Tale of two rooms

My accommodation on Gili Trawangan has had some high highs and some low lows. I arrived on Gili Trawangan on Friday, mid-morning. I found myself in the middle of backpacker land, with so much cheap tourist activity that it was hard to tell where we were. Want to watch a movie on the beach in a crappy cheap shack with a 10 inch monitor in black and white? This is your place!

Not mine, though, so I headed north, to the quieter and more deserted part of the island. My first destination: Karma Kayak, a bungalow and restaurant place recommended by my friends Leena and Nick. After a 30 minute trudge with backpacks on my front and back, I arrive there, a bit of a sweaty mess. But, "we're full," says the very nice young man who comes out to talk to me. Based on his recommendation, I head to Alam Gili, just a couple of doors down.

There, I am met with similarly bad news. "All we have is the two-level bungalow suite for 950,000 rupiah," I am told. Yikes, that is well, well, well outside of my price range. All of the smaller, cheaper bungalows are full. But, a ray of hope! Tomorrow, one is empty and I can have it. And, has this guy got a deal for me. I can head down to the bungalows next door for 150,000 rupiah, very basic. Then come back the next day and check in to my nicer bungalow for 500,000 rupiah. I am tired, it is hot, and so I agree.

Then we go to Nusa Tiga, the cheap place next door. I drop my stuff in the room, too exhausted to look around. I head out for the day.

Then I return that night. Whoops - this place is really nasty. There is no sink, just a hole in the counter. The toilet does not work. The shower is cold and, get this, saltwater (ever wondering how to get less clean from clean water? make sure it is saltwater...). And the ceiling looks like (a) it is going to cave in and (b) it is infested with spiders. Oh, and there is no lock on the door, just a rusty sliding knob. Welcome home, I say to myself.

After a pretty bad night of sleep and a crappy saltwater shower, I really want to get out of this place. So I zip up my never-unpacked luggage and head to Alam Gili, figuring that they own me one for that awful night. And, well, they deliver. The place is AMAZING. It is like a huge garden, with a small little plunge pool that is the temperature of heaven. And the room, the room! My verandah alone is spectacular, with day bed, fan, and fresh fruit. My bathroom, wow, the shower is open air with plants around it, the sink exists and comes stocked with soaps. This is pretty rad.

So, all's well that ends well. I am definitely glad I stayed in the order above and not vice versa. I also started to understand, a little bit more, the niceties of a beach vacation.