Archive for October, 2006
Looking at a map of Gili Trawangan, you will see that most of the accommodation is located on the south eastern side of the island. This is also the location of most everything else, such as bars and restaurants. For people with money, the best place to stay is probably Vila Almarik on the NE side. A good budget option is Pondok Lita, just inland from the Beer Shack on the SE coast. Being close to the ‘action’ in Gili Trawangan, isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as its not an ‘all night rocking party’.
Here are some of the accommodation options.
Budget:
•Pondok Lita - Family owned and operated budget accommodation. Located close to all the action.
•Sirwa Homestay - In a line of 4 rooms, quite new, with porch and bathroom. Located on the NE coast.
•Nusa Tiga - Located on the NE caost. Basic rooms, salt water shower, although a gallon jug of river water can be arranged. Very quiet, but you have to take a horse andd cart to the SE part of the island, or face a 30 minute walk.
Mid range:
Dream Divers - Located on the east side of the island, just north of Big Bubble. There is a choice of mid range or budget rooms, restaurant and dive center in front.
(0370) 634496
•Trawangan Cottages - Located on the SE coast, just south of Dive Indonesia. Okay cottages with cold water and fan. close to the action.
Luxury:
•Vila Alamrik - Located on the NE coast, this Italian owned place has a nice pool, AC, hot water, great rooms.
(0370) 638520
•Vila Ombak - located on the southern side of the island, pretty much at the end of the cute little brick road. Combo of traditional design places and bugalows. Cold water, AC good rooms.
(0370) 642336
source : www.baliblog.com
October 31st, 2006
A German lady friend of mine visited Gili Air a couple of years ago and loved it. She didn’t love the stray cats (in the Gili’s there are no dogs, but many cats), or the local young men, who are like a pack of pole cats, but the island itself is quieter than Gili Trawangan, and closer to the mainland.
A map of Gili Air indicates most of the accommodation is on the west and south coasts. There is also a mosque on the south coast, which may be one of the reasons the local population, of 1,000 Muslims, keep a tight lid on the partying activities. I haven’t been to Gili Air, but have heard late night fun is limited to 3 times a week for bars.
Budget accommodation:
Most of the accommodation in Gili Air is budget. Here are some options.
•Nusa Tiga - Located slightly inland, on the SE coast. Simple bungalows, attached bathroom, cold water.
•Matahari - Located on the north coast, you will have a long trek to get to the main centers of activity, but for people wanting peace and quiet, this could be it. On the beach, decent quality, cold water.
•Legend - on the NE coast, has attacjed warung, simple rooms. The warung has a once a week party.
081 2/3764552
Mid range:
•Coconut Cottages - located on the NE coast, pleasant bungalows, varied room grades. Hot water, interent access.
(0370)635365
•Hotel Gili Indah - located on the south coast, to the west of the ferry launch, has a variety of room grades. AC, hot water available.
(0370)637328
source : www.baliblog.com
October 31st, 2006
There are 3 main ways to get to the Gili’s from Bali (4 if you’re Monte Monfore). The first is taking a bus, car, motorbike to Padangbai. Catching a ferry to Lember in W.Lombok. Ferries run every 90 minutes 24/7 and the journey takes anywhere from 4-7 hours depending on port congestion and weather. From Lember you drive to the port of Bangsal in NW Lombok. This will take you about 2 hours. At Bangsal you can catch a small local ferry to the Gili’s, journey time, up to 45 minutes for the fiurthest island, Gili Trawangan, less for the other 2.
The second way is to fly from Bali to the airport in Mataram. The flight takes 30 minutes and costs around 400,000rp one way. From there you catch an airport taxi to Bangsal, and take a ferry. Airlines that service Lombok from Bali include, Merpati (6 flights a day), Wings Air, GT Air.
The third way is to take a highspeed charter boat from Benoa harbor. This way is the fastest overall, if you left at the same time as the others, but you have a bumpy ride across the Lombok Strait. This cost 690,000rp one way, to the island of your choice.
Which way would I go? Well I’ve taken the Padangbai ferry and the plane. If I was going to explore Lombok with my motorbike, I’d take it on the ferry and park it at Bangsal, before taking the local ferry for the Gili’s. If I wanted an easy comfortable way to go I’d take the plane. If I wanted the quickest way to go I’d take the boat. Maybe I’ll do that next time. For people who think 2 hours in a bumpy speed boat would be hell, even if you take the plane, you still have to do 45 minutes, in a boat to Gili Trawangan.
