Three Gili's - Party Island on Lombok

3 Gili
The Gili Islands (Indonesian:Tiga Gili [Three Gilis], Kepulauan Gili [Gili Islands]) are an archipelago of three small islands — Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air — just off the northwest coast of Lombok, Indonesia..

The islands are a popular destination for Western tourists looking for a remote island experience. Each island has several small resorts, usually consisting of a small collection of huts for tourists, and a restaurant. Most local inhabitants live in the hilly interior of the island. Automobiles and motorized traffic are prohibited on the islands by local ordinance, so the preferred method of transportation is bicycle or the horse-drawn carriage called a cidomo. Diving in and around the Gilis is also popular, although the prices are fairly high due to local cartel activities. The name “Gili Islands” is a bit of a misnomer, because Gili simply means “small island” in Sasak.

GILI TRAWANGAN

Gili Trawangan is the largest of Lombok’s Gili Islands and is the only one to rise significantly above sea level. It is 3km long and 2km wide with a population of about 1000. Of the Gilis, Trawangan has the most tourist facilities; the pub Tîr na Nôg claims that Trawangan is the smallest island in the world with an Irish pub. The most crowded part of Trawangan lies on the eastern side.

On Gili Trawangan (as well as the other two Gilis), there are no motorized vehicles. The main means of transportation are bicycles (rented by locals to tourists) and cidomo (a small horsedrawn carriage). For traveling to and from each of the Gilis, locals usually use motorized boats and speedboats.

The Gili islands are renowned not only for their friendly inhabitants but the total tropical island paradise feeling that they have. The white coral beaches, the warm and inviting waters all invite to snorkeling, sun bathing and of course diving. The diversity of aquatic life is astounding and just off the shores you can find turtles, sting rays, reef sharks, baracudas, and a myriad of small and large fish.

Some of the first inhabitants of Gili Trawangan were from Sulawesi who are fishermen and farmers. Previously Gili Trawangan was covered in forest and deer lived on the island.

GILI MENO
Gili Meno is the middle of Lombok’s three Gilis. It has population of about 300, mainly concentrated on the center of the island. The main income of the population comes from tourism, coconut plantation and fishing. On the west side of the island there is a small shallow lake that produces salt in the dry season. Until a few years ago there was also a small production of seaweed on the reef at the north end of the island. It has swimming beaches all around the island, as well as an impressive bird sanctuary.

GILI AIR
Gili Air is the smallest of the Gilis and it’s closest to the Lombok mainland, making it popular with honeymoon couples and travelers seeking a quiet retreat. It has population of about 1,000 and administratively lies in the West Nusa Tenggara province. The island offers excellent snorkeling and SCUBA diving off its east coast, and turtles can be seen along the coral reef.

Gili Meno, the central island, is home to only a few hundred residents. The most quiet and least exploited island of the three, makes Gili Meno also the most attractive. Drinking water is brought in from Lombok. The sources of the island only bring in salt water which is hardly good enough to bath in. Just inland is a big salt lake, which is separated by small dykes for salt mining, which takes place in the dry season (May until October). The dry times are sometimes marked by cholera on the island. The rest of the year there are malaria musquitos; don’t forget tablets and a musquito net.
The hotels and bungalows are located along the southeastern coast. They offer a nice view over Gili Air and Gunung Rinjani in the east. The best place for snorkling is the northeastern coast, near the Blue Coral Bungalow, which has it’s name from the blue-colored corals just offshore. The reef offers a big variety of coral spiecies and small, colorfull fish.

How to Get There:
In the Gili Islands, there is no shortage of small local boats willing to transport you, from island to island and back to the mainland. None of boats has any kind of safety equipment and the waters around the Gili’s can be choppy. Regardless, they are a handy form of transport and make exploring the islands easy.

