OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 2022:
OVERVIEW:
Due to COVID-19, I have spent the last 2 years in either ‘lockdown’ or ‘hiding from restrictions’.
From March to July 2020, I was in ‘lockdown’ on Phuket Island, Thailand: Patong Posts
From July to September 2020, I was ‘keeping my head down’ on the Red Sea in Egypt: Hurghada Posts.
From September 2020 to January 2021, I did the same in Dalyan, Turkey: Dalyan Posts.
I made 3 attempts to leave Turkey for Central America:
- The first 2 attempts via the USA failed through COVID related ‘Acts of God’ … I got no refund on my airfares
- Third time lucky… In January 2021 I flew direct from Turkey to Mexico and avoided the USA completely
From January 2021 to May 2021, I stayed in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala: San Pedro La Laguna Posts.
Ultimately, in May 2021 (as soon as Honduras re-opened its borders), I decided to ‘flee’ to Roatan Island, Honduras: Roatan Posts.
I stayed on Roatan Island from May 2021 to August 2022. On Roatan Island I could live a normal life without ‘restrictions’.
I left Roatan Island in August 2022 and flew via the United Kingdom (to renew my UK Passport) before landing in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia in October 2022.
… GRANDPAcking is ‘back on the road’ …
… we, now, go to Gili Trawangan …
PLEASE NOTE:
The currency in Indonesia is the Rupiah (or the ‘IDR’). I will refer to them as IDRs. At the time of writing, the exchange rates were:
| US$1 | EU€1 | GB£1 | |
| Published Wholesale Rate | 15,218 | 14,870 | 16,888 |
| Effective (Actual) Exchange Rate | 14,969 | 14,628 | 16,612 |
You will NOT get these wholesale rates; expect to lose about 2% (see the ‘ARRIVAL HALL / ATM‘ section, below). I lost an average of 1.65%.
Over time, these exchange rates will change. Please check the current rates.
GETTING THERE:
It is advised that you check out the latest requirements before you travel: Wonderful Indonesia
TO ENTER INDONESIA YOU NEED
Electronic Customs Declaration (ECD)
Go online (no more than 2 days before) and complete the Electronic Customs Declaration (ECD). After completing the online form, you will be sent a Q Barcode: Official Website Direktorat Jenderal Bea dan Cukai (beacukai.go.id)
You can fill in the ECD on arrival in Bali Airport … BUT YOU DON’T WANT TO …
- The queue at Airport Immigration takes so long that you DO NOT want any unnecessary delays on arrival (see, ‘My Experience’ below)
- The ECD is required to clear customs … and it is checked
PEDULILINDUNGI APP
Download the PeduliLindungi Mobile App and register: PeduliLindungi
- I was required to prove that I had done this by my Airline before I was allowed onto my flight to Indonesia
- However, no-one ever asked me to show this Mobile App when I arrived in Indonesia (but, what if they had?)
PROOF OF COVID VACCINATION
You will be required to show proof of a full course of vaccination (if over 18) and undergo a temperature check on arrival:
- Travelers running a high temperature must take a RT-PCR test and, if positive, will need to isolate or be hospitalized at their own expense
- Travelers who have received a full course of vaccination and a booster do not need an antigen/PCR test to travel domestically with Indonesia after landing in Bali
- However, travelers who have not received a booster may need to show a negative test to travel domestically
Your Vax Certificate and temperature will be checked before you are allowed to join the queue for Immigration.
PROOF OF RETURN TICKET OR ONWARD TICKET
I used SkyScanner to search for the cheapest Airline flying out of anywhere in Indonesia to any other country:
SkyScanner helps you to find the name of the cheapest Airline and their cheapest flight date
- This time it was Scoot Airlines
Once found, go direct to that airline’s website to buy your ticket (it’s usually cheaper to book it direct): Fly Scoot
Before I left for Indonesia, I pre-bought (this throw-away) US$21.45 one-way Air Ticket from Pekanbaru to Singapore.
- Obviously, since I had no intention of using it, I bought the cheapest available no-frills ticket with no check-in luggage etc
- Again, no-one ever asked me to show this Air Ticket when I arrived in Indonesia (but, what if they had?)
TRAVEL INSURANCE:
I did not see any official website state that proof of Travel Insurance was a requirement to enter Indonesia.
I insure myself with World Nomads. If you prefer to have Travel Insurance, I suggest that you start here: Get Travel Insurance from World Nomads.
