OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 2022:
OVERVIEW:
In my post (Gili Trawangan – Indonesia – Getting There), I talked about how to get to and find accommodation in Gili Trawangan (GiliT).
I my previous post, I provided some General Information about GiliT.
… now let’s talk about what it is like to ‘live’ here …
PLEASE NOTE:
The currency in Indonesia is the Indonesian 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 | 15,319 | 15,063 | 17,204 |
| Effective (Actual) Exchange Rate | 15,037 | 14,786 | 16,888 |
You will NOT get these wholesale rates; expect to lose 3.0%-4.0%. I lost an average of 1.84% … to find out how, read the ‘GRANDPAcking Costs’ section, below.
Over time, these exchange rates will change. Please check the current rates. We are now in late 2022, so inflation will also have a big impact over time.
RESTAURANTS:
PLEASE NOTE: You are here in ‘shoulder’ season entering ‘rainy / low’ season. GiliT is quiet this time of year and this can dramatically affect the atmosphere of a place … and how busy / quiet it is compared to other locations and times of year.
The prices in the waterfront restaurants are ‘hyped’ (as usual on any waterfront). But, seriously, you can pay IDR75k-IDR100k for a fish and rice meal that comes with a fillet of fish that is 3ins / 7.5 cms by 2ins / 5 cms and half an inch / 1cm thick. Tourists seem to be happy to pay that … travellers are not.
BUDGET
LIGHTHOUSE BAR (very good)
Link: Lighthouse bar – Google Maps. This is a very ‘chill’ little beachside tiki bar with a ‘rasta’ vibe and a nice beach area.
Opposite the bar is a small Warung that provides 4 tables on the beach. In the rain, you can eat in the Lighthouse Bar.
Prices range from IDR15k for a Mie Goreng to IDR35k for something fancier. A small Bintang is IDR30k.
I tried the Lalapan Ikan (pan fried fish) for IDR35k. It was one of my favourites … so, I went back several times.
WARUNG JAMAN NOW (average)
Link: Warung Jaman Now – Google Maps. A small, simple, tidy and well-kept little Warung close to the main strip.
Prices are very reasonable for this area of town but ‘above average’ for a Warung. A small Bintang is IDR30k and large IDR50k.
I tried the Lalapan Ikan for IDR35k. It was small and disappointing. The same meal at the Lighthouse Warung was a lot better for the same price.
The Warungs close to the main strip are all ‘much of a muchness’: it is almost like they are owned by the same people … even the menus look the same.
Get away into the backstreets (on a bicycle) and you can get the same thing for IDR25k.
MID-RANGE
SAVINDIA (excellent)
Link: SAVINDIA Lounge . Bar . Restaurant – Google Maps. A ‘tidy’ and upbeat atmosphere on the beachfront on the main strip. You have beanbag seating near the water where you can chill in front of their BBQ fire and dining tables set back towards the road. I really enjoyed the music here which included some funked up, ‘ravier’ versions of some old classics.
Prices are mid-range but they have ‘all-day cocktails’ at IDR50k. A small Bintang is IDR30k (or IDR35k?). 15% tax is added to your bill.
I purchased their Pizza Special where you choose from a selection of (about) 10 ‘classic’ pizzas and get a large Bintang for IDR90k excluding tax. I thought that the pizza bread was a bit too thin and crispy … but, that is just my preference … I went several times.
I couldn’t resist adding the IDR65k Shisha … which I really enjoyed … and, it lasted for nearly 1.5 hours! The total bill was IDR155k plus tax. Sometimes they give you a free shot of vodka on entry. 
Pri Gastro & Bar (Excellent)
Link: Pri. Gastro & Bar – Google Maps. This place never seems to be full. The atmosphere was very ‘chill’.
I couldn’t resist trying out their 3 Happy Cocktails for only IDR100k. They don’t always have this special, but it is worth going when they do.
You have to have 3 of the same cocktails, you cannot mix and match. I decided to try their Long Island Iced Tea.
I also tried the Chicken Cordon Bleu for IDR80k.
At this price, I suspect that ‘local’ alcohol was used in the cocktails … Happy Hours are notorious for the first one being strong and the subsequent ones being watered down … but, they didn’t hold back 🙂 Nowadays, I am a bit ‘lightweight’ … after 3, I was feeling nicely tipsy 😉
JALI KITCHEN (very good)
Link: Jali Kitchen | Facebook. This is a popular place with a nice atmosphere. By 7pm the tables were full. You can reserve a table in advance. If you come when it is busy, you may find (1) some menu items are sold out or (2) you have to share a long table with other people.
They had run out of Butter Chicken, so I had the Kadai Masala Beef (IDR75k) with a large Bintang Beer (IDR45k).
