10 Days Solo Trip to Indonesia : Jakarta, Bali & Gili Island
Travel Dates: 1st June- 10th June
Travel Budget: Less than INR 1 lakh
Money Conversion: INR 1 = approx. IDR 200
Apps Required: Go-Jek, Grab( For bikes and taxis in Indonesia), Traveloka (For internal flights booking), Hostelworld( for hostels booking), Tinder( It works very well in Indonesia)
Living the dream. Said in irony by many of us, but something of a travel motto — especially for those eager to ditch the day job, wave farewell to the commute and head out (not necessarily on the highway, but looking for both calm and adventurous space, certainly) into the wide world can read how I took my first international trip to Bali.
I booked my flight from Mumbai to Jakarta for 31st May, 2018. The return ticket for the flight costed me around INR 27,000(which is on the higher side, INR 22–23k is the decent price). I had a connecting flight with layover in Colombo. I landed on Seokarno-Hatta International Airport, Jakarta on 1st June, 2018. It’s advisable to take a train or a Bluebird taxi from airport. Bluebird taxis operate on meter and are also the cheapest cabs to hop-in from airport.
I reached my friends apartment in Taman Rasuna which is in the heart of the city. Jakarta is a well developed metro city and has an amazing night life. The city literally doesn’t sleep & you will find people on roads even in wee hours.
Jakarta
Day 1-1st June: We went to Westin Jakarta’s standout rooftop restaurant called Henshin. It is on the 67th floor & has a picturesque dining experience at the rooftop bar and lounge.
Day 2–2nd June: The evening we went to explore Kuta Tua ( part of Old Indonesia) where you can witness the old Indonesian Culture. The place is famous for street arts and vibrant vibes. You will find people playing music, handicraft work and dressed in old traditional clothes. After roaming on around the street we went to Batavia Lounge which is an old place and use to Governor’s house..This place gives you a lot of options for authentic Indonesian food.
P.S -Dont forget to grab some drinks and beat the heat.
Bali
Day 3–3rd June: My friends stayed back and I travelled solo after this. I took a Citilink flight to Bali at 10.00 am from Jakarta which cost me around INR 3500. It’s advisable to pre-book the hotels/hostels in Bali. I used “Hostelworld” app to book Capsule Hotel in New Seminyak, which is a place to be in Bali, as it is close to the beach & has ample places to eat, party, and shop. The hostel offers mixed dorms at approx. INR 650 per night /bed, with common spaces like chilling areas, terrace gardens, reading room etc. You should definitely follow the hostel crowd for parties, which made me go to a club called La Favela which is apparently “the place” to go and the most famous one with a massive space and hep crowd. Well, I had an amazing one there and came back sloshed for the night.
Day 4–4th June: After a fun packed night, the first thing that I had in my mind next morning was to get a data sim, which is easily available in New Seminyak. I took a 8Gb data sim for INR 700.
Disclaimer: You should buy a data sim at airport itself, not doing so did cost me extra INR 4000 as phone bill.
Day 4 was an explorer’s day. To explore around, there are bikes available on rent at every corner. I paid INR 350/day for a bike for which fuel costed me around INR 50/litre. I took the bike and went to Canggu beach, a beach famous for surfing where you will see hundreds of people surfing on the beach. Apparently, the World Surfing Competition has also been shifted to this beach from Australia. I did a training inclusive of beginner surfing which cost me around INR 750 for 2 hours.
For witnessing one of the most beautiful sunsets, I went to Ulu Watu temple, which is also a sunset point. Make sure to reach there before 5:30pm to enjoy a serene and calm sunset.
Day 5–5th June: The first thing i did that morning was to book a boat to Gili prior for the next day. It’s advisable to book a speed boat for Gili from hostel or any local agent instead of an online booking, as the former is cheaper. I booked a 6am boat for 6th June for INR 1750.
I started off my day with Ubud, which is a 2hr drive from New Seminyak. Ubud is in many ways Bali’s cultural heart. It’s also home to good restaurants, cafes and hundreds of shops, selling antiques, woodcarvings, crafts, textiles, paintings and jewellery. You can go to Monkey Forest, Tegenungan Waterfall and Rice paddy field which are major attractions. Ubud also offers Balinese Body Massage starting from INR 500, which kind of made my evening.
From Ubud I came back to New Seminyak and then to Kuta beach. You can find an Indian restaurant named “Ruchira Indian Food”, to relish your taste buds for Indian cuisine and is an economical food joint Also, being a vegan , it saved my upset tummy for sometime.
You should plan atleast 7 days trip to Bali, because it has so much to offer
Gili Trawangan
Day 6–6th June: While planning my trip, I read a lot about Gili, and its major attractions which took me to Gili. The cab came at 6:00am to pick me up from my hostel and drop me at the boat boarding point. The boat ride, was a 2hour ride and I reached Gili by 1:00pm. Keep sunscreen to enjoy the sail from the upper deck of the boat with Bintang beer, music and a good read.
The moment you land Gili, locals/peddlars will come and ask you if you want to buy Mushroom, Meth, Cocaine, Weed etc. Be careful when you deal with people selling these stuff, as they try to sell shit at exorbitant price. I already had my hostel- — M Gili Hostel pre-booked for INR 900/night which was a great hostel for the price. Gili is a small party island and you can cover the entire island on a bicycle in approx. 2hours. You can hire a bicycle for INR 250/day from anywhere on the island and explore the island.
Gili has some good clubs & my favourites are: Sama Sama Reggae Bar, Jiggy Bar ( Jungle Psy Party), Irish Bar
Day 7–7th June: I took my bicycle and went for a ride around the island. You will find restaurants and cafes across the island. You can relax on the hammock under the cool shade of a tree on the beach side, sip on beer and read books. The place has a very beautiful sunset to offer on the western side which you can also witness in the picture below.
Day 8–8th June:This day was the much awaited one,as I planned this day for scuba and booked it prior from the hostel with Manta Diving School on the Harbour Road. The price of training inclusive (basic training for an hour in swimming pool before actually going to the sea) scuba is INR 4500 & INR 1000 for GoPro photos & videos. They took us 12metre deep in the sea and I could see enormous amount of diverse marine life. This includes black — and white tip reef sharks, lots of turtles (hawksbill and olive ridley), lionfish, scorpion fish, cuttle fish and octopus, moray eels, sea snakes, different types of rays (blue — spotted, eagle and, from December to March, manta rays)not to mention schools of bump — head parrot fish every full moon and the occasional whale shark plus countless varieties of hard and soft corals.. It’s one the best experiences I could ever have and the biggest highlight of the entire trip.
Day 9–9th June: I took a local boat for INR 100 from Gili to Lombok and then took a private car to Lombok Airport for INR 650. I had to catch my flight from Lombok to Jakarta. The price of the flight ticket was for INR 3500.
After reaching back to Jakarta, I relaxed for a while and then in the night I met my friends again and we went to Colosseum Club, one of the best clubs in Jakarta where you find hookers and pole dancers. This club has crazy crazy parties and is definitely a must visit for all party lovers.
Day 10–10th June: Flight from Jakarta to Mumbai
You can reach out to me at abhinavtyagi89@gmail.com -
Incase you need any help in planning your trip
If you want to give me any feedback or have any suggestions
If you want to connect with me for an “interesting conversation”
Thanks for reading. Would love your comments and feedback on the above.
Abhinav Tyagi
