In Reply to: JBR - Including Gili T and Lombok posted by natnpaula on Sunday, 14. August 2011 at 07:34 Bali Time:
trying not to wake up here! Bloody cold, the garden is brown from frost my ponds look sad, my fish gone into hibernation!!!!!
So different from the last 12 days.......
5 nights at Sanur Beach Villas...as usual, comfortable, friendly,relaxing and met some entertaining people and a couple of "Nice" ones too. Thats you two Mr Jimmy & Lady Pip.
Did Irma & Dewi 's cooking class, had a great time and ate some yumbo food, non stop action and laughter!!!
Ate at the ones we love! Kesuma's,Mama Putus, various carts and warungs all good! Had a beer a a newish little place to the right at the end of Tirta Empul (Mertasari Beach Carpark) cold too!!
And finally after years of trying to see a kite competition....it was on.....absolutely fabulous. We missed the "big day" but "International Day" was great about 100 kites all sizes, some are truly amazing. They told us that the next day would be huge "Bali Day" they were expecting 300 kites to be flown. We also went for a drive to Padang Padang Mal was keen to see the Ripcurl comp, beach was packed, (would be nice on a quiet day!!)
Then off to Gili Trawangan/Lombok.....
Time to have a look at other parts of Indo...I had booked a 5d/4n tour with Lombok Network.....And have to say now it was the best thing for us to do...
Pick up from SBV 6.30am (on time) to Pandang Bai for fast boat transfer(Sea Marlin) to Gili T (They sure pack em in!) great ride .....wear your swimmers!
A cidimo (Little horse and cart NOT donkey!!!) to Beach House Resort..........wow 1 bedroom villa with plunge pool!!! fabulous!
Chuck the bags in then over the road to a beachfront lunch...Mal reckons best ever Nasi campur!! Now for a walk!!! took us two hours to walk around the island, people and scenery ...lovely.
Next day snorkelling trip...just us .....we thought we'd be on the ones we had seen earlier with about ten/twenty people on.....felt very special.... The boys took us to about four /five different areas to snorkel all three islands gili T/Gili Meno/Gili Air...beautiful clear water saw turtles, fish coral and it was so nice to be in water with no plastic bags and other various objects!!!
Our tour also included stopping for lunch but we had done enough (I am not the best snorkeller !!) terrific place.
We had lobster from Beach house Resturant not cheap but yummy, great food everywhere, the local food marketplace at night is just fantasic, a must have is the cart that makes the pancakes, a huge feed!! banana,peanut & chocolate!!!!!!!! 10,000rp yum.
Absolutely every type of local food you could think of here and cheap cheap..
next day sticky beaking around, lunch at Trawangan hotel they have these treehouse house dining areas up in the trees great lumpia and satays, cold beer and yummy juice.......
cidimo pickup to fast boat (little one) to Lombok..
Wayan our guide greeted us here with the driver for our drive to Sengiggi ........."The Sheraton" oohLaLa.......the room here superior garden....not bad (No plunge pool!!!) Chucked the bags in room.....off for a walk....quite a few sellers here...pearls ,pearls ,and more pearls!!!! Had a beer at "The Office" on the beach very relaxing apart from "You want pearls!!!)
Next day tour....excellent.......did the village of the weavers and bought a beautiful piece of songat.......these girls take months to make a piece on the ricketyist looms I have every seen, handed down from grandmas.....amazing... Lombok pottery, very interesting, had a go at making a little pot!!!!!!! bought some small bowls, but could have spent heaps here! Then on to Kuta Beach for lunch and a walk on the most pristine beautiful white sand beach.....and bought a couple of Lombok t shirts of a young guy who sells from his motor bike along the beach. Not forgetting the sweet little girls selling the bracelets to pay for school!!
Back past the New airport (Opening soon!!), through Mataram (Yuk) back to hotel.......wonderful day tour....down to the beach for foot massage.....three bored ladies cost me 100,000rp well I did have a pedicure and a history lesson all about Ramadan from a womens point of view, was very intersting........
Next day Wayan and Alpino pick us up at 8.30am to tske us to the airport and fly to Denpasar 10.15 off we go back to Bali..........
By 11o'clock we are at the check in desk at Three Bros Legian....
Yes your room ready, how good was that,!!!
We like this area, and first time to three bros....what beautiful gardens, the room was good, water hot, pool sparkling, brekky basic, but Mal enjoyed the Indo breakfast, he loves black rice pudding!!!
So two days here........shopping , eating, walking, checking out villas for "Dale" for Xmas.....
So glad we have booked a place for Xmas I think Bali is getting busier.........
Flight home via Darwin to Brissy seemed to take forever this time.......really looking forward to flying Strategic at Xmas been a while since we fly direct!!!!
Bit long hey!!! If you are thinking about venturing, just do it, we had a ball. Deb