The ‘naan bread’ was more like pizza bread but it was still nice. The Kadai Beef was all meat … lots of it.
BARS:
Indonesia is a Muslim country. Drinking is a sin. You pay for your sins. Alcohol in Indonesia is relatively expensive compared to other costs.
Bars change all the time. All you need to know is that there are so many that you can easily find one that you like.
However, this time of year there are so few tourists, you might find that there are only 3 or 4 people in there.
You have your popular bars like the Irish Bar that always draw a crowd.
Normal prices are IDR30k for a small (330ml) Bintang and IDR50k for a large (620ml) Bintang. Almost no bars include beer in their Happy Hour … the only one that I saw was the Irish Bar who charge more than the normal price anyway.
Normal Cocktail prices range from IDR100k to IDR150k. Very few bars have an all-day Happy Hour. Most Happy Hours are between 4pm and 7pm.
TRANSPORT:
It costs IDR20k to catch the local ferry from GiliT to Bangsal, Lombok. It costs (tourists) IDR22.5k to come back again.
You can catch a Cidomo (horse-drawn taxi) from one end of the island to the other for IDR100k. For shorter trips, haggle, and pay no more than IDR25k.
The normal price to rent a bicycle is IDR35k per day. Halve that if you are negotiating a long-term rate.
You can buy an ‘average’ old bicycle for IDR400k or a ‘good’ one for IDR750k. However, when you try, they will try and charge you 4x as much.
The hotels that are far away from the main strip / boat dock (say more than 1km and not on the waterfront) know that they are disadvantaged by their location. Many offer you free use of a bicycle as a result. If they do not, it should be easy to negotiate one when you book the hotel.
INTERNET / WIFI:
Don’t expect your accommodation to provide ‘fast’ internet. Some do but most do not (especially in the ‘budget’ price range) … you may find that your internet is not fast enough to stream video. This is a general problem on the island (with the internet being serviced from Lombok and subject to the weather).
I use a lot of ‘free’ sports streaming sites (I’m an English Premiere League fanatic). I found it almost impossible to watch any matches ‘live’ using the internet at my accommodation … but, I could if I used my own mobile as a ‘hotspot’ and streamed using my own Mobile 4G Data Plan … even then I could have a problem in bad weather.
If you have your own 4G Indonesia SIM Card (e.g. Telkomsel) you should get a 4G signal most of the time. This should provide better speeds for streaming … if you have enough GBs in your Data Package. Data Packages are very cheap in Indonesia … I could buy 18GB for 30 days on Telkomsel for only IDR45k.
The internet is strictly controlled in Indonesia. Don’t be surprised if you are ‘blocked’ when trying to get to some websites.
I went into my Telkomsel Mobile App to check my data usage to discover that I had been ‘gifted’ 12GB of data for 30 days. I don’t know how I got it, it may be because I downloaded the Mobile App.
No service providers have a store on GiliT. The minimarts cannot top you up nor do they sell top up cards / vouchers. The Telkomsel App (and, I suspect the Apps for other service providers too) only allow top ups using Indonesian services. You cannot top up using your foreigh Credit / Debit card.
The only way to top up is to find a helpful (local / Indonesian /expat) person who has a positive balance on their own mobile account. Once found, they can transfer funds from their account to your account. I paid IDR60k to a guy in a Tourist Office to transfer $45k into my account.
RECOMMENDATION: Top up your mobile with IDR45k whilst you are in Bali. Then, when your first 30 day mobile plan runs out, you will already have the credit balance to buy the next 30 day mobile plan.
GRANDPAcking COSTS:
Read About – GRANDPAcking Costs if you don’t know how to interpret my figures.
SPREADSHEET SUMMARY:
MY COSTS:
My actual costs are provided for information purposes only.
I don’t always live to GRANDPAcking Standard. For example, I usually only eat 2 meals each day: Breakfast and Dinner. Sometimes I may just have Breakfast. In a country (like Indonesia) where a bottle of beer can cost more than your meal, my figures get ‘skewed’ and make me look like an alcoholic 🙂 In reality, I tend to have 3 sunset beers and head home early 🙂
GENERAL:
EFFECTIVE EXCHANGE RATE: My cost of money was 1.84%.
RECOMMENDATION: If you draw money out from ATMs on GiliT you will lose 3% to 4%. Avoid using the GiliT ATMs they are expensive. Instead, stock up on funds in Bali before you arrive and in Mataram when you go to extend your Tourist Visa.
Costs are broken down into Cost Of Existence (COE) and Cost Of Living (COL):
- COE: The basic costs of just being there;
- COL: The additional costs that make being there fun.
