Linus and I were picked up by our shuttle in Sengiggi, and whisked north along the coast to a staging area 200 meters away from the beach where we'd be boarding a small wooden boat to ferry us over to Gili Trawangan.
As we sat around, the “boatman” who would take us the rest of the way was chatting. Among other things, he mentioned mosquito coils. I knew what they were, though never bought them myself, so I had no sense of their regular cost. The boatman said they were not available on the island. I'm all about avoiding malaria and dengue fever, which meant I was about to make yet another foolish mistake.
The Lonely Planet speaks poorly of the port area, and it's a well deserved reputation. The people are very aggressive about picking up your bags and carrying them to the boat without your approval, in search of a tip. In fact, you had to cross a small stream to get to the boat and two guys literally carried Linus over it so he wouldn't get wet. It's not like he wanted them to be doing it either!
Back to the mosquito coils, the quoted price for a box of 10, with lighter, was 95,000 rupiah (about $10). Being that we were in transit, and I was concerned about the hijacking of my stuff as it was, I paid the piper. Supposedly my quoted price was lower than what he asked of the Spanish. The boatman also reassured me that it was the “regular” price.
A 40-minute ride in a long wooden boat with 20-25 people brought us to our island destination, where mosquito coils were available in every shop for the local price of about 30 cents. The screens were so good on the two rooms I had during the stay, I only used one full mosquito coil.
The lesson I learned on this one was to think of products and services in terms of the price locals would have to pay.
Last Updated on
Liz says
February 17, 2008 at 2:47 pmI know it can be frustrating but when travelling i take the following outlook. I’m not getting ripped off. Because I only pay what I can afford for something – if the price is too high for me I won’t/can’t pay it. So you didn’t get ripped off; you believed $10 was a reasonable price to protect your health. hope that helps.
And don’t beat yourself up – you’ll never pay what the locals pay. After all, you’re not a local.
Dave says
February 18, 2008 at 2:59 amLiz – Good outlook to have, and the one I try to keep in mind as well. A driver I hired also said to look at it as a donation to the community, though he was surprised at what I paid too! The good news is I’m getting a bit better at bargaining, which I know will come in handy in many more of the countries I visit going forward.
Liz says
February 17, 2008 at 9:47 amI know it can be frustrating but when travelling i take the following outlook. I’m not getting ripped off. Because I only pay what I can afford for something – if the price is too high for me I won’t/can’t pay it. So you didn’t get ripped off; you believed $10 was a reasonable price to protect your health. hope that helps.
And don’t beat yourself up – you’ll never pay what the locals pay. After all, you’re not a local.
Dave says
February 17, 2008 at 9:59 pmLiz – Good outlook to have, and the one I try to keep in mind as well. A driver I hired also said to look at it as a donation to the community, though he was surprised at what I paid too! The good news is I’m getting a bit better at bargaining, which I know will come in handy in many more of the countries I visit going forward.
Skip says
February 17, 2008 at 3:35 pmhey Dave,
think of it as a business investment… 10$ towards research of material for a future book, on “how not to get ripped off on your round the world trip”
I finally watch that move… the beach. I must say it was different than what I expected… honestly I didn’t care for it that much… hopefully that is not taboo around a backpackers.
It was so cool the see the meet up with the other bloggers, I’d been following Gary over at Everything-Everywhere for about two months when he showed up on your site, very cool!
So where are you going after Asia?
Cheers,
-Skip
Dave says
February 18, 2008 at 2:57 amNope, not taboo…like any movie, some backpackers liked it and some don’t.
Big question! Because I intend to spend the next 6-7 months in Asia and India, I’ll really need to assess my money, priorities, risk-tolerance, and physical/mental energy before deciding where to head next.
The current idea is to fly to South Africa and join an overland tour company for a few weeks, before possibly flying up to Egypt. South America is a priority over Europe for me, so whether I make it to Greece, Italy and Spain (among any other countries) will depend on my money situation.
Skip says
February 17, 2008 at 10:35 amhey Dave,
think of it as a business investment… 10$ towards research of material for a future book, on “how not to get ripped off on your round the world trip”
I finally watch that move… the beach. I must say it was different than what I expected… honestly I didn’t care for it that much… hopefully that is not taboo around a backpackers.
