Comments on: Gili Islands near Lombok – to go or to avoid? http://www.nomad4ever.com/2010/01/22/gili-islands-near-lombok-to-go-or-to-avoid/ Life is what you make it! Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:33:52 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: worldcitizen http://www.nomad4ever.com/2010/01/22/gili-islands-near-lombok-to-go-or-to-avoid/#comment-51649 worldcitizen Sat, 19 Feb 2011 04:46:57 +0000 http://www.nomad4ever.com/2010/01/22/gili-islands-near-lombok-to-go-or-to-avoid/#comment-51649 Interesting reading , especially those comments from teh guys who went to GT in the 90s. I have been especially prviliged to visit GT more than 25 years ago 1984. We realized immediately that this was a paradise which would not stay like that in the future. There was one single guesthouse in the middle of the islaand where you could stay with a local family . They provided food as well because there were no restaurants, no accomodation at the beach, no bar....just a wonderful nature, a completely unbelievable snorkling experience and maybe 6 other backpackers apart from us. We stayed for over a week and I decided that I would never go back because that place will stay in my memories the way I had the chance to experience it.. I am not surprised at all that it is today as you describe it above. Interesting reading , especially those comments from teh guys who went to GT in the 90s.
I have been especially prviliged to visit GT more than 25 years ago 1984. We realized immediately that this was a paradise which would not stay like that in the future. There was one single guesthouse in the middle of the islaand where you could stay with a local family . They provided food as well because there were no restaurants, no accomodation at the beach, no bar….just a wonderful nature, a completely unbelievable snorkling experience and maybe 6 other backpackers apart from us.
We stayed for over a week and I decided that I would never go back because that place will stay in my memories the way I had the chance to experience it..
I am not surprised at all that it is today as you describe it above.

]]> By: Chris http://www.nomad4ever.com/2010/01/22/gili-islands-near-lombok-to-go-or-to-avoid/#comment-48592 Chris Fri, 20 Aug 2010 07:46:35 +0000 http://www.nomad4ever.com/2010/01/22/gili-islands-near-lombok-to-go-or-to-avoid/#comment-48592 <strong>chica tumadre</strong>, there is a lot of truth in what you're saying here. Although I didn't perceived it as THAT bad yet last New Year, as you mentioned, I heard also directly from a white girl, who was offered to do Magic Mushrooms for free and was raped by 3 locals in the process. Of course she only blamed herself, being completely wasted and out of control by all the booze and substances she used. But it IS an open secret that on Gili T, women go there to get laid easily and those single ones who don't go there for that reason are pressured or even forced. Probably the date rape drugs you mentioned are used to make those things easier. It's a pity that all this obviously seem to get out of hand and the 3 police men on the island are probably well-paid to not disturb the peace about what's going on there. <strong>So everyone who's reading this: please be aware</strong> of shady actions on the Gili's and make up your own mind. Only travel with friends and have someone staying sober and watch out for what happens with the others. Crime, drownings and those things mentioned happen elsewhere also, but it seems, that those occurrences on Gili T are currently out of hand. :-/ chica tumadre, there is a lot of truth in what you’re saying here. Although I didn’t perceived it as THAT bad yet last New Year, as you mentioned, I heard also directly from a white girl, who was offered to do Magic Mushrooms for free and was raped by 3 locals in the process. Of course she only blamed herself, being completely wasted and out of control by all the booze and substances she used.

But it IS an open secret that on Gili T, women go there to get laid easily and those single ones who don’t go there for that reason are pressured or even forced.

Probably the date rape drugs you mentioned are used to make those things easier. It’s a pity that all this obviously seem to get out of hand and the 3 police men on the island are probably well-paid to not disturb the peace about what’s going on there.

So everyone who’s reading this: please be aware of shady actions on the Gili’s and make up your own mind. Only travel with friends and have someone staying sober and watch out for what happens with the others. Crime, drownings and those things mentioned happen elsewhere also, but it seems, that those occurrences on Gili T are currently out of hand.

