There's something about being on a yacht that makes you feel like a million dollars. And what is more fun to do on it than to party? There are not many places in Southeast Asia where you can party on a yacht, unless you charter one for yourself, and that is probably going to make you a million dollars poorer.
2016: My friend and I were stuck on Gili Trawangan, with four days to kill, a little bit of money and no plans. Scuba diving and other water sports were out of the question, until I was a more confident swimmer. Then I saw adverts at a few travel agencies about some boat party organized by "Jiggy Bar". The price differed at each travel agent, so naturally I went for the cheapest one. It was cheaper for ladies than it was for men. If you're a group of 5 or more, you could go for VIP or deluxe packages that came with bottles of spirits and mixers. The parties were held every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. I tried to book a space for Saturday but it was sold out. I had to go on Monday. My friend was not interested in partying, and was recovering from a flu, so she was happy to let me go on my own.
On the day of the party, we had to gather at the bar at 1pm, for registration and distribution of wristbands and drink coupons. Boarding was at 2pm. It turned out that the entrance fee was a fixed price and my travel agent wasn't aware of it, so I had to pay the difference. Had to run back to my room to get more cash. We were then herded into a small boat which would take us to the catamaran. When we reached the yacht we were inspected for any outside food or drinks. None was allowed on board. And then the party started.
Most of the attendees were in groups. There were a few strays like me but they had seamlessly joined the groups and fitted right in. I was still in no luck of finding someone to adopt me. So I switched to my oft-used strategy: be nice to the staff. I can't count the number of times I had gotten free drinks just for being nice to bartenders. I smiled at the crew members and chatted with them. They seemed to be eager to talk to me as I was from a neighboring country and could speak their language. As I expected, the drinks came pouring in. And then one of them introduced himself as the captain. Ha, jackpot! No free drinks from him though, but he took me to the upper deck where the steering wheel was and asked me to have a go at it. He helped me take lots of pictures too. Such wonderful fellows.
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| A rainbow grew out of my head |
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| With the captain |
Every participant with a normal ticket got one free drink and three shots of screwdriver poured straight from the bottle into your mouths. And of course, there was the dancing, that I enjoyed the most. Combine seasickness, alcohol and dancing, after several hours, the toilet was not a pretty sight.
Close to 5pm, we reached Lombok island, and those who wanted to swim could dive into the water from the upper deck. I made friend with a local girl who came with her partner. We took over the bean bags while the rest were busy swimming.
We made our way back to Gili and the party ended at 7pm. Then it was back on the small boat and back to the shore.