There are regular shuttle services from Bangsal on the main island of Lombok, stopping at all islands. The trip takes about 15 minutes to Air, 30 min to Meno and 45 min to Trawangan. Around Rp30-40,000 one-way, or Rp70,000 if including land transfer from Senggigi. Avoid traveling to Bangsal as captains will wait until the boat is full of passengers before setting off. Book a trip with Parama instead, which will travel to and from the islands no matter how many people they have.
Alternatively, the Gilis can be visited on a day trip from Senggigi, in which case you’ll get your own little boat and crew to take you around. The trip across take 1-2 hours each way and is quite scenic, if a little bumpy when the waves are high. Available from any travel agent, figure on Rp400,000 for a tour for two.

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2 Weeks volunteering on Sembalun East Lombok

“Where on earth is Sembalun Village?” that is my first question when I saw the website of 4^th World Love. It seems pretty far from anywhere in Lombok, but this is the thing that challenged me to come there and release my willingness to experience such voluntary works during my semester break of university.
The most tangible thing to notice when you got here for the first time was THE FREAKING BEAUTIFUL VIEW of the village. Can you imagine how hills, mountain, green rice fields, waterfall and beach could locate in one particular area?

Volunteering..
Devi teaching English on sembalun...

Having warm welcome from the local host family, I felt like I found my second family in Sembalun Village. They never forget to “feed” me three times a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner. Once we got chance to go to the farm and had lunch together there, that was great time! Development Centre) which we use pretty much here. It turns out that CDC is the local branch under the NGO 4^th World Love, so people in the rural area would rather get used to the term CDC. The CDC crew are all awesome! They are both so determined and funny at the same times. I laughed a lot whenever I hung out with them. During the free time, sometimes we got trekking around the mountain, went to the waterfall and the beach. They were all such loyal and patient companions to take me see around the rural towns. Even, they (in collaboration with my host family) managed to have surprise for my birthday on the third day I was here (the 4^th July). That was my first experience having birthday away from the friends and family, but that was also my first experience for celebrating my birthday with “new family”!

How did I spend my everyday here? Definitely I got classes to teach here in the afternoon. I taught English to the kids here, generally twice a day. One time in CDC area, and the other class was held in a rural area called Barat Desa, 15 minutes from the CDC area. I always love their energy and spirit in learning English! Seriously! I even held extra class on Saturday and Sunday for the kids in Barat Desa because they did need some English lessons and surprisingly they got excited for the English class even on weekend! Then I found myself more attached with the kids in Barat Desa, especially when they asked me out for a picnic in the hill on my last day here. That was so fun! They always asked me when I would return back to Sembalun, the question which is kind of hard to answer, but I answered “Next time!”. I think I might come back here someday and I would try to publish this voluntary program to more friends so they could involve in this amazing experience.

I learn a lot here. As someone who’s been living in big city in West Java, I learn about simplicity in Sembalun Village, how they live their life more simply. I learn a lot from the kids that I taught, how they had strong willingness to develop themselves by learning English excitedly.  I learn about the life in CDC, how the guys live their life without too much stress and pressure because they do it all with love and humor a lot. I also happen to see some cultural uniqueness here in Lombok, which is different from Java and that makes me realize how I love Indonesia more for having diverse cultures and tribes in one unity!

I would love to thank my warm host family, all the CDC guys and Royal (the coordinator of the CDC) for his patience in responding my endless questions of everything and the last but not least to Frederick who helped me make this voluntary experience happen!
Deviana Wijaya Dewi
deviana89@hotmail.com


read more about volunteering on sembalun at CDC official website

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Volunteering on Sembalun Lombok

Come and help support the development of local communities in and around Sembalun, through our Volunteer Programme, “The Friends of Sembalun”. Through this Programme we have introduced a number of initiatives.
They aim at:

• Using volunteer skills to help develop the community of Sembalun.
• Exposing the local community to outside cultures and languages, primarily English.
• Providing volunteers with a sense of what it is like to live in and be part of the community in Sembalun

Areas in which you can contribute (what you can give us)
Within the Volunteer Programme we’ll try and match your skills to the development areas we’ve targeted. These are:

• Teaching skills for employability
• Language teaching in local state schools and our Community Development Centre (CDC)
• Teacher training
• Teaching soft skills in computing
• Web development and maintenance
• Marketing and tourism
• Fundraising
• Ecological farming
• Project management

And when you go home, we want you to be ambassadors and spread the word about the work we are doing here in Sembalun.
Costs
Costs for a one-week stay per person are USD 150, and for a two-week stay USD 300. We would recommend however that you stay with us for at least two weeks as we believe a longer stay will be more beneficial to both you and us. You are of course very welcome to stay even longer.
Your financial contribution
100% of the fee will go directly into our Community Development Programmes. These include:

• Scholarships for local children to enable them to complete their basic education. Many families are unable to financially support their children through basic education and are forced to send them to work in the fields. Please click here for more information.
• Buying supplies for the community development centre – exercise books, pencils, art supplies, computers, desks.
• Salary of community development centre teachers.
• Buying musical instruments to support the re-establishment of a local Sasak music group.
• Training and education of farmers in eco-agriculture and the re-introduction of traditional organic fertilisers. The use of chemical based fertilisers has, over time,  drastically reduced soil quality and forced famers to become dependent on more powerful and expensive variants. We want to break this cycle.

Package Include
The package includes full board and lodging with a local Sasak family and a choice of activities to help you integrate and get a feel for life in and around Sembalun.  We’ll try and tailor these to meet your personal interests.
Activities can include:

• Farming and gardening
• Weaving
• Soft trekking – bird watching, botanics, monkey spotting and so on
• Jungle trekking
• Visiting natural sights – White Deer waterfalls, calling wild cattle on the high grasslands, the Pergasingan hill overlooking the Tambora volcano on Sumbawa island, the Pusuk Pass and so on.
• Sasak cooking
• Language learning (Indonesian and\or Sasak, the language of Lombok).
• Traditional Sasak dancing
• Attending local ceremonies (when occurring) such as weddings, ???
• Climbing Mount Rinjani – Please note, that due to the cost of arranging local porters and guides, fees for climbing Mount Rinjani are not included in the volunteer package.

Please note we are not offering a tourist package holiday. We want you to gain a deeper insight into the social and cultural life of the area. The best way to do this is by becoming an active participating member of the community, living in it, working in it, and participating in all of the daily activities that go with being a part of it.  Amongst other things it will mean being formally introduced to the head of the village and eating the delicious local Sasak food. You won’t find Italian, Chinese or MacDonalds here. It’s chicken, coconut, and lemon grass sate; spiced fried rice and egg (for breakfast!); thick, sweet, hot local coffee in small glasses, and many, many other dishes.

For more information about volunteering on Sembalun East Lombok please visit CDC official website
 

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Lumut depan rumahku

Ukiran diatas Lumut
Lumut hijau depan rumahku, tampak subur dan terlihat indah

Begitu kuat melekat ingatan tentang masa kecilku ketika melihat anak-anak mengukir nama-nama mereka diatas tanah yang dipenuhi dengan lumut. Ingatan itupun segera menyadarkanku dan memintaku untuk membandingkan keadaan alamku dahulu ketika aku masih kecil dan sekarang ketika aku sudah mulai berumur . Segar sekali ingatan itu saat aku bermain sambil merasakan dinginnya tanah yang ditumbuhi lumut hijau yang aku duduki dibawah pantatku. Kini tanah itu menjadi panas tidak terkena air karena diatasnya di tindih oleh papin block yang menurut orang-orang sekarang lebih mudah dirawat dan lebih enak untuk dilihat. Jangankan duduk diatas papin blok di siang hari, saat pagi hari saja orang-orang bahkan anak-anak kecilpun malas menaruh pantat mereka diatas papin blok. Banjir bukan hanya disebabkan hanya oleh orang-orang yang membuat sampah diselokan depan rumah mereka saja, akan tetapi lebih parah oleh penutupan tanah tempat para lumut dingin itu oleh papin block yang menyebabkan drainase tanah menjadi sangat buruk.