If you read the ‘small print’ you will discover that, if your target country is not listed on your certificate, you are NOT covered. Also, there are additional coverage restrictions because of COVID. Make sure that you read the ‘small print’.
PLEASE NOTE: When you apply for a World Nomads policy, make sure that you get as much world-wide coverage as possible. I tell you how to get this extra coverage for free … read more here.
THE NGURAH RAI AIRPORT ‘MY EXPERIENCE’:
Ngurah Rai International Airport is notorious for its long queues and delays. This BaliHolidaySecrets.com website is an excellent source of information on this subject: 18 Expert Tips on Arrival at Bali – Denpasar Airport (2022 Update).
My flight landed at 11:45pm at night. In advance, I had already selected a seat nearest the front of the aircraft … so that I could disembark before as many other people as possible. I quickly headed for Immigration.
Health Check
I passed some Q Code stands near immigration, I assumed that I needed to scan one into my PeduliLindungi Mobile App. I wasted precious time … it allowed several people to over-take me on the way to the first queue. Do not bother scanning the Q Code.
Before Immigration, you hit the Health Check Area. There was already a (small) queue from other arriving flights. Within 15 minutes I was sitting down in front of a Health Checker. I was temperature checked then required to show my passport and Vax Certificate. The ‘check’ took only a couple of minutes.
Visa On Arrival (VOA)
The next stop was the VOA Payment Desks. You can pay cash in IDR or any major currency (e.g. USD or Euro). More conveniently, I could pay using my Debit Card. The price was IDR500k and you are given a receipt as proof of payment.
Immigration
There was a massive queue at Immigration … perhaps 100 meters long winding down the ‘rat maze’. Thanks to BaliHolidaySecrets, above, I took the ‘special lane’ on the left. This lane is signposted for the ‘infirmed’, people with young children, and for people over 65. I did not quite qualify, but I tried it anyway.
There was no queue in the ‘special’ lane. I went straight to the front. The Immigration Officer checked my VOA Payment and Passport, scanned my fingerprints, gave me my visa stamp, and let me through. I was done in 2 minutes.
Baggage Claim
Bali Airport was true to form … it took at least 30 minutes for luggage to start ‘dripping’ through and about another 60 minutes before they had all arrived.
On the plus side, I was sitting down waiting … rather than still queuing in the Immigration ‘rat maze’ 🙂
Most people from my flight started arriving at the baggage carousel about 1 hour and 25 minutes after our flight landed.
Some got their luggage before I did … my bag finally arrived at about 1:20 am.
Customs
I queued to clear customs. The first Customs Desk scanned my ECD Q Barcode.
Then, I queued for my luggage to be scanned.
I walked out into the Arrival Hall at about 1:35am (nearly 2 hours after I landed). Can you imagine landing on a busy day in daylight hours?
ARRIVAL HALL
ATM
Generally, ATMs in Indonesia do not charge Foreigners an ATM Transaction Fee. However, your home bank might. Fortunately, my Home Bank does not, so I only have to pay the Bank-Bank Exchange Rate Conversion Fee and (when I use Visa) the Visa Foreign Currency Processing Fee. I only lost about 1.5% on ATM withdrawals from ATMs inside banks in Bali … which is excellent compared to some other countries.
PLEASE NOTE: This is not the case on Gili Trawangan. On GiliT, the ATMs charge a fee of 3% to 4%.
SUGGESTION: Top up on cash from ATMs in Bali (use ones that are inside a bank) before you go to GiliT.
Indonesian ATMs are limited to either (1) dispensing a maximum of 30 notes or (2) a maximum amount.
If (1), an ATM that only dispenses IDR50k notes has an IDR1.5m maximum and one that dispenses IDR100k notes a $3m maximum. So, check what note picture is displayed on the ATM. If (2), you are usually limited to an IDR2.5m maximum.
On the positive side, you can withdraw multiple times until you reach your Home Bank’s daily withdrawal limit.
NOTE: Places like Kuta are notorious for ATM fraud. Make sure that you check the ATM for suspicious cameras and non-bank card-slot scanning devices. For safety, always try and use an ATM that is inside a bank.
At least 2 banks have an ATM in the Arrivals Hall. I took out the maximum allowed from MBI Bank: IDR2.5m.
SIM CARD
Before my arrival I made contact with my hotel in Gili Trawangan (GiliT) and asked them which SIM Card was the best for GiliT. They said Telkomsel.
