Indonesia: The Hostel Life in Gili T

“One smile can start a friendship”

Gili Trawangan had my heart from day one. “Please extend me for one more night” were my words right after “good morning”, every morning, for almost two months. This island carries a wonderful energy and is home to amazing people I was blessed to meet. Originally, I booked for one night but stayed for two months, now that’s something.

My hostel had me addicted, not sure whether it was the vibe, the staff, the food or the pool. To be honest the food was average (however, spring rolls were delicious) but the staff was amazeballs. These guys always made a point to interact with the guests, perpetually friendly and helpful. The atmosphere here was like no other place I have ever visited, maybe that’s why I got stuck here for longer than anticipated. After some time these guys were literally my Gili crew (haha) as I became a permanent fixture at the hostel. We spent evening playing cards, darts, cracking jokes on each other and venturing around the island. What stood out the most was that the boys would have pages upon pages of lyrics, ranging from Adele to Rihanna to Sting, a guitarist and obviously a singer. They would get together every night and jam out. I recall the vocalist belching out “Angel” by Robbie Williams, to which I got goose bumps every time. What a happy bunch. They are more than co-workers or just friends, they are a true meaning of family. I feel like no matter what happens in each of their personal lives outside of the hostel, when they get together they forget all their worries. They’re just happy being with one another. Their energy was vibrant and genuine, together they created an unforgettable ambiance of joy through out the hostel.

Indo made me somewhat of a local for the time I was there, a westernized one but still a local, the entire experience was priceless. The boys were always keen on assisting with learning new words and phrases, which essentially helped with the occasional language barriers. The food on the island wasn’t too shabby either; I fell in love with some dishes, well most dishes actually (post on Indo food link). My favorite dish that I still crave is Ayam Lalapan, basically fried chicken with a veggie side and sambal (hot chili based sauce). It increased my tolerance to spices immensely. Before I left NY, my extent of eating spicy food was Japanese spicy mayo (mayonnaise and siracha sauce), after Indonesia I became a pro. There are a number of cultures around the world, which eat with their hands instead of using western utensils. Since I was living the island life I followed suit, as I came to find out it tastes better this way, finger licking good ;)

There are some memories that stand out more than others. Some of the best nights were spent chilling on the roof of the hostel, staring out into the incredible sky filled with billions of bright stars, trying to guess the constellations. The sky was amazing and the company wasn’t too shabby either. So many nights were just spent chatting until the sun came up. Another great memory took place a few days before my Southeast Asia trip was coming to an end; we had a bon fire on the beach during a sunset. The hostel crew rounded up about 15 people and we headed to beach with beers and music instruments in tow. As the boys were building up the branches, the guests were just socializing and getting to know each other. It’s evenings like this that carry the possibility of lifelong friendships, even if people live on opposite sides of the earth. It’s beautiful when people can connect on a deeper level while staring into the wild, orange flames.

**This post is dedicated to the boys at the hostel. Huge thank you to Abi, Gunther, Udin and Rian; you guys were the ultimate highlight of my Southeast Asia trip.

Dates of trip: 1/14/2017 – 2/24/17

Transportation: Horse and carriage, bicycle

Foods to try: Ayam lalapan, sate ayam, nasi goreng, nasi campur, spring rolls, Luwak white coffee, mango smoothie, banana smoothie, strawberry smoothie