HOTEL REVIEW - LOMBOK RAYA HOTEL

I stayed at Lombok Raya Hotel for 3 nights when I was in Lombok. The price was reasonable for the kind of room I got - very spacious. Another strong point of this hotel is that it is located at the heart of Mataram town so you could simply cross the road and go to Mataram Mall across the street or visit some of the blocks of shops there, which I did every night. 

breakfast

Mataram town right in front of the hotel

the other dining room

If I were to return to Lombok, I know where I could find a  bunk already.

[MY LOMBOK TRIP MAIN PAGE]

MOVIE REVIEW - ODE TO MY FATHER

I used to watch Korean movies on DVD [READ HERE] and got truly excited to find out there was a Korean movie being screened at a cinema near my place. I am glad I put the effort to brave the rainy weather to watch this film.

The story is about Deok-soo (with his mother and two other siblings) who was separated from his father and his younger sister while trying to run away to Busan from North Korea during the Korean War. His father's last words were: if he did not see the family again, Deok-soo would have to be the head of the family. And Deok-soo held to his promise, and he had to go through such a hard life in making sure he could provide for his family. He went to work in a mine in Germany to pay for his brother's university fees and he went to work as a technician in Vietnam during the Vietnam War so as to make sure his sister could have a grand wedding. One of the scenes was when he was trying to find his long lost father and sister and he was finally reunited with his sister who was adopted and staying in the US. I am sure many people cried watching this part.

You should all go and watch this movie so you could appreciate life and love more. This movie is way much better than "Avengers: Age of Ultron".

TALIWANG CHICKEN - LOMBOK'S SIGNATURE DISH

This should be one dish you must try when you come to Lombok. Taliwang Chicken has its own history, as told by my guide, but I might forget the details. Initially, there was a small community in Taliwang Village who started the business of selling chicken to people in Lombok. Then, the people from Taliwang ventured out a bit and started the small food business, selling Taliwang Chicken and after some time, the dish became popular and was sought after by the locals and visitors alike.

plecing

For one thing, the dishes in Lombok are very hot which I like that very much - the hotter, the better. Other than that, there will always be "sambal"(mashed chilies), "tempe"(fermented soy bean) and tofu cake. The other prominent vegetable dish is "kangkung plecing" (water spinach). Read about it HERE. 

I am missing the food in Lombok already.

[MY LOMBOK TRIP MAIN PAGE]

ATTENDING SMKTUN'S EX-PK1'S DAUGHTER'S WEDDING RECEPTION

2nd MAY 2015 ~ I was invited by the ex-PK1 (Senior Assistant) of SMK Taman Universiti, Tuan Haji Ishak Md.Nor, to the wedding reception for her daughter. He is now the Principal of SMK Saint Joseph (B), Johor Bahru and the event was held at the school hall.

I did not meet anyone I know there so I went off once I was done eating. Still I was glad I was invited and I could make it to the ceremony. 

THE BEAUTIFUL NIPAH BEACH AND THE FABULOUS FOOD

18th March 2015 ~ After all the walking and exploring done on Gili Trawangan island, it was time to get lunch. We decided to head back to the main island as we expected food on Gili Trawangan could be more expensive. I guess we made the right decision as our guide took us to Nipah Beach where a cluster of stalls could be found by the seaside.

our vegetable dish fresh from the tree

The fish chosen looked real fresh. Even the vegetable dish (called "turi" leaves in the Malay language, and in Lombok too) were freshly picked from the tree upon ordering. How good was the food here? This would be one place I would definitely go back to if I have the chance to visit Lombok again.

According to Luciano Pavarotti: "One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating." This was what I had been doing throughout my stay in Lombok and I was just loving it.

[MY LOMBOK TRIP MAIN PAGE]