]]> By: chica tumadre http://www.nomad4ever.com/2010/01/22/gili-islands-near-lombok-to-go-or-to-avoid/#comment-48591 chica tumadre Fri, 20 Aug 2010 07:34:27 +0000 http://www.nomad4ever.com/2010/01/22/gili-islands-near-lombok-to-go-or-to-avoid/#comment-48591 The cool gili of a couple years ago is gone. If you want the pristine tropical island and local people that aren't totally jaded and eyeing you as a mark then go to the two neighboring islands meno and air, that are still cheap, pristine and cool. Gili is getting gross and gets worse everyday. Not only that it has actually become dangerous which is hard to believe in this little island but horribly true. While i was staying there 7 GIRLS DIED in less than a 3 month period! Actually it was more than that from 7 to 12 depending on who you talked to with the last one being a guy whose girlfriend had been found dead the day before. It was surreal in this tiny community where you knew everything about everyone when this was going on no one would even mention it! The western business owners were only concerned with keeping it quiet so their business's werent affected. It was sickening, these were young people, peoples kids like 19 to 30 year olds doing their dream vacation and people were acting like it was nothing on an island where if someone got drunk and made a fool out of themselves everyone would know it before lunch yet i dont even know how many people died. you'd here about another one and be like 'is that the one they found at xx hotel'and theywould be like 'no that was last week' etc. That was around may last year and stopped as suddenly as it started after a couple people wouldnt let it drop. It was blamed on the bad batch of liquor that had killed some tourists in bali even tho it made no sense as this struck only one person every week or so who were all young single girls who had become suddenly ill at the bar the nite b4 and been found dead in the morning. After talking to enough people to learn that date rape was a dirty little secret on the island and happened who knows how much in a place where even if there was the infrastructure to report it or whatever, to expect a western response in a muslim country to a western single woman coming in and saying she was at a bar and must have been drugged because she passed out and was raped unfortunatly is unrealistic. Talking to people it became obvious that these people had been killed by a home made date rape drug that was lethal. When thae last couple died in one weekend the island heads obviously had the suspected culprits warned off the island cuz businesses were getting worried. That and divers getting lost and some other drownings and no medical help on the island is a lot and not known. In the last few months I was there were even incidents of people being mugged and robbed on their way home from the bars at night which will change the island. The whole thing on the island is that it safe and there isnt street lights or even electricity and everyone gets wasted and finds their way home in the dark, down deserted little streets where there is no one around. Half the tourists you see staggering home can barely stand up So once people hear that people have gone up to them and taken their money and phones (big things in a poor country) so easily and got away with it will of course spread rapidly and inevitably escalate in violence. I mean theyll be segregated and gated tourist only beaches before you know it. I just left after nearly 2 years and couldnt believe the change in even that short amount of time. There were still some cool travellers when i arrived who like myself are gone and wont be back. The tourists that go their now are the grossest kind of clueless yuppie and ignorant bank clerks going wild on vacation and the locals actually hate us and everyone of them is trying to see what they can get from you from your sunglasses to marriage (the jackpot). Its horrible to realise every single relationship and exchange you have from such seemingly lovely, sincere people is totally fake and feels awful to realise people youve hung out with thinking as friends are just working you to see what they can get. Sorry to be totally negative but be forwarned this place has become the new ko samui, mainstream party island. It happens. just a ten minute boat ride away are other perfect island just like gili was and beatiful places everywhere in indonesia, So look around . barbara The cool gili of a couple years ago is gone. If you want the pristine tropical island and local people that aren’t totally jaded and eyeing you as a mark then go to the two neighboring islands meno and air, that are still cheap, pristine and cool. Gili is getting gross and gets worse everyday. Not only that it has actually become dangerous which is hard to believe in this little island but horribly true. While i was staying there 7 GIRLS DIED in less than a 3 month period! Actually it was more than that from 7 to 12 depending on who you talked to with the last one being a guy whose girlfriend had been found dead the day before. It was surreal in this tiny community where you knew everything about everyone when this was going on no one would even mention it! The western business owners were only concerned with keeping it quiet so their business’s werent affected. It was sickening, these were young people, peoples kids like 19 to 30 year olds doing their dream vacation and people were acting like it was nothing on an island where if someone got drunk and made a fool out of themselves everyone would know it before lunch yet i dont even know how many people died. you’d here about another one and be like ‘is that the one they found at xx hotel’and theywould be like ‘no that was last week’ etc. That was around may last year and stopped as suddenly as it started after a couple people wouldnt let it drop. It was blamed on the bad batch of liquor that had killed some tourists in bali even tho it made no sense as this struck only one person every week or so who were all young single girls who had become suddenly ill at the bar the nite b4 and been found dead in the morning. After talking to enough people to learn that date rape was a dirty little secret on the island and happened who knows how much in a place where even if there was the infrastructure to report it or whatever, to expect a western response in a muslim country to a western single woman coming in and saying she was at a bar and must have been drugged because she passed out and was raped unfortunatly is unrealistic. Talking to people it became obvious that these people had been killed by a home made date rape drug that was lethal. When thae last couple died in one weekend the island heads obviously had the suspected culprits warned off the island cuz businesses were getting worried. That and divers getting lost and some other drownings and no medical help on the island is a lot and not known. In the last few months I was there were even incidents of people being mugged and robbed on their way home from the bars at night which will change the island. The whole thing on the island is that it safe and there isnt street lights or even electricity and everyone gets wasted and finds their way home in the dark, down deserted little streets where there is no one around. Half the tourists you see staggering home can barely stand up So once people hear that people have gone up to them and taken their money and phones (big things in a poor country) so easily and got away with it will of course spread rapidly and inevitably escalate in violence. I mean theyll be segregated and gated tourist only beaches before you know it.
I just left after nearly 2 years and couldnt believe the change in even that short amount of time. There were still some cool travellers when i arrived who like myself are gone and wont be back. The tourists that go their now are the grossest kind of clueless yuppie and ignorant bank clerks going wild on vacation and the locals actually hate us and everyone of them is trying to see what they can get from you from your sunglasses to marriage (the jackpot). Its horrible to realise every single relationship and exchange you have from such seemingly lovely, sincere people is totally fake and feels awful to realise people youve hung out with thinking as friends are just working you to see what they can get. Sorry to be totally negative but be forwarned this place has become the new ko samui, mainstream party island. It happens. just a ten minute boat ride away are other perfect island just like gili was and beatiful places everywhere in indonesia, So look around . barbara

