3D2N in Lombok

Transquility: Kuta beach of Lombok offers white sand and fewer tourists (JP / Tifa Asrianti) White sand beaches, clear blue skies, traditional architecture and local delicacies are what you expect from this island ..

Are you imagining Bali? Maybe you should start thinking about Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara as an island that offers different adventures with the same beautiful attractions that Bali does.

Lombok is different from Bali. It has a different kind of beach, another language and, of course, the various dishes for you to enjoy.

I recently had a chance to travel around the northern and southern parts of Lombok. The reliability of public transport in Lombok is as bad as it is in Bali, so be prepared to rent a motorcycle or a car for long trips especially when visiting remote places is included in your itinerary.

As for a nice short trip around town and Mataram Senggigi, you can cidomo, a small horse-drawn carriage, a traditional yet environmentally friendly form of public transport.

On my first day, I visited Narmada Park in Narmada district, a popular tourist destination. King Mataram Lombok, Anak Agung Ngurah Karang Asem, built the park in 1727, hoping to recreate in miniature Mount Rinjani.

Several pools and a Hindu temple built in the park, but the most interesting part of the site is probably the Youth Fountain.

Youth Fountain is nothing like the one in the Pirates of the Caribbean. It is a strong flow of water in a small hut guarded by a Hindu priest.

People in Lombok believe that the water has essential minerals that are good for your body and - believe it or not - you keep young. Local wisdom forbids menstruating women from entering the cabin.

The priest prayed for a while as we were on the high floor. After finishing the prayer, he sent two of us to go down the small fountain, short prayer, wash our face and drink a glass of water.

The water was cold and crisp, washing away all the thirst that previously affected me before the hut.

Pristine: Selong Belanak beach seen from a hill nearby reveals a refreshing azure water and gardens. (JP / Tifa Asrianti) We went to the north of Lombok on our second day, leaving our hotel in Senggigi. After passing Kekait village, we went through a narrow and hilly road, to the top of a hill at a tourist spot called Puncak Pusuk (Pusuk Point) in Pemenang village, known for its landscapes and wild monkeys reach. The area has two mountains, Pusu, Duduk to the east and to the west.

We climbed many stairs to the top of the site to achieve and enjoy beautiful scenery while eating durian, local drinking coffee and eating boiled melinjo (oats) and sweet potatoes.

Bali to Lombok now faster by speed boat

Island hopping between two popular destinations of Bali and Lombok just got a lot easier with a new boat from Marina Srikandi the route in less than an hour covers.

Srikandi 8, which was launched last week, can accommodate up to 138 passengers and travels at a speed of 50 knots, which means Padang Bai to Senggigi in Lombok in 50 minutes.

Before the advent of the new boat, the route covered by fast boats can carry up to 70 passengers with an average speed of 40 knots.

Srikandi 8 runs twice a day with a single pass costs Rp.250, 000 (U.S. $ 26). The program starts at 08:45 with the boat on the way to Senggigi, while the last ship will be back at 4:00 pm The company plans to increase to four trips per day in January 2013. Frequency

Going from Padang Bai to Lembar port in Lombok by public ferry takes up to five hours at a much cheaper price of Rp.36, 000 (U.S. $ 4).

Carving arts in Sesela, Lombok

The increased interest of local residents working to earn a living may mean that the burgeoning tourist industry in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) is the province with impact on the village economies.

More and more residents of Sesela village in Gunung Sari district, West Lombok, who used to work as dockworkers, migrant workers, and field hands, are now switching jobs to become craftsmen and souvenir sellers with significantly higher incomes.

"Nowadays, many villagers sell their handiwork of their own home. Many of them have foreign customers," 45-year-old resident Ahmad Sesela Dole told The Jakarta Post on Travel Sesela Art Market on Sunday.

The art was created by the local government in mid-2012. Located just four kilometers from the popular Senggigi Beach, the place is often crowded by travelers looking for locally made artwork to bring home back.

Ahmad, who has worked as a craftsman for over 20 years, sells its products in his shop called Lombok Collection. The majority of its goods are carvings.

The art community's head, Iwan said that one in eight residents of Sesela, of which more than 8,000 inhabitants, were craftsmen.

"The engraving art here is a long held tradition. Nearly can do. The art is passed down from generation to generation, all young people," he said.

owever, according to Ahmad, the sale of the artwork is not always smooth sailing.

"Back in the 1980s, it was a little harder to sell our crafts. We needed them to Bali and there they sell" called Ahmad.

The island of Lombok is Bali's neighbor to the east and it was often nothing more than an afterthought for Bali-bound travelers in the past.

As Lombok's tourism industry gained more prominence in the 1990s, however, began the local artisans sell their products on their own island.

The local craft market popularity grew in the early 2000s, but declined significantly as a result of the Bali bombing in 2002.

The best places to stay on Lombok

Lombok geographically is almost as big as Bali and, just as there are popular tourist areas in Bali, so Lombok offers a variety of different flavors to holiday destinations in the city. Below is a list of the most popular areas to stay in Lombok.