For people who take the ferry or plane. You will arrive at Bangsal harbor in NW Lombok, the place were the small local ferries leave for the Gili’s. There are 3 types of ferries, local, scheduled, charter. The local ferry goes when it is full, the schedules ferry goes on time, the charter can go at any time. Boat operators will try to push you to the charter boat, whjich is exhorbitantly priced. Stay cool, sit in the shade and wait for the local boat, which will be full within an hour.
source : www.baliblog.com
October 31st, 2006
Sitting here in Seminyak, the sun is blazing and the mercury is rising. Last night I used the AC for a couple of hours, first time in months.
The wet season is taking longer to start than normal, but holiday makers won’t care about that. Streets are dry and appart from the chunk of cloud I saw up in Pupuan on Sunday, there is no rain on the horizon.
Here’s the 10 day weather forecast for Bali.
source : www.baliblog.com
October 31st, 2006
When I’m not working on Baliblog, I spend all my time reading BootsnAll.com, a worldwide travel guide. There are so many travel resources and articles, I could sit in the internet cafe from sunrise, to sunset, and still not read tham all. Here’s an account of 2 people’s trip to Bali which happened before the 2002 bombing.
Andrea & Dale Johnson from the USA, had some learning to do, when the sharp witted Kuta money changers tried to pull one over on them. At the end of their time in Bali they had good memories, and even brought back some souvenirs. I saw photos of their trip to Bali, inside one of those ‘leaf albums’. Read about Andrea & Dale’s trip to Bali.
source : www.baliblog.com
October 31st, 2006
Living in Bali I know what my impression of the place is. You get to hear it everyday, changing its degree of positive / negative, depending on what has gone on in the last 24 hours.
Lina is a young lady with a website, who visited Bali recently with a female friend. Her account is what first time visitors dream of, sun, fun, friends and adventure. Read her account of her trip to Bali for some ideas for your next trip.
source : www.baliblog.com
October 30th, 2006
Cockfighting is part of the Balinese landscape. Anyone who drives around the island, especially on Sundays, will see large whicker baskets contains the fighting cocks at the roadside. This is to get them used to loud noises.
I’ve been to a couple of cockfights in Kuta. There used to be a pit between Poppies I & II, and daily events at 1pm. For me the most exciting parts, was the frantic betting before the match. It was like the New York Stock Exchange on steroids, with people waving, gesturing and shouting.
Gambling is actually illegal, but the Balinese got away with it by saying it was for ‘religious purposes’, blood having to be spill, and all. That’s changed and the big cockfights are not happening, except in villages.
One fellow who understands the intricacies of a Balinese cock fight is anthroplogist Clifford James Geertz, who has an extended article on the meanings, and proceedures of the cock fight.
source : www.baliblog.com
October 30th, 2006
Basa Bali, the language of the Balinese has some similarities with Bahasa Indonesia. It is though, a separate language in its own right. For people coming to Bali, or living in Bali, is learning Basa Bali worth the effort?
A recent thread of the expat forum, asks that exact question. Good point mentioned and it is true that in most areas of the islands nowadays, younger people can speak Bahasa Indonesia and some English. The need to learn Basa Bali, for getting things done, does not exist. My wife Ika does not speak, and does not want to learn Basa Bali. She can get by very well in Indonesian.
A linguist I’m not, but I’d still like to learn some Balinese, as it adds spice to a casual conversation. Whenever I’m in a village and someone asks “Apa kabar?” and I respond “Becik becik kemantan,’ they break into laughter. The idea of a westerner speaking the lcoal language tickles them, and for that reason, it can be rewarding. I have also been in situations in the highlands and also here in Seminyak, where a 60 year old Balinese person cannot understand me, because they can’t speak Indonesian. Being able to pull up to a rice field on my motorbike, and chat with the old guy working in it, would be wonderful.
Anyone have tips of learning Basa Bali?
source : www.baliblog.com
October 30th, 2006
Bali resident Monte Monfore, is a world record breaking distance swimmer, having swum the Bali Strait, between Bali and Java, and the Badung Strait between Nusa Lembongan and the Bali. Monte has added another feather to his cap, by swimming across Lake Batur. Here’s the official account of Monte’s swim.
October 16, 2006 world record ocean swimmer Monte Monfore made the first recorded swim across holy Lake Batur, in the highlands of Bali, Indonesia. The Bali Swim for Peace and Against Poverty supported two major events: Dewa Sraya, a Bali Hindu ceremony conducted at Pura Tuluk Biyu temple overlooking the lake, and the United Nations Stand Up campaign.
