‘I Don’t Know How We Didn’t Die’: Tourist’s Nightmare Gili Islands Boat Trip

"I don't know how the f*ck we did not just die..."

‘I Don’t Know How We Didn’t Die’: Tourist’s Nightmare Gili Islands Boat Trip

Image Credit: @sarahsaidsmith

Sarah Said Smith has shown off a side of the Gili Islands that you don’t often see on Instagram. She claims she had a boat trip from hell (while trying to leave), and told her followers “I don’t know how the f*ck we did not just die.”


Australian/Egyptian Model Sarah Said Smith has taken to TikTok to share the details of a horrific boat trip, which left from the Gili Trawangan – one of a popular trio of islands 95.7 kilometres from Bali – and was supposed to take her to Nusa Lembongan (another popular tourist destination; a small island off the south east coast of the main island of Bali).

According to her though, it turned into a trip from hell, with the boat arriving late, having to navigate large waves, and having to dock in Bali and not make it all the way to Nusa Lembongan.

“This day ends in disaster,” Smith began her video, saying: “Jamie and I checked out of our hotel and headed down to the port. The boat was an hour late at first and then it got pushed to 3 hours late. Yep, great, love waiting… then we just never heard back how long it was going to be, so [at] four hours late I popped on my swimmers and went for a swim.”

WATCH: Tourist’s Nightmare Boat Trip From Gili Islands

At this point, the boat still hadn’t pulled up, so Smith and her partner had a drink while the sun was setting, “in the hopes our boat would still come.” Then, five and a half hours late (from the boat’s booked time) “we finally got told our boat was pulling up,” Smith explains.

“Fantastic. But it wasn’t fantastic and I really wish I hadn’t f**king gotten on this boat because the next four hours was the worst time of my life.”

Sarah Said Smith

She then got on, as she describes it, “this tiny ass f**king boat at night time in the most huge waves I’ve ever been on, literally for four hours straight, almost capsizing, everyone in life jackets, everyone vomiting, everyone freaking out.”

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“We had to switch captains twice, most of the workers it was their first day and four hours later we didn’t even get to Nusa Lembongan, we just docked at some random port. Like I don’t know how the f*ck we did not just die on that boat… The boat had no lights, so it pitch black the entire time… inside of the boat flooded, everyone’s luggage up top drenched.”

Some commenters were sympathetic, saying they’d been successfully convinced not to go to Bali. Others were less so, saying things like: “Did you THINk there was a reason they were late, they didn’t MAKE THE SWELS” and “Hahaha people just expect perfection everywhere they go.”

In any case, there you have it: a side of visiting the Gili Islands you don’t often see on Instagram. And a warning that when visiting Indonesia in winter (when the waves tend to be larger) your perfectly laid plans may not stay so perfectly laid…

At the time of writing, it appears Smith and her partner are well, having chosen to abandon their Nusa Lembongan plan and instead stay in Canggu.

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