Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
BETEL
One habit that you'll notice in Bali and Lombok, and throughout Southeast Asia, mainly
among older people, is the chewing of
betel
. Small parcels, made up of three ingredients
- areca nut wrapped in betel leaf that has been smeared with lime - are lodged inside the
cheek. When mixed with saliva, these are a stimulant as well as producing an abundance
of bright red saliva, which is regularly spat out on the ground and eventually stains the lips
and teeth red. Other ingredients can be added according to taste, including tobacco, cloves,
cinnamon, cardamom, turmeric and nutmeg. You may also come across decorated boxes
used to store the ingredients on display in museums.
HEALTH
Most travellers to Bali and Lombok end up with nothing more serious than a bout of
traveller's diarrhoea (“Bali belly”). However, illness and accidents (including motor-
bike accidents and surfers' mishaps) can't be ruled out. In the event of serious illness or
accident, you'll need private health care and possibly medical evacuation, so it is vital
to have adequate health
insurance
.
Discuss your trip with your
doctor
or a specialist
travel clinic
as early as possible to allow
time to complete courses of
inoculations
. If you've come directly from a country with yellow
fever, you'll need to be immunized and you should carry the immunization certificate. Apart
from this no inoculations are legally required for Indonesia. However, inoculations against
the following should be discussed with your medical adviser: diphtheria, hepatitis A, hepatit-
is B, Japanese encephalitis, polio, rabies, tetanus, typhoid and tuberculosis.
If you have any medical conditions, are pregnant or are travelling with children, it is espe-
cially important to get advice. If you need regular medication, carry it in your hand baggage
and carry a certificate/letter from your doctor detailing your condition and the drugs - it can
be handy for overzealous customs officials.
Treatment in Bali and Lombok
You'll find
pharmacies
(
apotik
), village
health clinics
(
klinik
) and
doctors
across the islands
and
public hospitals
in each district capital and in Denpasar, supplemented by
specialist
tourist clinics
in the main tourist areas. In local facilities the availability of English-speak-
ing staff and their ability to tackle accidents and common tourist ailments varies from area
to area. Most Balinese use local facilities together with
traditional healers
(
balian
) as they
believe that physical symptoms are a sign of spiritual illness.
