29

April
2009

Lombok Island

category: travelling
by Yun,

Lombok, located east to Bali, is a friendly place with its warm and relaxed people. Contrastingly to Bali whose inhabitants are generally Hindu, Lombok is a Muslim predominant island. Despite lacking the cultural splendor of Bali, Lombok is a great getaway for those seeking to escape the crowds. It has uncongested lovely beaches (better than Bali), big surf breaks, excellent diving spots, green rice terraces, handicraft villages and the third largest volcanic mountain. With pristine beaches and tourism not being as developed as Bali, Lombok has become increasingly popular nowadays. A new project for building a new international airport is currently taking place on the southern coast. Constructions of luxury hotels, golf course and marina are also part of the plan to promote Lombok as one of world-class tourist destinations. Completion of the project is expected in 2010.

lombokbeach

Having only a half day to explore Lombok, we decided to rent a car that came with a driver. The first stop from Oberoi was the Senggigi beach, the most developed tourist area in Lombok with various hotels, restaurants and bars. Finished taking pictures in Senggigi, we travelled to Banyumulek, a well-known traditional pottery handicraft village, located 10km south of Mataram. It is the center of pottery making. Even with primitive tools and traditional arts, many tourists have been so impressed by the beauty of Banyumulek’s potteries. Lombok has many handicraft villages, each making its unique kind of craft, basket-making, weaving or pottery.

banyumulek2

Our original plan for lunch was the oxtail soup at Istana Rasa. Unfortunately, it was already sold out. So we went to Rumah Makan Manalagi for their home-made noodle soup. The noodle was served with meatball, vegetable and extra crunchy pork. Although being our second choice, the noodle soup was very delicious.

banyumulek1

Another must-visit place is Tanjung Aan, a hidden treasure located on the southern coast of Lombok. It is remarkable for its wide sand beach and turquoise seawater. The very white sands with big grains resembling white peppercorns stretch along the Kuta beach. Simply beautiful! However, one obvious problem in Tanjung Aan is the nuisance caused by the presence of hawkers that often push tourists to buy something from them. I visited Kuta beach back in 2005 and the location was still under-developed and uncrowded. I believe that once the new airport (very close to Tanjung Aan) begins to operate, Kuta beach will become more popular than Senggigi beach.

senggigi-beach

Sadly, not enough time for us to revisit Tanjung Aan. We had to rush to the airport to catch our return flight. One item in my wish list is still unchecked. To go hiking to Mt. Rinjani will be another reason for us to revisit Lombok in the future. 

 


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6 Comments so far

  1. Im3th | 29 April 2009, 22:19

    Yun, lo buat gw jd pengen holiday…hehehehe
    lagi bosen ney ama rutinitas dan segabruk kerjaan dan tugas kuliah hehehehehe hidupppp malesss

    Selesai tax season mending elo liburan colongan aja meth, ke lombok is a good idea :) siapa tau lho pulang2 dari liburan jadi berhasil programnya….

  2. veny | 30 April 2009, 01:25

    wahh Yun pas deh review lo kumplit ttg LOmbok , barusan tmn g tanya lagi tttg Lombok , ntar g sodorin lagi suruh baca de!
    T O P deh buat review nya , thx banget buat sharing nya yg bgs banget !

    Your very welcome Ven… jangan lupa oleh2 dari Lomboknya ya kalo jadi pergi :) sop buntut istana jg boleh ven hehehe *wink*

  3. arman | 30 April 2009, 10:55

    nice pics!
    pake kamera apa sih yun?

    Thanks man, pake camera canon yg slr man…

  4. Jiewa | 01 May 2009, 12:08

    Wow.. bener2 hidden treasure, pantainya masih biru ^^

    Agree, kalo mo cari pristine beach mendingan ke Lombok drpd ke Bali yah… ayo kapan kesana, ditunggu cerita dan foto2nya :)

  5. sparklingcosmic | 11 May 2009, 03:08

    bulan madu teruuuuussss……foto2 mu selalu penuh dengan pantai putih… cantik!!!!

    haha elo jg bulan madu terus ama gorilla :), thanks jek…

  6. rina | 23 May 2009, 14:47

    Asli, lautnya bening banget ya Yun. Somehow, yang orang ngomong memang betul. Jauh lebih asli lombok daripada Bali, ya ;-)

    iya bener kalo lautnya emang di Lombok masih lbh pristine rin…