and wanted to be left alone so I proceeded to go even further while the storm picked up.
Suddenly, I entered pure tranquility. Despite the waves, the rain and the wind, I could hear absolutely nothing. Complete silence and stillness of time. It was a moment of pure bliss and profound peace.
I later found my way back to the beach as they said Frida was calling me only to find out I was tricked but it was really for my own good as they didn`t want me to drown and I gotta say that could have ended badly.
The trip subsided as the rain picked up and flooded the streets and I had to take my now wet bag from Sam and made my way back to my hostel with someone escorting me as I was still a bit dazed.
I arrived at my hostel, still having enhanced visuals and color saturation but took my shower and had a rest in my room for the rest of the day. At night, I met up with Frida for dinner where she told me about her trip, she was reborn and was able to solve a lot of childhood trauma that manifested during the trip. An indoor solo trip was one of the ways to get the most out of a trip with plenty of room for introspection whereas I had too much outside stimuli and didn’t have much learnings this time around. The experience was still good, tripping in nature is always great.
party in gili t
Back at the hostel, I tried hanging out with some people but I was having a hard time as everyone was on a different wavelength. I ended up in the drunk Aussie group and they welcomed me with open arms. We did a lot of stupid stuff to be honest but soon it was time to head to the Jungle once again.
Everything was awesome, the lights, music, the people. I saw Michael and Laurence, again! It was such a pleasant surprise even though we’ve been running into each other the whole day. Later that night, I saw El again. He couldn’t speak much English so he just called out to me with “Spongebob!” Still just as funny as before. We danced the night away and I headed back to my hostel, drifting off while my roommate was arguing with his girlfriend on the phone.
disaster
Day 3, my plans were dashed because I received a text message from the ferry company we used saying that a major typhoon was on the way and the waves would make traveling impossible. So, I had to leave one day early, as in on that very same day. This was really a bummer but there was nothing I could do except to rush and get tickets as soon as I can to get off the island. Unfortunately the place to buy tickets was closed so this was really stressing me out, and I was pretty tired from running from our hostel all the way to the office. There was a tinge of panic as I ran back to my hostel to get my things ready, I was able to chill for a bit while talking to the other friends I made during my stay in the hostel.
After I got my things and laundry, I checked out and made my way back to the port again. The problem was I lost my ticket and I had to buy a new one, such rotten luck. I was able to get a new one but the schedules were a mess as everyone wanted to get off the island and I actually had no idea what time my ride was and everyone I asked had different answers. I guess the island’s system is not that developed but I tried my best to just be present and patient.
Michael and Laurence came to say good bye when I let them know my situation. They were genuinely good people. Frida also came by and had lunch with me and imparted really touching words. She is truly a good friend and I am glad to have met her from Japan to the Philippines, our adventures in Ubud and all the way to Gili T, it was quite a journey. We said our good byes as I boarded the first boat bound for Lombok as we had to make a roundabout trip from there back to Pandang.
seasick
The boat ride made me really sea sick as it rode the waves up and down. I remember talking to a girl from Scotland. We stuck around together from the bus going to the harbor, where we had to take a public ferry.
It was a long ride on the ferry. Instead of 1-2 hours via speedboat, I found myself on a 6 hour ride back. Even with the sea breeze caressing my skin, I ended up very seasick for a huge duration of the ride. Thankfully, one of the passengers noticed me and she shared her pill to alleviate seasickness. It was honestly a godsend. I thanked her profusely. I decided to wander around the ship now that I had my bearings, I was surprised to see Hollik. Hollik was one of El`s friends who somehow seemed to know my name and I vaguely remember that he was also there while I was tripping on the beach.
He called me and said El`s also on the boat. He took me up to the roofdeck where El and another person were sitting. It was only us up there, sitting under the stars. “Spongebob!” we called each other. It was nice to see a familiar face as it was quite a lonely journey back to Bali.
They kept me company, shared with me their food and water and even some medicine for my throat as I started to feel a bit sick perhaps from all of the day’s stressful situation. I really felt grateful to receive such kindness from people who I could barely communicate with. Kindness really has no barriers and I think that’s really ingrained in their culture.
I went with them to a prayer room for Muslims on the ship. They had a rest there and I was a bit hesitant to go in but they said it was fine. I hanged around there for a bit but ended up feeling a bit suffocated with so many people in one room. I wandered around the ship some more. My emotions, melancholic. I was drawn to the roof again, being under the night sky and sea calmed me. We made landfall soon enough.
sleeping in airports
The taxi mafia were waiting for everyone on the other side. When I suggested to try out Grab to one of the people, one of the drivers came up to me straight up said that they’Il kill ’em if they stepped foot here. Yikes.
I got on the pre-arranged van and it dropped us one by one, me being the last all the way to the airport. We had a choice to get dropped off in Ubud but at this point, I really wasn’t in the mood to do anymore sight-seeing so I decided to just spend the night at the airport. I made my nest on the metal benches, my bag as my pillow as it always has been. I wore my eye mask and ear plugs, always a lifesaver.
My last day back in Bali was quite uneventful but I surprisingly enjoyed it. It was relaxing, I got up to scrounge what money I had left to get brunch, some burgers. I waited for a long time until I could enter the airport to check-in. I was ready to get on my flight to Kuala Lumpur. And I was really craving for a shower.
