Winter Vacation Information

There are so many great restorans and warungs on the island of Bali and each serving delicious masakan asli Lombok. Candika and I were both looking forward to eating both Taliwang (grilled chicken) and Sasak food. We found the latter at a great warung in Lobar called Rumah Makan Bengkel ‘Murah Meriah’. They serve delicious Khas Sasak Asli Lombok. This décor of this place is typical Sasak and not only is the food fabulous, it is very cheap. Four of us ate there and the bill only came to Rp55,000. Unbelievable value. Rumah Makan Bengkel is extremely popular and when we were there for makan siang, the place was practically full. We ordered a selection of Nasi Udang Usus, Nasi Ayam and Nasi Siput amongst others, all of which was accompanied with several condiments and a very spicy sambal terasi. A great feast was had by all and I would really recommend a visit here next time you are in Lombok.

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There were two places I wanted to visit when I visited Lombok ; the traditional weavers of Sukarara and the pottery at Banyumulek . Fortunately I was able to experience both of these places in the short time I had in Lombok. Banyumulek is one of the three major pottery villages on the island. Here you will find several showrooms with all forms of pottery from floor to ceiling and most are open from 8am-5pm. Lombok has always been famous for their traditional pottery and I was amazed at the colourful selection on sale. I was intrigued to see the potters at work behind the showroom throwing their pieces of clay on a crudely made wheel spun around by foot-power. At most places you can see the full process of creating one of these magnificent pieces of art from a handful of clay to the finished product. Candika was impressed with the clay figurines of animals; some grotesque and others, stunning life-like. I was more interested in a few decorative pots of varying sizes for decorating the home and found exactly what I was looking for. Most showrooms can arrange shipment to your home country for a reasonable price including insurance. Bayumulek is located around 8 kilometres south of Mataram. Head to the woodcarving village of Labuapi and it is a further 2 kilometres to Banyumulek .

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Most tourists that visit Bali bring their cellphones with them in order to keep in contact with friends on the island or to call their home country. There are numerous providers offering their service as being the best and the cheapest. It really is a matter of personal choice. I have always used Mentari for its reliability although there are cheaper phone providers. Then the hassle comes where you have to find a place that sells the cheapest pulsa to refill your phone once you have used up your credit. There is a plethora of small shops, stalls and even warungs that sell these credit cards for your phone. The price varies from place to place. I much prefer to purchase my pulsa from one person who walks the streets nightly in Kuta and Legian. Candika fondly calls him ‘ the HP man’ . Besides carrying pulsa for all the phone providers he will even enter the pulsa right there when you purchase. He is a really nice guy and I admire him because he walks the streets nightly using crutches as support. He has no use of his legs and I surmise it was polio as a child. If you are in need of refilling your cellphone then I suggest you buy it from the HP man. He is by far the cheapest in town, so to speak.

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If you want a taste of what a genuine sports bar is like in New York then I suggest you head down to the Centro Discovery Mall in Tuban and check out the recently opened New York Sports Bar & Diner . This place is fabulous and a delight to dine in or just have a drink and watch one of the numerous large-screen televisions showing the various sports games from around the world. I particularly like the large booths with thick-padded and very comfortable seating. The whole atmosphere of the New York Sports Bar & Diner oozes with class. The L-shaped bar and diner has two entrances; from inside the Centro Discovery or from the rear of the shopping complex. The long bar is a good place to sit on the comfortable stools and just have a drink or if you prefer a bit of alfresco , there is a section overlooking the ocean where you can relax. The menu is extensive ( photo below ) typical New York with offerings such as burgers, hot dogs, toasted wraps, hoagies, all manner of fries and an excellent choice of main meals like grilled pork ribs or southern fried chicken, amongst others. If you wish you can even create your own burger! All meals are relatively inexpensive considering the large portions you receive. A superb range of drinks is available. When we visited Candika decided to have her first burger ever and selected the Tex-Mex Burger (Rp49,000). A large toasted bun deliciously covered with chilli con carne, cheese and Jalapeno chillis didn’t last long and was devoured with delight. I thought the Sante Fe (Rp39,000) looked great and ordered the toasted wrap. The wrap was more than enough to satisfy my appetite. Thick slices of grilled chicken with cheddar cheese, bacon, lettuce and mayo was simply delicious. This was accompanied with a tasty coleslaw and a large serving of chips. And, the chips were not your usual string chips but decent-sized fat chips fried to perfection. The New York Sports Bar & Diner is a refreshing addition to the eateries in Bali and if you really want to experience a little bit of New York in Bali then head on down to the Centro Discovery. I truly could not fault this place as it has everything one needs for dining pleasure. New York Sports Bar & Diner Centro Discovery Shopping Mall Jalan Kartika Plaza Tuban Tel : (361) 769822 Website: www.newyorksportsbar.net

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Most of us know the difficulty of taking photos out of a plane window. It’s bad enough attempting to get that perfect shot through layers of whatever the windows are made of and on top of that, the windows are in general most of the time; dirty. I have never been successful taking photos from

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In the Balinese media over the last few days much has been written about the instigation of a program by the Balinese Government regarding road safety and now, the Indonesian Government has implemented really strong penalties for motorbike riders with new laws that came into effect of the 1st April. I have ridden a motorbike and

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The long stretch of stunning coastline 10 klms north of Ampenan is known as Senggigi Beach is in reality the tourist centre of the island of Lombok. Dotted along the coast are numerous luxury resorts and all manner of accommodation to suit the traveller and tourist alike. There are also several warungs and fabulous restaurants

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Being here in Bali I get to see some unfortunate issues regarding money and these generally concern those who are visiting the island for the first time. It’s the simple things you need to be aware of so that you don’t get ripped off or even worse, robbed. Let’s get this clear, it’s NOT

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The ever popular TJ’s Mexican Restaurant in Kuta has been around for quite a while and is probably the best restaurant serving Mexican food in Bali. TJ’s has a delightful open air garden setting and the décor is traditional Mexican. There is a fabulous bar where you can sit and have a drink or relax

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Candika and I returned late yesterday from our week-long sojourn in Lombok and we are both so tired; still. The two words I would use to describe Lombok are simply beautiful. The island is a wonder of surprises and delightful people. The sister island to Bali, Lombok has so much on offer to see and

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