We arrived on the “party island” of Gili Trawangan (which everyone just calls "Gili T") with three nights to burn before Mike’s younger brother, Chris and his girlfriend, Jenna joined us for eight days.

From basic research before arriving, we learned that one of the non-party things to do on the island is to freedive. Gili T is home to one of the most recognized free diving centers in the world. We took the two day Level I certification course, which included some yoga, relaxation, and, of course, breath holding techniques, before practicing dives in open water. Mike was a rockstar (this probably surprises no one) and got down to 20m (that’s 66ft!), the limit for a level I freediver. Let’s just say Grace is sticking to scuba diving. 

Because we kept hearing it was a "party island," we weren't sure what to expect, but were delighted to discover that Gili T is all good vibes, no matter what you're into. It’s touristy, sure, but since it’s so small, it feels like everyone on the island is on the same page.

Very few people live on Gili T, which is the most populated and built up of the three Gili Islands. Even the people who work on the island arrive by boat from the main island of Lombok each morning. 

Unique characteristics of the island, such as the lack of police (someone told us that police need to give notice at least one week before they set foot on the island) make it even more interesting. Anyone could guess that the fact that there are no cops on Gili T is the main reason why it became an "it" destination for young Americans and Australians looking to party.

You hear about drugs on Gili T, mainly from people offering to sell mushrooms, which is very different from the rest of the country, where drug use is prohibited and strictly enforced.

There are also no cars or motorbikes on the island. We rented bicycles and rode around the entire thing in a few hours, including occasional stops for Bintangs. Some of the smallest ponies you’ve ever seen pull colorfully painted wooden carts carrying people or supplies through the dusty dirt streets. 

Finally, after a few days getting our mammalian reflex on in the water, Chris and Jenna arrived. It was time to get the party started! They checked in and dove in, literally - we all went scuba diving right away. Jenna was a champ. She’d never done it before but got resort certified so she could see what we were raving about. And lucky for us, she loved it!

When we weren’t underwater, we were lounging on the sand or chilling out in a small cafe eating some variety of Indonesian fusion. We took a SUP (stand up paddleboard) yoga class on two different mornings because it was so much fun. (Yes, falling in a lot is part of the fun!) For a bit of calm, we rented sea kayaks and went over to Gili Meno. 

All of us couldn’t get enough of the beautiful corals and sea life right off Gili T's beach. Even five dives wasn’t enough and we added some snorkeling sessions to see more brightly colored fish and friendly green sea turtles. 

We love having company, especially family, join us on the road. The four of us had a wonderful time catching up over great dinners, a few hookahs, and many Bintangs. Each night on Gili T, we went to bed smiling, with full bellies and ever-so-slightly burnt skin.