Biarkan lumut-lumut itu tetap tumbuh didepan rumah, jangan tutupi tanah halamanmu dengan papin, biarkan halaman tetap sejuk dan berlumut, agar anak-anak tetap bisa mengukir nama mereka diatas tanah yang berlumut sambil tersenyum karena pantat mereka sejuk duduk diatas tanah yang diatasnya ditumbuhi lumut. Keep green…!!  

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About Lombok Island West Nusa Tenggara Indonesia

LOMBOK ISLAND or PULAU LOMBOK in BAHASA – The New Paradise Island Of Eastern Indonesia, lies just 25 minutes by plane east of her celebrated sister island–Bali, Lombok Island offers a various charming unspoiled natural beauties that makes it often described as Bali in the past. Starting from the awesome volcano peak for hard trekking to the underwater sea world for diving or snorkeling, from the pristine white sandy beaches for sun bathing and swimming to the good breaks for world-class surfing, and from the scenic drive inland for day-trippers to the breathtaking hike for soft trekking. Lombok Island also has a range of fine handy crafts either wooden or earthen ones. They are crafted at exported quality and are sold at local negotiable price. Lombok’s sea breaded pearls are also getting more popular among tourists to bring home as valuable charms gift or souvenir.
Aside from all of the aforementioned beauties, Lombok has unique colorful culture and traditions as well. We might say “ YOU MIGHT SEE BALI in LOMBOK but not LOMBOK in BALI”. Gandrung – a social dance about love and courtship – and stick fighting dances – trial of both magical and physical strength in one-to-one contest – for instance, are among the most popular tourist’s attractions often shown at big hotels in Senggigi or Kuta Lombok. However, some of Lombok’s cultural shows are often performed incidentally, if not regularly, to celebrate important days, for example the Independence Day and the province of West Nusa Tenggara anniversary, and those aforementioned are no exception. Traditional and locally recognized law (ADAT) is still an underlying path of life and common practice; predominantly the traditions related to birth, circumcision, courtship and marriage.
Lombok has a various range of accommodation from the modest ones at very low rate for back packers to five stars rated hotel for those who are in search for more comfort and luxury. Most of the hotels are mainly based in Senggigi, the most developed tourism area in Lombok. Senggigi is situated just 20 minutes driving from the SELAPARANG LOMBOK airport. In addition, quite a few hotels set further north around Sire Beach, and many more selection based on the budget on the luring 3 Gili Islands. Drive on to South Lombok, Kuta Beach is now become more popular among investors and visitors following the first brick laying on the international airport nearby LOMBOK BARU INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. There is a bunch of simple accommodation at very cheap price despite the slow moving development in the area. There are also a number of good air-conditioned hotels one of which is 4 star-rated international chains, Novotel Coralia Kuta South Lombok.

source : http://www.lomboktourguide.com/lombok-island-tour-guide/about-lombok-island.html

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Timbung Makanan Favoritku - Kopang Lombok Tengah

Pelemeng tereng atau lebih akrab disebut timbung merupakan salah satu makanan khas masyarakat Lombok, akan tetapi timbung tidak se-tenar pelecing atau ayam bakar taliwang. Nama timbung diambil dari nama desa yang berada didekat Bandara selaparang Mataram yang menjadi penghasil makanan ini, sehingga spontan saja masyarakat Lombok yang tidak mau pusing dengan nama memberikan nama kepada makanan ini persis seperti nama desa tersebut yaitu; jaje  TIMBUNG.

Timbung dikemas sangat sederhana menggunakan bambu yang terlihat sedikit gosong dengan dilapisi daun pisang didalamnya, kemasan sedarhana inipun menjadikan timbung terlihat sangat khas dan tradisional. Hmmm… beginiliah nasib Timbung yang kurang tenar ini, begitu terlihat sederhana dan tradisional menjadikan timbung disebut sebagai makanan kolot sehingga banyak yang gengsi untuk membelinya. dijual di pinggir jalan bukan di swalayan atau di mall, apalagi ditambah yang jualan tidak pakai pakaian rapi, hanya pakai sarung dan topi ala penjual sapi dan petani.