Senggigi is the main tourist area on the mainland, with the city stretching along some fantastic bays on the west coast, and is just 20 minutes from the airport of the island Selaparang. It is the ideal base to explore the island and all major tourist attractions can be reached by day trips from Senggigi, such as boat trips from Senggigi Bay to the Gilis. There is a wide range of accommodations, ranging from the five-star Sheraton Senggigi Beach Resort to elegant private villa of comfortable small hotels and home stays. The main city street runs parallel to the beach and is lined with restaurants, shops, banks, money changers and other tourist facilities. Not as developed as Bali's Kuta, Senggigi is a lovely place to stay while you relax, dine and explore.

Senggigi Bay is a large clean beach where around Senggigi has developed with resorts that runs from the beach on the main road. The beach is a great place to hang out, sunbathe and enjoy a massage or swim and snorkel in the clear water. The Pasar Seni (art) overlooks the beach, with restaurants and bars overlooking the bay and small shops with souvenirs, clothing and handicrafts in the market behind. The beach hotels and restaurants are good places to the magical Lombok sunsets, as the sun sinks into the ocean behind Bali, silhouetting the volcanoes against the sky.

A little further north, the resort areas of Kerandangan Mangsit and offer a good variety of accommodations, including the stylish Puri Mas Boutique Resort, Puri Mas Boutique Resorts, Windy Beach Resort and Holiday Resort. The beaches here have white sand and clear turquoise waters and its largely abandoned.

At night there is a great range of entertainment on offer, as well as fantastic dining in some of the Senggigi restaurants. There is international fine dining, with cuisines ranging from Thai, Japanese, Mexican and Korean (to name a few), or spicy local Lombok perish all on offer. A number of restaurants and bars have live entertainment with talented local bands playing popular music at night, and there are several nightclubs and discos with top bands, DJs and guest appearances from all over the nation. Senggigi is suitable for all types of holidaymakers - there are options for budget travelers, romantic options for couples and honeymooners and wonderful places for families with children of all ages.

The Gili Islands are one of the most popular destinations on Lombok, every year thousands of people flock to these three small islands off the northwest coast of Lombok. With many fast boot options such as Gili Cat and Blue Water Express offers an easy transfer between the Gilis and Bali, the islands have become a popular getaway not only for foreign travelers, but for those who live in Bali as well.

4 striking living sculptures under Bali and Lombok sea

Divers in Bali and around the archipelago would have noticed that in the past year or so there have been some interesting additions. To the underwater world

A motorcycle and mermaid are two of the artificial reefs-come-art facilities that are the brainchild of Cecilia Gregory, an artist and environmentalist, and The Marine Foundation.

The approach of the Navy Foundation for marine conservation has art as a message and a catalyst for conservation, sustainable management of resources and social change.

Bespoke underwater sculptures are made ​​in collaboration with customers and sponsors, to be used as marine habitats by as coral and fish farms.

There are four distinctive 'living sculptures of the sea' accessible to both novice and professional divers.

1. The Coral Goddess, Pemuteran, Bali

The Coral Goddess is located in Pemuteran, North Bali. It is adjacent to the marine park Menjangan Island, which is full of a lot of colorful marine life and is one of the best dive sites in Bali.

Ironically, this is also the place where reef structures were virtually non-existent due to extensive dynamite and cyanide fishing.

The Karang Lestari coral reef restoration project rejuvenated the reef with the Bio-rock method to improve. Coral growth and survival Bio-rock uses electrolytic Mineral Accretion Technology, which flow from the coast that the wrist fish underwater and pull to use the structure as coral habitat sends used.

2. Deus Motorbike, Gili Trawangan

The Gilis are famous for diving and their cheerful, carefree attitude. With this spirit in mind, is a collaboration between the Marine Foundation, the custom motorcycle company Deus and the Bio-rock ® restoration method.

A custom motorcycle was made in the Deus 'Temple of Enthusiasm' in Canggu Gili and transported to where it was put back together and underwater at a depth of five meters from the coast.

This system is maintained and operated by the Gili Eco Trust, an NGO run by Delphine Robbe dedicated to preserving the fragile reefs that ring the Gili Islands.

3. Tugu Dragon

The dragon was commissioned by the Tugu Hotel Lombok for their house reef.

The reef is a feast of colors and perfect for snorkeling. A dragon was chosen as a mythical creature, that is used to protect the areas.

Above the sculpture floats is a pontoon with solar panels to power the electric pulse of the works, as well as providing a sunbathing spot and marker where the dragon is located 100 meters off the coast, which is great after a longish dive.

4. Mermaid, Amed, Bali

In the 1980s Amed boasted some of the most pristine reefs in Bali, but has come under great and sudden tension with coral is harvested as a substitute for cement.

Nets were also introduced for fishing, around the same time and the fishermen, far removed from the impact, were happy their nets were not snag in coral more. Needless to say, there is still very little fish in their nets too.

A number of underwater structures are put placed there the last decade, such as the underwater post office in 2011. These are not widely publicized and are often missed by visiting divers.