]]> By: austyn http://www.nomad4ever.com/2010/01/22/gili-islands-near-lombok-to-go-or-to-avoid/#comment-48526 austyn Thu, 12 Aug 2010 18:56:51 +0000 http://www.nomad4ever.com/2010/01/22/gili-islands-near-lombok-to-go-or-to-avoid/#comment-48526 This is all a bit sad. Me and my great mate Mike were also here in 1990 and remember it as paradise. You could get in the current with snorkel at one end of trawangan and take a ride to the other just going with the flow, above some beautiful coral and hilarious fish. Get out, walk back and do it again. We also foolishly swam to meno (against all advice: this is what we mainly used our guide book for: if it said categorically not to do something that appeared to be something of a challenge) and got lucky. The only thing on meno then was us and a couple of cigarettes we'd waterproofed for the ride. happy, happy days. We were probably there at the same time as some of you guys. Glad to share that with you! However, I don't want to see it now. I think we were very lucky. This is all a bit sad. Me and my great mate Mike were also here in 1990 and remember it as paradise. You could get in the current with snorkel at one end of trawangan and take a ride to the other just going with the flow, above some beautiful coral and hilarious fish. Get out, walk back and do it again. We also foolishly swam to meno (against all advice: this is what we mainly used our guide book for: if it said categorically not to do something that appeared to be something of a challenge) and got lucky. The only thing on meno then was us and a couple of cigarettes we’d waterproofed for the ride. happy, happy days.

We were probably there at the same time as some of you guys. Glad to share that with you! However, I don’t want to see it now. I think we were very lucky.

]]> By: Chris http://www.nomad4ever.com/2010/01/22/gili-islands-near-lombok-to-go-or-to-avoid/#comment-48437 Chris Fri, 06 Aug 2010 05:51:51 +0000 http://www.nomad4ever.com/2010/01/22/gili-islands-near-lombok-to-go-or-to-avoid/#comment-48437 Yup, doesn't look good for the few remaining paradise islands,<strong> tempo dulu</strong>. :( Yup, doesn’t look good for the few remaining paradise islands, tempo dulu.

]]> By: tempo dulu http://www.nomad4ever.com/2010/01/22/gili-islands-near-lombok-to-go-or-to-avoid/#comment-48427 tempo dulu Fri, 06 Aug 2010 01:55:59 +0000 http://www.nomad4ever.com/2010/01/22/gili-islands-near-lombok-to-go-or-to-avoid/#comment-48427 I was there recently Chris and pretty shocked by what I saw to be honest. I didn't go to either Gili Meno or Gili Air, but <a href="http://al-terity.blogspot.com/2010/08/gili-trawangan-reviews-paradise-lost.html">Gili Trawangan is suffering very badly from the effects of excesive mass market tourism</a>. Sad really. I was there recently Chris and pretty shocked by what I saw to be honest. I didn’t go to either Gili Meno or Gili Air, but Gili Trawangan is suffering very badly from the effects of excesive mass market tourism. Sad really.