Masyarakat Lombok, mari kita buka mata dan coba bandingkan dengan makanan yang dijual di mall seperti KFC misalnya. kalau di negara-negara berkembang seperti amerika serikat dan inggirs fast food ala KFC ini biasanya disebut sebagai junk food atau makanan sampah, karena tinggi kolesterol dan juga banyak sampahnya.sedangkan timbung dibuat dengan sangat alami dipanaskan tidak menggunakan gas, hanya menggunakan jangkeh (tungku api kayu tradisional ala sasak), terbuat dari ketan dengan campuran santan kelapa dan di lapisi dengan daun pisang membuat aroma timbung menjadi sangat khas dan alami, terbukti rendah kolesterol dan kaya karbohidrat.
Alhamdulillah saya salah satu orang yang bisa buka mata dan dapat melihat istimewanya makanan tradisional ini, sungguh bangga saya memakannya ditemani oleh penjual timbung yang ramah dan selalu tersenyum ikhlas tak kalah manis dari senyum pelayanan professional di restauran-restaurant sehingga menambah nikmatnya timbung, tak terasa sudah beberapa potong saya habiskan. setiap kali memulai traveling saya dari timur dan melewati kopang tidak pernah lupa membeli beberapa potong timbung untuk saya nikmati dijalan, tak jarang para pedagang itu menawarkan beberapa potongan tambahan secara gratis jika saya membeli lebih dari 5 potong. Sikap yang harus benar-benar ditiru dari mereka, mereka ikhlas memberi tambahan walaupun harga satu potong timbung hanya seribu rupiah.  
ayo cintai dan kenali lebih dekat makanan tradisional kita. bagaimanapun ini merupakan warisan dari nenek moyang kita yang musti kita jaga, cintai dan lestarikan. jaya terus kuliner sasak. makyus...

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Pusuk Sembalun - Lombok Timur

Pemandangan dari pusuk sembalun, tampak desa sembalun diapit oleh bukit

Pusuk sembalun berada diatas ketinggian 1250 meter diatas permukaan laut. dari pusuk sembalun Anda dapat menikmati pemandangan desa sembalun dari ketinggian, tampak jelas terlihat desa sembalun diapit oleh perbukitan seperti berada di dalam sebuah benteng yang sangat kokoh. beberapa hal unik dapat dinikmati dari tempat yang lebarnya tidak lebih dari 200 meter persegi ini seperti cuaca dan kabut yang hampir setiap 1 jam selalu berubah. selain itu pusuk di Lombok biasanya identik dengan adanya kera atau monyet, terdapat beberapa spesies kera yang hidup di tempat ini diantaranya kera yang paling banyak diminati untuk dilihat adalah kera hitam ber-eokor panjang atau biasa disebut lutung. dan untuk Anda yang suka panjat memanjat, Anda dapat memanjat bukit pusuk yang berada di sisi kanan dan sisi kiri jalan, trek menuju ke bukit tersebut bisa dibilang lumayan ekstrim dan menguji adrenalin. semakin tinggi tempat yang Anda panjat semakin indah pemandangan yang Akan ditemukan.
jika tertarik untuk menikmati wisata pusuk sembalun ini, terdapat 2 rute yang dapat anda tempuh yaitu melalui utara atau melalui timur. jika anda berangkat dari mataram dengan rute timur memang lebih dekat akan tetapi pemandangan yang didapat tidak begitu banyak, hanya pemandangan teracering sawah pada saat memasuki hutan pusuk, namun jika Anda berangkat dari rute utara, Anda dapat singgah di beberapa spot yang menarik seperti pantai utara (kerakas, tampes), mengujungi bangunan masjid kuno bayan, rumah tradisional bayan dan sebelum ke menuju ke pusuk Anda dapa singgah disembalun lawang dan bumbung untuk wisata alam lainnya dan mengujungi desa belek (desa yang menjadi cagar budaya). ayo cintai budaya alam kita dan tetap dukung semangat untuk tetap hijau. hijau Lombok ku Lestari Alam ku. keep go green!   

