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 thinking of visiting lombok

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coopercooper
Lombok Virgin



Number of posts : 2
Location : cdtcdt69
Registration date : 2009-01-22

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PostSubject: thinking of visiting lombok   thinking of visiting lombok Icon_minitimeThu Jan 22, 2009 9:13 am

i have been going to bali for holidays since 1983 and have never visited lombok island, is it worth the visit and how is it different to legian/kuta area?
are the hotels expensive there, is the weather or beaches any different to bali?
we often vist amed to go scuba diving, is the scuba diving good in lombok?
thanks in advance for your help
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Gemma
Lombok Looney
Gemma


Number of posts : 591
Location : Kuta Lombok / Jimbaran Bali
Registration date : 2008-07-01

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PostSubject: Re: thinking of visiting lombok   thinking of visiting lombok Icon_minitimeThu Jan 22, 2009 10:27 am

Quote :
and how is it different to legian/kuta area?

It could hardly be more different. Lombok is much less developed. Even Senggigi, the most developed tourist area is much smaller and low key than Kuta/Legian and once you get out of Senggigi you will really see the difference. There is a lot more poverty in Lombok and people generally live a simpler life than in neighbouring Bali.

Quote :
are the hotels expensive there

There are a full range of hotels from budget where you can get a basic room for Rp50,000 - upto the luxury end... which I don't know the prices of as I have never stayed in them!

Quote :
scuba diving good in lombok

I dont dive. Try contacting Divezone

Quote :
s the weather or beaches any different to bali?

Rainy season is officially the same, however as in Bali in some areas it starts earlier/later than others and some areas get more/less rain than others. Kuta and the south has the lowest rainfall in Lombok and suffers from water shortages as a result.

The beaches in the south, Mawun, Tanjung Aan, Mawi, Segar are better than any beach I have seen on Bali.

Hope that's all a help

sunny
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coopercooper
Lombok Virgin



Number of posts : 2
Location : cdtcdt69
Registration date : 2009-01-22

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PostSubject: lomobk   thinking of visiting lombok Icon_minitimeThu Jan 22, 2009 10:39 am

thanks gemma, i am arriving in bali 25 jan with my 18yo son, would there be interesting things to do in lombok, are there many places to eat out at night and also places to have a few quiet bin tangs? not sure if they roll up the carpet at 10pm or if their are places we can drink at till midnight?
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Gemma
Lombok Looney
Gemma


Number of posts : 591
Location : Kuta Lombok / Jimbaran Bali
Registration date : 2008-07-01

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PostSubject: Re: thinking of visiting lombok   thinking of visiting lombok Icon_minitimeThu Jan 22, 2009 12:26 pm

Lots of live music and late nights in Senggigi.

In Kuta and other areas they do tend to shut up a bit earlier. Generally when the last guest leaves. In Kuta there is live musci a few nights a week in Shore bar.

As so many people come to Kuta to surf, your son would find lots of company his age there. Senggigi is more mixed.

Lombok doesn't have the type of attractions Bali does in terms of safari parks, waterbombs etc In Lombok you visit traditional villages, craft villages, waterfalls, the beaches.
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outahere
Lombok Looney



Number of posts : 415
Location : nowhere
Registration date : 2008-07-02

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PostSubject: Re: thinking of visiting lombok   thinking of visiting lombok Icon_minitimeSun Jan 25, 2009 12:15 pm

If you've been going to Bali since 1983 then you probably recall fondly the good old days of Kuta, and when Legian was mostly rice fields. Lombok is more developed than that, but is still quite rural and laid back, and as Gemma said, the people are not as affluent as the Balinese.

These days, Kuta/Legian in Bali is a noisy, crowded, busy Asian city and not a particularly relaxing place IMHO. There is no-where like that in Lombok for tourists.

Sounds like you like to have a bit of entertainment at night, so Senggigi is probably the best place for you to center yourself, and/or you could look into staying on Gili Trawangan for a night or two.
There are quite a few bars & restaurants in Senggigi, the busiest nights are Thursday through Saturday, but there is something 'on' every night of the week.

There is some very good diving in Lombok, the best is around the Tawun and Gili Lampu. As with most very good dive spots it is a little isolated - but well worth the effort. There is a hotel called Matahari Inn that is the ONLY hotel in that area and it runs it's own dive operation. It is not harder to get to than say Pematuran on Bali, which is also a bit of a mission.

Alternatively you can dive around the more popular 3 Gilis and the diving is OK - if you are Australian and used to the reefs around Exmouth or the GBR you may be disappointed. The diving is reasonably clear depending on the time of the year, the usual small fish and occassional turtle, but as with many dive spots that are not controlled and very busy and easy to get to, there is damage to the reef.

Lombok isn't the shopper's paradise that Bali is - you will not be presented with a zillion t-shirt shops etc. There is an 'art market' in Senggigi where you can get your fill of wood carvings and so on. There are plenty of street hawkers who will sell you watches, dvds, sarongs, tshirts and Chinese freshwater pearls. There are some really nice places to visit where you can see crafts being made, with the usual buying opportunities.

Lombok is like Bali in that if you want a holiday in a decent hotel with a nice pool and plenty of cold beers, there are heaps of hotels to chose from. When you step outside your hotel, there are bars and restaurants, just not as many as Bali has these days. If you want to experience something a bit different to the normal Kuta Bali holiday then give it a go.
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Josi
Lombok Soulmate
Josi


Number of posts : 200
Location : USA
Registration date : 2008-08-05

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PostSubject: One shopping - Not mentioned by Freogirl   thinking of visiting lombok Icon_minitimeTue Jan 27, 2009 11:25 pm

There is a shop for "antiques" called "Bayan Lombok" at the Sengiggi square. It is opposite "Lombok Times" and near a money changer shop.