In the Arrival Hall there is a Telkomsel Kiosk and a XL Kiosk. They were both still open. I queued at Telkomsel. After about 15 minutes I was at the service desk. They sold several packages but some had sold out. I purchased a new 4G SIM Card with a 1 Month Package: 11GB Data Only (8GB local internet plus 3GB social media). The price was IDR250k.
You need to hand over your passport and get ‘registered’. I waited a further 10-15 minutes for them to set me up.
TAXI !!!
By now, it was about 2am … I was tired and just wanted to get to my hotel.
With my working Telkomsel, I could have tried GRAB or UBER … but I couldn’t be bothered.
SUGGESTION: Download the GOJEK APP before you arrive. Gojek is used instead of Uber/Grab in Indonesian and is a lot cheaper.
I went to the official Taxi Kiosk and bought a taxi to go the 2.35 kms to my hotel. The price was IDR200k.
KUTA:
HOTEL
You are on your way to GiliT … where you stay in Kuta (if at all) is probably irrelevant. It was for me.
Knowing that I was going to arrive in the early hours of the morning, I booked a cheap hotel that had a 24 hour Service Desk. I got a decent Delux Double Room at Guta Graha. It came with hot water Private Bathroom, mini bar, free wifi, and cable TV for IDR200k per night.
I booked the Guta Graha because it was near to the airport and a 5 minute walk to Kuta Beach.
It was also only a 5 minute walk to Poppies Street where you can find some cute alleyways and cheap eateries (e.g. an Indonesian Nasi Goreng Breakfast including an Indonesian Coffee for only IDR25k).
VOA EXTENSION
As I arrived early Friday morning (after travelling for over 24 hours) I wanted a couple of days in Kuta to recouperate and get organised.
Top of my list was to extend my 30 day VOA by another 30 days (the maximum extension allowed). The official price of this extension is another IDR500k / US$35 … the problem is finding or being able to get to an Official Immigration Office.
On Friday afternoon, I found the address of a Visa Agent near to my hotel and walked there.
I was informed that I could not extend until I was within 12 days of the expiry date of my first VOA. The price to extend through an Agent was:
- IDR900k / US$60 (IDR500k plus an IDR400k / US$25 Agent Fee) for a 10 day turn-around; and
- IDR1.5m / US$100 (IDR500k plus an IDR1m / US$65 Agent Fee) for the faster 2-3 day turn-around
I suspect that this is another ‘Kuta Trap’ … as most people will be ill-planned, come to an Agent too late, not be able to wait 10 days, and have to pay the Agent a cool US$65 to get out of a mess.
Waiting 17 days before I could apply for a VOA extension was no good to me … I decided to try and extend my VOA on GiliT (which I am told is possible).
FAST BOAT TO GILI TRAWANGAN
Friday was now done, so it gave me a chance to have an IDR30k 30ml Bintang Beer on Kuta Beach.
There are a multitude of Travel Agents on the streets selling tickets from Kuta to GiliT. But, you have to be careful as some leave from different ports, some only take you to the dock in Lombok (where you have to connect with a small boat out to the island), some are faster than others, etc …
A search online (using Rome2Rio) helps you to identify who to go with. I found Scoot Cruises and went direct to their website: Current Promotions – Scoot Fast Cruises (scootcruise.com). Scoot had a promotion for a ‘direct’ fast boat from Sanur to GiliT.
I tried to book online but the online booking system did not mention the free Hotel Pick Up Service. I emailed them instead. A fast exchange of a couple of emails had me booked on an ‘open’ return ticket on the 2.5 hour direct fast boat including an 8am pick up from my hotel.
The ‘open return ticket’ price was IDR600k each way.
Successfully organised to go to GiliT on Monday morning, it was time to head back down to Kuta Beach for another cold beer. 🙂
SCOOT CRUISE TO GILI TRAWANGAN:
I was picked up in a minivan from my hotel at 8am as promised. We collected 2 other couples from other hotels along the way across the island to Sanur. You are dropped off at the Main Office where you pay for your ticket and label your luggage.
At about 8:45-9:00am you take a 400 metre walk (carrying your own luggage) to the boarding area. We waited there to board. You board from the beach (be prepare to get your legs wet up to your knees).
Seating is ‘first come first served’ … but you should always find / get a seat.