 

 

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Ashitaba Chalcones Show Efficacy in Battling Visceral Fat

A clinical study demonstrated compelling weight loss effects of Ashitaba chalcone powder, from Japan Bio Science Laboratory (JBSL-USA). In the randomized, double-blind, parallel group study, 26 slightly obese male and female patients with BMI between 25 and 30 took 200 mg day of Ashitaba chalcone as an active ingredient after dinner for 8 weeks.

The patients were measured by CT scan (total, visceral and subcutaneous fat areas), weight, waist and hip. After the 8 weeks, researchers observed a marked reduction in the visceral and subcutaneous fat, as well as in weight, and waist and hip ratio. They also noted the rate of change in visceral fat was greater than that of the subcutaneous fat, and attributed this to the fat-burning promotion and fat accumulation-inhibition effects of the ingredient.

Ashitaba is a native plant to the lush Izu Islands on the Pacific coast of Japan, where its leaves have been consumed as a food and medicine for centuries. The rich golden sap from the stalks contains a potent cache of 20 unique flavonoids called chalcones. Of these, clinical investigations have discerned that two—4-hydroxyderricin and xanthoangelol—have the most aggressive action in reducing amounts of visceral fat and subcutaneous fat, thereby improving overall health and cardiovascular status, plus helping to manage weight and obesity by improving fat metabolism.

Source:http://www.nutraceuticalsworld.com/contents/view/18060
Read More About Our Ashitaba Plantation 
Buy Ashitaba Chalcone, Dry Leaf (tea) and Powder From Us. send your inquiry request to mail:nizarjoe@gmail.com Mobile: +6281 8040 63653 (SMS or Call)

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Gallery Kanji Calling Cow

Located on foot of rinjani volcano, reach soil and green grass make kanji become a favorite place for cow to live. the cow is released by the owner and they are free to eat as much as they want. no stress cow here because never lack of food and always seeing beautifull view of rinjani volcano every day :D. more than thousand happy cows life here, so if you came here, they are very welcome.    

Calling cow on Kanji
Make them drunk with salt water....

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Gallery Sembalun Dese Beleq & Bukit Selong

Desa beleq is one of heritage from traditional society. architecture and old house model is maintained very well by sembalun society. Now Dese belek is one of most attractive tourist destination. There is a hill beside dese belq, people who come to dese beleq never skip to climb bukit selong to see sembalun panorama and dese beleq from the top. here is some picture of dese beleq taken from bukit selong and some spot of dese beleq.

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Gallery Garlic Harvest on Foot of Rinjani Volcano

On Lombok Island, Sembalun known by Rinjani and garlic, on summer most of sembalun farmer planting garlic. on harvest sembalun become biggest garlic produced on Lombok. this photo taken when my friend ulan harvest his garlic on his field, it was so fun doing harvest beside beautiful huge rinjani standing in front of me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Gallery apple garden

Apple Garden on foot of rinjani volcano, beating apple fruit while enjoying beautiful view of rinjani. located on 1250 meter above sea level, it takes 30 minutes riding motor bike from sembalun lawang to reach this apple garden with very challenging road it's good enough to shake your stomach. in this photo [nizarjoe, allice wighton(australian volunteer), ulan, azi, upa].

 

 

 

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Gallery Pantai Karang Kerakas

Karang kerakas located at North Lombok the newly born regency of Lombok. quite and clean beach make this beach as a special place for retreat. this place located about 500 meters from main road, so no noise of machine here.

 

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Gallery Photo on Rinjani & Segara Anak

This photo taken by Gabor L. Somogyi my friend from Hungaria. in this photo [nizarjoe, anto, ulan, komang, pak titi(our porter), pak ibi(our porter), daniel (our guide)]. evidence of the beauty of rinjani volcano and segara anak lake which can not be explained by words. I hope these photos convey a message of beauty to everyone who look this pictures and increase our devotion to nature and trees. keep green my world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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