]]> By: Chris http://www.nomad4ever.com/2010/01/22/gili-islands-near-lombok-to-go-or-to-avoid/#comment-48290 Chris Thu, 15 Jul 2010 14:15:16 +0000 http://www.nomad4ever.com/2010/01/22/gili-islands-near-lombok-to-go-or-to-avoid/#comment-48290 Yup! :-o Yup!

]]> By: Nice France http://www.nomad4ever.com/2010/01/22/gili-islands-near-lombok-to-go-or-to-avoid/#comment-48250 Nice France Sun, 11 Jul 2010 12:37:37 +0000 http://www.nomad4ever.com/2010/01/22/gili-islands-near-lombok-to-go-or-to-avoid/#comment-48250 Hey Chris, I am disappointed to hear about all of the damage the influx of tourism has done to this once beautiful island. I think that the heaps of garbage is probably leading to the increases in the cat population (and cat piss smell). It is truly a shame. Hey Chris,
I am disappointed to hear about all of the damage the influx of tourism has done to this once beautiful island. I think that the heaps of garbage is probably leading to the increases in the cat population (and cat piss smell). It is truly a shame.

]]> By: Travel Health Guru http://www.nomad4ever.com/2010/01/22/gili-islands-near-lombok-to-go-or-to-avoid/#comment-47947 Travel Health Guru Tue, 08 Jun 2010 09:28:25 +0000 http://www.nomad4ever.com/2010/01/22/gili-islands-near-lombok-to-go-or-to-avoid/#comment-47947 Personally I would avoid the Gilis. I went in the 1990s and then again this year in April and I could not believe how much they have changed, it is now just an extension of Thai islands where young people go and drink. Personally I would avoid the Gilis. I went in the 1990s and then again this year in April and I could not believe how much they have changed, it is now just an extension of Thai islands where young people go and drink.

]]> By: Chris http://www.nomad4ever.com/2010/01/22/gili-islands-near-lombok-to-go-or-to-avoid/#comment-47860 Chris Sat, 22 May 2010 09:14:27 +0000 http://www.nomad4ever.com/2010/01/22/gili-islands-near-lombok-to-go-or-to-avoid/#comment-47860 <strong>Dmitry</strong>, great update about the Gilis. Definitely a different perspective and very detailed. And even on a budget, you can still have good bargains there, that's good to know. Thanks a lot! Regarding the synthetic pills and whatever they sell there, I can only recommend to be cautious and refrain from it. Most of it is probably not real, as they mainly sell pure sugar or pills stretched with flour or whatever. There was even an article in the Bali Times, that police arrested a dealer of that stuff. But he was only fined 5.000 Rupiah (0.50 USD), because all things he sold were made of sugar. Tourists caught with that merchandise routinely pay a fortune in bribes (and I mean tens of thousands of $$ or Euros) or rot in Kerobokan jail for many years to come. Do I hear the words double standard? Lol! Better stick with natural merchandise in Lombok and none at all (maybe only MMs, coz it's part of the culture) in Bali. <strong>Remember:</strong> 1 joint can get you 10 years in jail here - and they even jailed a 70-year old guy who smoked it against his back pain. :( Dmitry, great update about the Gilis. Definitely a different perspective and very detailed. And even on a budget, you can still have good bargains there, that’s good to know. Thanks a lot!

Regarding the synthetic pills and whatever they sell there, I can only recommend to be cautious and refrain from it. Most of it is probably not real, as they mainly sell pure sugar or pills stretched with flour or whatever. There was even an article in the Bali Times, that police arrested a dealer of that stuff. But he was only fined 5.000 Rupiah (0.50 USD), because all things he sold were made of sugar. Tourists caught with that merchandise routinely pay a fortune in bribes (and I mean tens of thousands of $$ or Euros) or rot in Kerobokan jail for many years to come. Do I hear the words double standard? Lol! Better stick with natural merchandise in Lombok and none at all (maybe only MMs, coz it’s part of the culture) in Bali.

Remember: 1 joint can get you 10 years in jail here – and they even jailed a 70-year old guy who smoked it against his back pain.

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