COST OF EXISTENCE (COE):
ACCOMMODATION:
- I booked myself into a cheap hotel in Kuta, Bali on the way both to and from GiliT … both were sufficient but nothing ‘fancy’;
- I booked myself (in advance) into a budget hotel on GiliT for my first 3 nights … this gave me time to look around for my long-term accommodation … the one that I booked provided a free Breakfast (2 eggs any style with 2 slices of toast with free Indonesian coffee available all day);
- My long-term accommodation was the Kulemba Cottages. This time of year I got a special rate of IDR3m / US$195 per month excluding Breakfast but including free use of a bicycle.
FOOD & BEVERAGES:
I averaged of IDR109k / US$7 per day. This was mainly in ‘budget’ restaurants and local Warungs. I went to some ‘mid range’ restaurants (so that I could do ‘restaurant reviews’). But, to be honest, I didn’t think that the higher prices were worth paying. In my local Warung (Seni Warung) I could buy a Nasi Campur (a selection of dishes from the display cabinet with rice) for IDR15k and IDR20k depending on my selection.
Kulemba Cottages offered a selection of about 10 Breakfasts for IDR25k including a glass of orange. I ate all of my Breakfasts at the Kulemba. I could have gone to a local Warung to get something for IDR15k to IDR20k.
Also, with free all-day coffee and tea at the Kulemba, I found that I didn’t need to buy water at IDR12k per litre.
COMMUNICATIONS / VISA / INSURANCE:
- I purchased a Telkomsel SIM with 8GB 1-Month Data Only plan at Bali Airport for IDR200k. Telkomsel gifted me another 12GB for 30 days for downloading their Mobile App. Just in case the 12GB wasn’t contiguous to my 8GB plan, I topped up with IDR45k and bought another 1-Month 18GB plan … for the last 30 days I had 30GB of data;
- I paid IDR500k at Bali Airport on arrival for my first 1 month Tourist Visa. I paid another IDR500k in Mataram Immigration Office to extend for a further month. I had to pay 2 return trips from GiliT to Mataram to get this visa extension;
- I have apportioned the cost of a 1 year World Nomads Backpacker Travel Insurance Policy for the time spent in Indonesia.
TRANSPORTATION:
- I rented a bicycle for 1 day so that I could quickly and easily get around GiliT in search of my long-term accommodation;
- I paid IDR1.2m for my Bali-GiliT-Bali return ticket on Scoot Cruises. This price included the fast ferry and pick-up from and drop-off to my Kuta hotel.
My COE was about IDR292k / US$19 per day. This was 36% of my daily budget.
COST OF LIVING (COL):
MY LIVING COSTS:
I learnt to SCUBA dive in Gili Air back in 2014. I wasn’t interested in doing any more SCUBA in GiliT. I regard the SCUBA diving here as ‘average’ … and, I wanted to save my money to do another 1-week 21-dive liveaboard SCUBA trip in the Andaman Sea, Thailand in February.
I wasn’t interested in doing any of the snorkelling boat trips either.
I wasn’t interested in drinking shots all night and getting drunk.
I wasn’t interested in getting high on Magic Mushrooms.
So, I just ‘chilled’. I was happy to plug my earphones in and bicycle around the island 2 times every day.
I was also happy to have a beer (or 2) at sunset on the beach and, then, buy an IDR40k large Bintang from a Minimart to take home to my hotel.
I spent about IDR85k per day on simple living.
MY IN / OUT COSTS:
To enter Indonesia you need proof of an Exit Flight or a Return Ticket. I pre-bought an exit flight to Singapore for IDR330k. I had no intention of using it, so I bought the cheapest ‘carry on luggage only’ flight from ‘anywhere in Indonesia’ to ‘anywhere’.
I spent IDR200k on a ‘tourist trap’ taxi from Bali Airport to my hotel. I spent IDR55k on a GOJEK taxi from my Kuta hotel back to Bali Airport.
MY OTHER COSTS:
I caught an ear infection and spent IDR100k in a pharmacy for eardrops.
SUMMARY:
My COL was about IDR97k / US$6.25 per day. This was 12% of my daily budget.
My Total Costs were about IDR389k / US$26 per day. This was 48% of my daily budget.
CONCLUSION:
It is easy to make friends with tourists … they are here for a short period of time … and, everyone wants to be happy. To meet the expat community is harder.
To meet people on GiliT, you really need to be (1) young (2) into shots and getting drunk (3) into getting high on Magic Mushrooms (4) a SCUBA diver.
If you are none of these, you will find it hard to meet people and to make friends.
RETIREMENT:
Could you afford to retire here on a GRANDPAcking budget? YES. Would you want to? MAYBE.
TTFN
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