The ‘cruise duration’ to GiliT may be 2.5 hours … but, what they fail to tell you is that there is a lot of ‘mucking around’ on the way. We left about 15 minutes late. We stopped at Nusa Lembongan Island to drop people off and pick up some more (that took over 30 minutes). In the end, the 9:30am 2.5 hour ‘direct fast cruise’ landed at the GiliT Main Dock at about 1:45pm 🙂
There are many Horse Taxi people waiting for you to tout for your trade. As you may expect, they try and over-charge you (they think that you don’t know anything yet). A Horse Taxi ride from the Dock to almost anywhere on the island should NOT cost more than IDR100k … for the whole Taxi (not per person).
I walked the 800 meters from the Dock to my Hotel.
SUGGESTION: I don’t think that this ‘fast ferry’ is worth the money … you can get to GiliT at less than half this price using a shuttle / standard ferry option via Lombok.
ACCOMMODATION OPTIONS:
PLEASE NOTE: I advise you to book into something reasonable for 2-3 nights in advance. Then, once here, walk around and negotiate direct monthly deals with the hotel(s) that you like. This can save you as much as 50% on the published rate. Most sites display prices INCLUSIVE of TAXES.
This is what a GRANDPAcking Couple can expect to find at short notice for mid October 2022 (off season) discounted prices:
BOOKING.COM:
All of the, above, are listed for under US$10 per night. Examples include:
HOTELS.COM:
PLEASE NOTE: Many search sites (like HOTELS) don’t provide a ‘private bathroom’ filter, so be careful with some of the cheap hotels and make sure that you read the room details.
AIRBnB / HOLIDAY RENTALS:
I DO NOT advise you to book accommodation on GiliT using AirBnB. The reason is simple:
- To get a reasonable price out of AirBnB you need to book many nights
- You DO NOT want to book so many nights in advance
- Read ‘Long Term Accommodation’, below, to find out why
SUMMARY:
You may or may not need aircon this time of year … that depends on your personal preference … nights are warm but not as hot as they get in peak season.
GRANDPAckers should easily find accommodation for less than US$10 / IDR150k per night. BUT, it may not be what you want Long Term (see, below).
MY SHORT TERM ACCOMMODATION:
About 1 week before I arrived, I booked myself into a budget hotel for 3 nights: Wisma Bunda. I got a Delux Double with Private (cold water) bathroom, wifi, mini bar, TV, and Breakfast included for US$10 / IDR150k per night.
I booked 3 nights to give me time to look around and find my Long Term Accommodation. I was very happy with the Wisma Bunda … they were lovely hosts … and the room was fine. They rent bicycles for IDR35k per day, I needed that bicycle to find my long term accommodation.
MY LONG TERM ACCOMMODATION:
As a Rule Of Thumb, if you book 1 month you should pay 50% of the published rack rate.
Nowadays, for Long Term Accommodation I tend to avoid online search / booking sites. I use Facebook.
About 1 week before my arrival, I joined some Facebook GiliT Groups:
- Gili Islands Community: Gili Islands Community | Facebook
- Gili Trawangan Information Centre: Gili Trawangan Information Centre | Facebook
- Gili Trawangan: Gili Trawangan | Facebook
I did this 1 week before because, sometimes, it can take several days for the Group’s Administrator to accept your request to join.
Once I was a member of these Groups, I posted my accommodation requirements including the fact that I was staying 1.5 months and that I was looking for a monthly rate. I was not exactly ‘inundated’ with replies but I got enough.
With my Wisma Bunda rental bike, I was able to spend 1.5 days travelling around to see the various offers and negotiate final prices.
I chose the Kulemba Cottages:
The Kulemba has only 5 separate cottages around a private pool. It is a simple bungalow including free WiFi, A/C, Hot Water Private Bathroom, Patio, and Bicycle.
I agreed an ‘off season’ price of IDR3m / US$200 per month. Expect this to be higher if you arrive in ‘peak season’.
Free Coffee / Tea is available all day. To include Breakfast was an additional $750k / US$50 per month … but we agreed that I could have Breakfast whenever I wanted for IDR25k (the same price that it was going to cost me to get it included in the rent anyway).
SUGGESTION: I strongly advise you to choose Long Term accommodation that has (clean and well maintained) dipping pool … you are going to use it.
CONCLUSION:
You and I got here. We have our ‘home’ for the next 1.5 months.
In my next post, I will tell you what it is like to ‘live’ on GiliT Island.
TTFN
Why not FOLLOW US to stay up to date with our Postings and Retirement Reviews.
