Eyewitness Travel Guide to Bali & Lombok | Date: 28 April 2011, 08:56
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Eyewitness Travel Guide to Bali & Lombok
By Jean Couteau
* Publisher: DK Travel
* Number Of Pages: 240
* Publication Date: 2001-04-09
* ISBN-10 / ASIN: 0789466481
* ISBN-13 / EAN: 9780789466488
Product Description:
The guide that shows you what other travel books only tell you!
Besides being one of the top ten honeymoon destinations in the world, Bali has been called the "Best Island in the World." Previously known for attracting backpackers, the island now caters to more sophisticated travelers and DK's Eyewitness Travel Guide: Bali & Lombok puts everything at your fingertips. Experience the world's largest collection of Balinese art at the Bali Museum in Denpasar, the sacred Pura Luhur Uluwatu, exotic wildlife at the Bali Bird Park, the royal palace at Taman Gili, and the temple at Taman Ayun. Highlights in Lombok include: the Taman Naional Gunung Rinjani, the beach resorts at Senggigi, and the Mayura Water Palace. With over 700 full-color photographs and street-by-street maps of Kuta, Ubud, Singaraja, this guide shows why Bali and Lombok are becoming increasingly popular holiday destinations for all types of holidaymakers.
Summary: Good for an overview of Bali's attractions
Rating: 4
The Guide is great to get an overview over the many attractions in Bali - lots of pictures and some nice overview maps of the island's regions. However, the descriptions are on the short side and it does not contain detailed street maps that could be useful for orientation. But overall a nice introduction!
Summary: Surprisingly Good, Very Practical
Rating: 4
Colorful guidebook has marvelous images that create an immediate illustration of Bali and Lombok.
While the practical references are a bit truncated (foreign embassies listed are only Australia and USA; hotel & restaurant listings are scanty), the cultural & special interest tips are excellent.
The guide works its magic by tying photos to text. The reader can zero in on an image and immediately see the relevant text. This is a highly practical format, leaving no mystery as to whether some place or item may be of real interest to the individual reader. Therefore, reader can figure out what he/she wants to see & do without slogging through chapter upon chapter of text.
I spend a lot of time in Bali and I think this is probably the most useful guide for the average traveler to Bali & Lombok. It has quite a few entries....
If you have a limited amount of time in Bali, and an even more limited amount of time to prepare for it, this guide will suit you very well indeed!
Summary: A Gift from the Gods... Bali and Lombok
Rating: 5
Bali and Lombok are just two islands in the Indonesian archipelago... and one of the most popular tourst destination. This book is crammed with wonderful information as well as photographs by well known photographers, maps, drawing etc... of Bali and Lombok. I found it very wonderful that it covered both aspects of Bali and Lombok's culture regarding religion, music, dance etc... The book is much different from Lonely Planet with maps in colour with icons regarding the village and what the villages are well known for. For example the village of Taro in central Bali in Gianyar Regency is famous for it's white breed of Cattle and there is a little bit of information talking about that village. The book covers all of Bali as well as Lombok.
Denpasar Bali's capital contains many sections like the Museum... the market and so many places of interest. For Kuta its beaches which are popular with many Australians and well known for the surfs... Gianyar regency in central Bali was well known for it's cultural and artistic creation. The famous village of Sebatu and Peliatan are famous for their Legong Kraton dancers... wonderful and graceful like butterflies or heavenly nymphs... Klungkung regency in east Bali was home to the powerful rulers with the title of "Agung Dewa" and most revered... Klungkung was a historical city and site where the golen age of Balinese history began the mass exodus of many Hindu-Javanese fleeing Islam came to the royal court bringing their traditions and tansplanting it in Bali while the ancient art form disappeared from the island of Java as a whole...
Lombok hasn't been developed to tourism yet but it is slowly starting to. The island is very lovely with it's lush green rice fields and wonderful people who are of Balinese race and Sasak origin... They produce wonderful crafts like clay jars, pots, weaving etc... If you want to know more you will need to read or grab hold of the book yourself...
There is even a section on food and the types of food eaten with lovely photographs of food and things to buy in Bali... This is great and I guess it is too good to be true too... Excellent work and research I must say went into making this book...
Summary: The Next Best Thing to Being in Bali
Rating: 5
I grew up in California, and continue to love the scenary and the people there. I thought it was the best place on earth, until I made it to Hawaii. Wow! Do I love Hawaii! I was convinced it, too, was the greatest, until I arrived in Tahiti. Now there's a really awesome place!! When I got back, I spoke with my cousin, the world traveler. She said, "You'll really love Bali, it's much more beautiful than Tahiti." So far, I haven't been able to test her views, but this book certainly helped me to see the many beauties of Bali and the neighboring island of Lombok (which she didn't tell me about).
The scenery, animals, arts, temples, crafts, costumes, and dance are vivid, colorful, intricate, and involved. This guide to the two islands features over 700 color photographs that give you a sense of this beauty in very many ways. Even the smallest images are crisp and distinct.
The book is also a good size to slip into a pocket while traveling, so that you don't have to be burdened with excess weight or bulk. That will help, because this guide has many details of streets, restaurants, and the insides of temples that you will wish to refer to when you are in Bali or Lombok.
This guide has the details of all of the festivals on the two islands, which are reportedly a high point of any visit there. You also get lots of detail on local history and traditions (which will be unfamiliar to many in the United States).
The book breaks the two islands into regions so you can get a flavor of how being in one area compares to another. For example, you can go as an eco-tourist, as a cultural tourist, a scuba tourist, or a plain old beach tourist (but there is good surf for those who like surfing and wind surfing). Bali offers lots of variety for those with different tastes and preferences, and the guide makes it clear how to plan for each. Golf has even made its way to Bali.
I was also glad to see that the book contained many website addresses to obtain additional information.
I cannot report on the accuracy of what is here, because I have not been to Bali. On the other hand, the information made sense in terms of what I know about other islands, and Hindu and Moslem countries.
This guide is so rich in photographs and detail that I can have quite a few "trips" just by reviewing the material here. So even if I don't make it to Bali for a few more years, I will have enjoyed some of the wonders of this wonderful island. I hope you will have the same opportunity.
After you finish enjoying this delightful guide, I suggest that you think about where else you know little about and might like to see. If your time and budget do not permit much travel, you could perhaps use these DK Eyewitness Travel Guides to provide pleasant diversions in the meantime. Then, when you are ready to go to a new place, you'll have an informed view of which one to pick.
Grasp the potential all around you, with all of your senses!
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