Located next to still-active Mount Batur, inside a huge crater at 1050 meters, Lake Batur is considered sacred by the Balinese. Following permission to enter the water the 45-year-old Californian was blessed by a Bali Hindu priest at lakeside Pura Jati temple prior to the historic swim.
Monte’s route connected the two holiest locations on the lake: the isolated village of Trunyan nestled under the eastern rim of the crater wall, and Toyabungkah at the foot of Mount Batur, which last erupted in 1994. In a pre-swim announcement the endurance athlete dedicated his swim to “the beautiful Balinese people”.
Beginning at 3:40pm the marathon swimmer was accompanied by a small boat decorated with Balinese ceremonial adornments, which carried local Hindu priests, community leaders, and a gamelan bronze-gong orchestra. Despite high winds and the frigid mountain water Monte made the three kilometer crossing in just under an hour (58 minutes 25 seconds).
The swim took place prior to the conclusion of the nineteen-day Dewa Sraya purification ritual at Pura Tuluk Biyu temple in Kitamani, one of the oldest and most sacred in Bali. Held once every five years, the Dewa Sraya ceremony attracted thousands of worshippers from across the island, who prayed for the restoration of balance and harmony in Bali and the entire world.
In a post swim announcement Monte sent a message of peace around the world and said, “Here on this beautiful island of Bali, peace is not just a word, it’s a way of life.”
The swim was also part of the global, UN-sponsored Stand Up Against Poverty and Stand Up For the Millennium Development Goals event held on 15 and 16 October. More than 23 million people participated worldwide, including some 300,000 in Indonesia .
Monte concluded speaking about his island home, “Bali is no longer only a place of transience for surfers and holiday makers. It has evolved into a place of substance. More than 20,000 foreigners live here. Many, like me, are planting roots and intending to spend the rest of their lives on the Island of the Gods.
Bali is one of the most spectacular places on the planet. It has one of the richest cultures and most beautiful people in the world. This place is a tropical paradise with incredible scenery, fantastic beaches, and great surf. There’s a reason readers of international travel magazines continually vote Bali the most beautiful island in the world and I encourage everyone to visit this magical place.”
A Bali resident since 2004, the marathon swimmer holds numerous channel crossing records throughout the region. This was his third UN-related event in six months. Earlier this year he contributed to two World Food Program efforts. In May as part of the worldwide Walk the World/Fight Hunger campaign the athlete swam a double crossing of the four-kilometer Bali Strait. In June following the devastating earthquake in central Java Monte’s 12.5-kilometer Yogyakarta Earthquake Relief Swim raised awareness and support for victims and publicized WFP emergency relief efforts.
Bali Swim for Peace and Against Poverty event footage was sent worldwide by Reuters Television and Associated Press Television News.
For more information please search Monte Monfore on the Internet.
Contact Monte at: montemon4@hotmail.com
source : www.baliblog.com
October 30th, 2006
Sunday morning I took off on the motorbike for a cruise in the Bali highlands. My route, Seminyak-Canggu-Beraban-Tabanan-Penebel-Baturiti-Lake Tamblingan-Pupuan-Sanda-Antosari-Tabanan-Canggu-Seminyak.
The main thing here is keeping off of main roads, enjoying the peaceful roads and seeing a bit of Balinese life. The route up to Penebel takes more effort, than just blazing up towards Singaraja, but its worth it. Up in the area of the lakes, I stopped off for one of those tourist buffets. In certain places on the main road, you find large restaurants with a view, serving bus tours. The buffet was 75,000rp, but I made sure I had 4 courses. Looking at the other diners, from Japan and Java, it was obvious the food wasn’t that great. Remind me to avoid these places in future.
Today I feel like I drove the Monaco Grand Prix. If I had a nasi goreng, for every hairpin bend I went through, I’d be rolling in nasi. You should see the route dotted on my sat-nav. Its all hairpin bends in the highlands, and 10km in a straight line on the map, takes considerably more time than you calculate.
Of the few photos I took today, a couple were of rice terraces and another couple were of Sanda Butik Villas, south of Pupuan, where I stopped off for a pot of ginger tea. Almost dozing off in the arm chair, the owner prompted me, to not look so tired. Riding a motorbike takes a lot of concentration. Its fun, but is taxing, especially in crazy Bali, where a pothole, dog or local is coming your way every other moment.
I arrived back home at 5.30pm in one piece. My 100cc bike was up to the task of getting around the mountains and back. I would like a Tiger 2000, because of the suspension as well as the extra power. If you are coming to Bali and plan to explore my motorbike, a Tiger is better for the island as a whole, a scooter okay for downtown.
source : www.baliblog.com
October 30th, 2006
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