Bali & Lombok Tuttle Travel Pack. Paul Greenway
5 Ulu Watu Temple, South Bali
6 Pasir Putih Beach, East Bali
7 Tirtagangga Water Palace
8 Cycling on Nusa Lembongan Island
9 Ubud's Taman Saraswati Dances
10 Rice Terraces at Jatiluwih
11 Ubud's Monkey Forest
12 Gunung Kawi Rock Temples
13 Banjar Village, North Bali
14 Mount Batur Natural Hot Springs
15 From Ujung to Amed, East Bali
16 Snorkeling Lombok’s Gili Islands
17 Southern Lombok's Kuta Beach
18 Lombok's Senaru Village
19 Pura Lingsar Temple in Lombok
20 Lombok's Senggigi Beach
21 Taman Narmada Gardens, Lombok
Chapter 2
Southern Bali
Ubud
Bali’s East Coast
Bali’s Highlands & North Coast
The Nusa Islands
Western Lombok
Northern Lombok
Southern Lombok
Chapter 3
Best Hotels
Best Food & Restaurants
Best Shopping
Best Nightspots
Best Kid-Friendly Activities
Best Outdoor Activities
Best Museums & Galleries
Best Spas & Retreats
Best Tours & Classes
Best Dance Performances
Best Walks
Bali & Lombok at a Glance
Geography Located along the southern edge of the Indonesian archipelago, Bali is dominated by a series of cloud-piercing volcanoes along which villages cling to the fertile soil and create amphitheaters of rice fields cascading down the rain-soaked slopes. The tallest, most volatile and, therefore, most revered volcano is Gunung Agung (3,142m/10,308ft). The coast is lined with cliffs, mangroves and beaches, while the Taman Nasional Bali Barat national park protects virgin rainforests in the far west. Lombok is slightly smaller than Bali and with a similar landscape, but dominated by one volcano: Gunung Rinjani (3,726m/12,224ft), the second-highest peak in the country.
Climate Only a few degrees (and 375km/233 miles) south of the equator, Bali and Lombok are tropical, not monsoonal. There’s a definite wet season (October to March) and dry season (April to September), but it may still rain during the “dry” and not rain for a week in the “wet;” and it usually comes down in short blasts, often late in the afternoon or evening. The mountainous landscapes ensure that precipitation is often localized, so it may, for example, be flooding in Ubud but dry 25km (40 miles) away in Sanur. The weather shouldn’t affect your travel plans, but the peak seasons may (see page 117).
People Bali’s population of some four million almost doubles every year with tourists. Although a large percentage live in the capital Denpasar, the second-largest city, Singaraja, and the southern tourist areas, most Balinese still follow a lifestyle dominated by village concepts of communal sharing and order. This is most evident in the subak system of shared irrigation for rice fields and the bale banjar meeting hall where societal decisions are made by elders. The indigenous Sasak people of Lombok are Muslims, although some 100,000 of the island’s population of three million are Hindu. People on both islands still prefer to live with their extended families in large compounds, with segregated areas for working, sleeping, and praying, and a small bale pavilion for meeting guests.
Language Indonesian is the language of instruction in schools and in government, and used extensively by the inhabitants of Bali and Lombok. Most Balinese also proudly speak bahasa Bali, a different, complex language, but the unique script is rarely used. On Lombok, many locals converse in bahasa Sasak, which is an oral, not written, language. English is taught at school and widely used in tourist centers, but a short detour and you may need to use a little Bahasa Indonesia (see page 124).
Religion It’s impossible to overstate the importance of religion in Balinese life. The form of Hinduism which 92 percent of the island follows was imported from India, via Java, some 1,000 years ago but is now distinct. Religion encompasses every element of Balinese life: shrines are found in every home and hotel, and shops and streets often strewn with canang trays made from palm leaves and filled with offerings of rice and flowers. Some people, especially around Candikuning and the west, originate from Java, Lombok, and other islands and practice Islam. While Hinduism still thrives along the western coast, the majority of Lombok is Islamic. Some in the north follow the unofficial Wektu Telu sect, which combines Islam with Hinduism, Buddhism, and animist beliefs, although adherents are officially classified as Muslims.
Culture Balinese culture permeates every pore of society and is as much an attraction to some visitors as the sun, surf, and shops. Despite encroaching modernism and tourist-led hedonism, Balinese still embrace a unique spiritual faith and omnipresent culture not seen anywhere else on earth. Everything has a purpose and deep meaning, primarily aimed at appeasing the gods to ensure a happy life, healthy family and abundant harvest. Private lives are part of communal law under the guidance and authority of the banjar association (mostly of married men), and cremations are as elaborate as anything celebrated during a person’s life. On Lombok, the family and village are also paramount to indigenous Sasak culture, and traditional customs and laws regulate an individual’s life. Almost all Sasaks are Muslims, so the mosque is the dominant force, but ceremonies are less significant and traditions less public.
Arts & Crafts Bali’s artistic prowess is no more evident than in Ubud, where galleries galore sell all sorts of paintings and carvings that incorporate the island’s landscape, mythology and, of course, religion. Popular crafts, such as batik cloth and songket weaving, and the unusual form of gerebah pottery still practiced around Lombok, are explained in the Quick Guide to Handicrafts & Arts (see page 89).
Architecture From the moment you arrive, you’ll be struck by Bali’s unique architectural designs and marvel at the skills involved in carving the symbols of demons and gods that decorate gates, pillars, and roofs to protect inhabitants from evil invaders. Temples, homes and, indeed, entire villages are designed to face downstream towards the sea (kelod) or the mountains (kaja), which are home to the gods.