It was so cool the see the meet up with the other bloggers, I’d been following Gary over at Everything-Everywhere for about two months when he showed up on your site, very cool!
So where are you going after Asia?
Cheers,
-Skip
Dave says
February 17, 2008 at 9:57 pmNope, not taboo…like any movie, some backpackers liked it and some don’t.
Big question! Because I intend to spend the next 6-7 months in Asia and India, I’ll really need to assess my money, priorities, risk-tolerance, and physical/mental energy before deciding where to head next.
The current idea is to fly to South Africa and join an overland tour company for a few weeks, before possibly flying up to Egypt. South America is a priority over Europe for me, so whether I make it to Greece, Italy and Spain (among any other countries) will depend on my money situation.
Overland Travel says
February 18, 2008 at 1:11 amI admire your honesty in posting this! But it’s not really a “foolish mistake” – rather, as Skip says, another lesson learned. I hate bartering as well and have been ripped off royally before but as you gain an idea of what things are worth you will simply get better at it. If you keep the bartering friendly and jokey it helps. My response to him saying $10 would be to perform a theatrical gasp and an overexaggerated face of surprise, whilst smiling and laughing! And then say in “In England this maybe only cost $1”… and you (and he) would expect to pay less than in England… and suddenly you’re in a ballpark figure that’s more like it. Walking away or appearing disinterested is also a great technique, and can result in the price shrinking to 10x the size, though it can be tough to do if you really want the item in question!
Safe travels!
Overland Travel says
February 18, 2008 at 1:13 amGah… or even a tenth of the size :oops:
Overland Travel says
February 18, 2008 at 6:11 amI admire your honesty in posting this! But it’s not really a “foolish mistake” – rather, as Skip says, another lesson learned. I hate bartering as well and have been ripped off royally before but as you gain an idea of what things are worth you will simply get better at it. If you keep the bartering friendly and jokey it helps. My response to him saying $10 would be to perform a theatrical gasp and an overexaggerated face of surprise, whilst smiling and laughing! And then say in “In England this maybe only cost $1”… and you (and he) would expect to pay less than in England… and suddenly you’re in a ballpark figure that’s more like it. Walking away or appearing disinterested is also a great technique, and can result in the price shrinking to 10x the size, though it can be tough to do if you really want the item in question!
Safe travels!
Overland Travel says
February 18, 2008 at 6:13 amGah… or even a tenth of the size :oops:
Jim Dixon says
December 8, 2009 at 8:08 pmThanks for the post, I've traveled the Gilli islands myself and know first hand about the mosquitoes. I was on the fence about getting a mosquito trap for my home property but after this trap I wasted no time getting one so I don't have to bother with the pests anymore. Not sure about other brands but personally the trap I got from http://www.mosquitomagnet.com works fantastic.
Keep writing my friend, and don't go anywhere in the Gili's without a coil!
Cheers,
Jim
Jim Dixon says
December 8, 2009 at 8:08 pmThanks for the post, I've traveled the Gilli islands myself and know first hand about the mosquitoes. I was on the fence about getting a mosquito trap for my home property but after this trap I wasted no time getting one so I don't have to bother with the pests anymore. Not sure about other brands but personally the trap I got from http://www.mosquitomagnet.com works fantastic.
Keep writing my friend, and don't go anywhere in the Gili's without a coil!
Cheers,
Jim
Joe says
April 15, 2010 at 11:05 amLocals will try to rip you off when they think you’re a foreigner unfamiliar with the area. I used mosquito coils before I knew about the health hazards because of the toxins they release. I’m looking for a healthier alternative for my yard. I ran across Mosquito Magnets in my search. Have you heard of these?
Dave says
April 20, 2010 at 9:34 pmNope Joe, never heard of mosquito magnets.
Joe says
April 15, 2010 at 4:05 pmLocals will try to rip you off when they think you’re a foreigner unfamiliar with the area. I used mosquito coils before I knew about the health hazards because of the toxins they release. I’m looking for a healthier alternative for my yard. I ran across Mosquito Magnets in my search. Have you heard of these?