A Complete Guide to Surviving Gili Trawangan Nightlife
A small island in Indonesia, Gili Trawangan is a cool, more chilled out alternative to Bali. The tiny island, also known as Gili T among locals, measures only 3km long and 2km wide. Away from the glamour and glitz, the island is for travellers looking for peace and calm. Having said that, one cannot ignore the fun nightlife that the island offers. Usually calm during the day, the Gili island is rather filled with relentless late-night party antics.
Points to know
If you are planning to immerse in the wild nightlife of the island, here are some points that you should be aware of:
• You will find the drinks rather cheap at Gili T but beware of fake alcohol being sold on the island. If a particular drink seems to be available at a very cheap price, chances are you are being fooled.
• To avoid falling in the trap, it is advised that you buy your own alcohol from either Gili Mart or some other reputable market on the island.
• All bars close by 1 am on the island except for the bars designated late-night spot for a particular night.
Alcohol Standard Prices
In Gili T, you’ll find shots for 30K IDR (Rs 140, or US$ 2), a pint of Bintang beer for 35K IDR (Rs 170, or US$ 2.5), and cocktails for anywhere between 90K and 100K IDR (Rs 475, or US$ 7). The island’s infamous mushroom shakes can be had for as little as 250K IDR (Rs 1,190, or US$17). That’s probably all you need to join the crowd and dance on the table tops.
How to Avoid Methanolo Poisoning
Various reports suggest that the cheap alchohol sold at the island is poisoned and many partygoers have suffered serious illness, blindness and even death from methanol poisoning after drinking tainted alcohol.
Methanol is closely related to ethanol, which is found in alcoholic drinks, but the former is much more lethal. As little as ten millilitres (two teaspoons) can blind a person; ingesting 30ml can kill. The body is able to cope with methanol in small doses, since it occurs naturally in humans. The liver converts methanol into formaldehyde, which then becomes formic acid and is jettisoned either through urine or as carbon dioxide. However, if consumed in excess, the formaldehyde can become toxic, leading to symptoms such as blurred vision, headaches, nausea and respiratory problems. Later, symptoms often worsen to include organ failure, brain damage or death.
The only way perhaps is to buy your own alcohol from a reputed store instead of picking cheap drinks at bars.
(Curated by Priya Pareek)