Basics - The Rough Guide to Bali and Lombok - page 89

Wiring money
If you get into financial trouble, getting money wired to you from home is fast but expensive.
Money should be available for collection in local currency from the company's local agent
within twenty minutes of being sent via Western Union ( westernunion.com ) or Money-
gram ( moneygram.com ) . Both charge on a sliding scale, so sending larger amounts of cash
is better value. Money can be sent via the agents, by telephone or, in some cases, through
the websites themselves. Check the websites for locations and opening hours. Getting money
wired from a home bank to a local bank on Bali or Lombok can be tortuous and is best
avoided.
Opening hours and public holidays
Opening hours are not straightforward in Bali and Lombok, with government offices, post
offices, businesses and shops setting their own timetables.
Generally speaking, businesses such as airline offices open at least Monday to Friday 8am
to 4pm, Saturday 8am to 1pm, with many open longer, but have variable arrangements at
lunchtime. Normal banking hours are Monday to Thursday 8am to 2pm, Friday 8am to
noon and, in some branches, Saturday 8 to 11.30am, but these do vary and foreign-exchange-
counter opening hours are often shorter. Main post offices operate roughly similar hours,
with considerable variations from office to office. Postal agents in tourist areas tend to keep
later hours. In tourist areas, shops open from around 10am until 8pm or later, but local shops
in towns and villages open and shut much earlier with the exception of supermarkets in shop-
ping centres, which are generally open from at least 10am to 10pm. Local markets vary;
some start soon after dawn with business completed by 10am, others only close up towards
the end of the afternoon.
Government offices are widely reported as being open Monday to Friday 8am to 4pm; in
fact there is much variability in different areas and departments - most close early on Friday
and you'll generally be most successful if you turn up between 9am and 11.30am. Official
government hours shorten during Ramadan; the best advice is to ring offices at that time to
check before you make a long journey.
MUSLIM FESTIVAL DATES
Ramadan begins June 28, 2014; June 18, 2015; June 6, 2016.
Idul Fitri July 28, 2014; July 17, 2015; July 7, 2016.
Note that Islamic festivals depend on local sightings of the moon; actual dates may vary
by a day or two.