The owners Lydia and her husband who speak good English, make carved wooden bowls. These come in different shapes and I have found these to be a good buy for use as gifts in USA. These are hand made and some have inlaid mother of pearl.

They make these out of two kinds of wood and one is lighter. I usually buy the lighter ones. You can tell the difference in weight very easily.

I have also found some items in this shop that I did not see in Sanur area of Denpasar. They sell bracelets made of sea shells for a nominal price. These are piled on a display stand within few feet of where Lydia's desk is. Because it is a low cost item, these are not displayed prominently. If you cannot find it, ask Lydia.

They do have lot of other items but I found the bowls and the bracelets to be a good buy.

Lydia's telephone number is 62-81353412377. I believe they are open at least six days until 10 p.m.

They also ship items and they will be able to give you a rough estimate based on weight.

Josi Hillary
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outahere
Lombok Looney



Number of posts : 415
Location : nowhere
Registration date : 2008-07-02

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PostSubject: Re: thinking of visiting lombok   thinking of visiting lombok Icon_minitimeThu Jan 29, 2009 8:56 pm

Nice to see you posting Josi - haven't seen you around for a while.
Have you been to Siang Siang woodcarving village? They make those bowls there and lots of other wood items, many with inlaid mother of pearl. I have got some really nice items over the years and so inexpensive. If you know Misdan (Ali) who sells blankets (quite tall guy), he lives in Siang Siang and can show you the best places.
Siang Siang is not far from the city.
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Josi
Lombok Soulmate
Josi


Number of posts : 200
Location : USA
Registration date : 2008-08-05

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PostSubject: Where is this place?   thinking of visiting lombok Icon_minitimeFri Jan 30, 2009 3:51 am

Karen,

Only now I got the hang of this bulletin board. I still have not figured out how to post a photo. I tried "Host an Image" but didn't succeed.

I looked up the place you mentioned for bowls in a "Periplus Travel Map of Lombok & Sumbawa" and found "Sayangsayang" near Lombok Handicraft Center off Jn. Imam Bonjol. If this is the place in your posting, then it seems to be a short drive from Selaparang airport.

Coming out of the airport, I pick up Jn. Jendral Sudirman on left and at the second major intersection, I turn right onto Jn. Imam Bonjol. I hope this is the place you are talking about.

Where will I find Ali? Does he have a telephone?

We recently had a regime change here but terms like "recession", "depression" and lately "bad banks" have come into vogue. Every day there there are depressing economic headlines. Looks like I have to struggle through this year for my "yayasan" work and I can plan a visit only in January 2010. Is mid-Jan to mid-Feb a quiet time to visit? In the past, I have always visited during the periods Sep-Dec.

Josi
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Gemma
Lombok Looney
Gemma


Number of posts : 591
Location : Kuta Lombok / Jimbaran Bali
Registration date : 2008-07-01

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PostSubject: Re: thinking of visiting lombok   thinking of visiting lombok Icon_minitimeFri Jan 30, 2009 12:38 pm

Hi Josi

We do not find January & February to be that quiet. Mimpi Manis has been pretty busy all month.

To post a picture it will need to be hosted on webshots/photobucet or similar and then you just copy & paste the image code provided into the body of your post. I will double check by posting a picture now, that it works.

You may also jst be able to use the [IMG] before and after the url of a photo, I will try that one a bit later as I have to get Marty to sleep now he's a bit cyclops



thinking of visiting lombok BalanganSunbeds
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outahere
Lombok Looney



Number of posts : 415
Location : nowhere
Registration date : 2008-07-02

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PostSubject: Re: thinking of visiting lombok   thinking of visiting lombok Icon_minitimeFri Jan 30, 2009 8:10 pm

Hi Josi
Maybe I got the spelling wrong, but that is the place I mean, it is not far from the airport at all - in fact depending on the way you go into Chakra from Senggigi, you can go right past the village. They are a big exporter of woodcarvings there and many carvings are made right there in the village. There are quite a few little shops and tourist buses also go there. But if you can go with a local it is always better - unless you just want to turn up and look around yourself, someone (or someones) will no doubt attach themselves to you as soon as you arrive.

It is an interesting place, there is a Balinese community right across the valley - most times the Sasak and Balinese get on well, but last year there were some problems and fighting. Well, the history goes back a long way so I guess that's how it is in the world.

We are all aware of the regime change here (as I think is most of the world) - every free to air tv station broadcast the inauguration the whole night (the swearing in was at 3am my time), most Australians (me included) were very pleased to see the change take place and to witness the moment in history. I've never given a toss about an American president inauguration before, and I can't even recall it being on tv - but I took a fair bit of interest this time.

I don't have Misdan's phone number - if he has one that is - I think he does but you know they do change their sims reasonably often, so this far ahead it is probably not worth finding out the number. My son-in-law Heri knows him quite well so closer to the date remind me and I will sms Heri and get a number for you. There is also a guy called Ba who lives in the same village - he sells those sticks they toss up in the air. Also your/my massage lady Dayah's husband is friends with both Misdan and Ba, so if you are looking for them he can help you. Oh, and the fellow that did the bookmarks for you also knows Misdan - (all the beach sellers know each other and Misdan has been working on Mangsit for >10 years)

Karen
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