Day 88 - alternative

27.07.19

After a quite restless night, we sit somewhat groggy on our terrace and have breakfast; Jonna gets some fruit from the stand next door. Check-out here is already at 10:30 am, luckily we haven't really unpacked our backpacks.

We thank the hosts and head to the accommodation that we actually wanted from the first day. During our 20-minute walk, we cross the interior of the island - it's quite funny how quickly the infrastructure changes here. You just have to walk two minutes away from the coast and suddenly feel like you're in a completely non-touristy Indonesian village. Makeshift huts, playing children, roaming chickens and cows shape the scenery. We arrive at the accommodation, pass through a row of bungalow rooms and enter a courtyard. Immediately we are warmly greeted by some young men with dreadlocks. Because we are so early, we cannot immediately check in to our room again, so we leave our things and are served iced tea by the camp operator. He explains to us that the accommodation is a type of community/commune. Half of the residents are locals and the other half are backpackers. The locals are pretty much all musicians and have committed to an alternative lifestyle. Accordingly, the atmosphere there is also relaxed - the courtyard is uniquely decorated, everything is homemade and screams reggae and island culture - we love it. For the first time in a long time, we smell marijuana again - in Indonesia, any drug use/possession/smuggling carries a very long prison or death penalty. However, the Gili Islands are an exception - there is no proper police force on the small islands, which is (quite obviously) exploited.

After 1.5 hours and a very nice conversation with the operator, we can finally go to our room. We unpack our things, attach our mosquito net, and decide to go to the beach. The camp provides a dozen bicycles (the main means of transportation on the island) for free, which, along with free water dispenser and freely usable kitchen, was one reason why we chose this accommodation.

Although the bicycles are in a pretty questionable condition (flat tires, loose pedals, no brakes, forget about a gear shift), they still allow you to get from A to B a bit faster. We find a nice spot on the beach and relax there for a few hours. Back at the camp, we make instant noodles in the kitchen, spend some time in the room, and then, together with the locals and other backpackers, we go to a place on the beach where we have a great view of the sunset and then sit together until it gets dark, making music with the locals - I even get to play a little on the bongo drum. The locals bring a big bag of popcorn and arak (rice liquor that is mixed with pretty much anything - not as bad as you might think).

After a few hours, we ride back home and go to our room. The group follows shortly after and continues the music session in the courtyard of the camp. Unlike the music group at the other hostel yesterday, this time it can actually be heard and doesn't cause any difficulties falling asleep.

- Alex