Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
operators before purchasing a ticket, especially in rough weather. Most operators don't use
jetties, so count on having to wade knee-deep to and from the boat. In bad weather ser-
vices can be suspended for several days. Reliable daily services from Padang Bai and south
Bali include Blue Water Express ( 0361 895 1111,
bluewater-express.com
)
, Gili Cat (
0361 271680,
gilicat.com
), Giligili ( 0361 763306,
giligilifastboat.com
), Island Get-
away ( 0878 6432 2515,
island-getaway.com
)
; Marina Srikandi 0361 729818,
mar-
inasrikandi.com
)
and Scoot Cruise ( 0361 285522,
scootcruise.com
). Amed Sea Express
( 0878 6306 4799,
www.gili-sea-express.com
) and Kuda Hitam ( 0817 4714503,
kudahitam.com
)
sail from Amed.
INFORMATION
For local features and current information, consult the fortnightly
The Lombok Guide
magazine (
thelombokguide.com
)
. The Lombok Lovers Forum (
lomboklov-
ers.freeforums.org
) is an invaluable place to post queries and scour the archives.
West Lombok
West Lombok
- stretching from remote
Sekotong
and the southwest peninsula through the
port of
Lembar
to the city of
Mataram
, then north to the established resort of
Senggigi
and
its satellite beaches - has Lombok's biggest concentration of tourist facilities.
Mataram
MATARAM
is Lombok's principal city and the capital of Indonesia's Nusa Tenggara Barat
province, or NTB (which comprises Lombok and the neighbouring island of Sumbawa). A
sprawl of half a dozen districts, the city stretches about 8km west to east and is just 5km
south of the tourist resort of Senggigi. Sights are thin on the ground and accommodation un-
appealing, so most visitors come for just a few hours, chiefly to browse the
markets
and the
Mataram Mall
, Lombok's most modern and best-stocked shopping emporium, and perhaps
to visit the
museum
and sample some authentic Sasak food.
The administrative centre is
Mataram
itself, a district of broad, tree-lined avenues and im-
posing government buildings, including the immigration office, but not much else of interest.
Immediately to the east,
Cakranegara
, or Cakra (pronounced
chakra
), is the commercial
heart of the city and centres around the buzzing
Mataram Mall
. It was the capital of Lombok
in the eighteenth century, during the height of Balinese ascendancy on the island, and is still
the most Balinese area of the island. Two of the city's main sights -
Puri Mayura
and
Pura
Meru
- date from the Balinese period. In the far west of the city, closest to Senggigi, the old
port town of
Ampenan
flourishes around the mouth of the Kali Jangkok. This is the most tra-
ditional and atmospheric part of the city, with narrow streets and a maze of shophouses once
inhabited by Chinese and Arab traders, plus the chaotic
Kebon Roek market
. The regional
museum is here.
