Posted by Johan on Thursday, 15. October 1998 at 03:58 Bali Time:
In Reply to: A few more questions posted by Tina on Wednesday, 14. October 1998 at 22:08 Bali Time:
Tina,
To get a fisherman:
Go down to the beach at Hidden Paradise, sit under the big tree, ask for Newman or Wayan or Ktut, they all speak english and are honest men. Negotiate with one of them about price and day. Don't bargain to hard, they have fair prices to start with and it's still cheap for you. They will find a fisherman and a boat for you and they will also go with you on the trip. The fisherman usually don't speak english.
About the boats:
They are about 4-5 meters long, traditional Balinese fishingboats, very sea worthy. You decide how many people you want to be onboard, but 4 in total is no problem incl the crew of 2. If you decide to go to Gili you will make it clear to Newman or the others that you want a boat where you can sit decent, that is, the bamboo "floor" you're sitting on must be clean and not broken. But it's usually no problem, they maintain their boats pretty good.
About bringing gear:
If you're making a day trip - don't bring any, except a small backpack with swimming gear and towel. If you bring more then you want to carry around, leave it in the boat and have the fisherman look after it for you, he won't leave his boat anyway, and he will NOT steal you're stuff. If you bring all you gear across the Lombok Strait (the passage between Bali and Lombok) you'd better cover it with something waterproof. I might rain but it will defintely be high sea with wawes braking and water splashing all over at times, but that's just fun.
Let me know if you have more questions
Johan