Resort Location
Lombok, Indonesia
Experience
VEGETABLE & HERB GARDEN
The Oberoi Lombok displays its commitment to the environment and embraces the concept of healthy living with the delicious fruits of a bountiful harvest.
The organic gardens are worked by hand without the use of mechanical equipment; and the chemical-free production follows the organic standards set by international certifying bodies. With this initiative, the Resort is not only supporting organic principals, but also helping to create awareness, together with a demand for premium quality vegetables, fruits and herbs.
The fertile soil of the Resort’s prolific organic garden yields a delectable crop of lettuce, cauliflowers, tomatoes, eggplants, celery tops, cucumbers, kangkung or water spinach—a staple vegetable that is always grown alongside the wet rice fields—cassava, sweetcorn, watercress and more. Fruits include kaffir lime, lemons, bananas, starfuit, mangosteen, lychees, mangoes, grapes and passionfruit. This is in addition to a whole host of herbs and spices including turmeric, lemongrass, basil, ginger and Lombok chillies for making 'sambal math'. As a result, the restaurant is regularly supplied with pesticide-free produce, and the luscious creations of the Executive Chef are testament to the high quality and diversity of the healthy, freshly-picked ingredients.
You can visit the well labelled vegetable plot, situated in a hidden corner of the hotel garden. Taste the difference!
TO TANJUNG MARKET BY PONY & CART
Experience the sights and sounds of Tanjung’s busy market. The vibrancy and colour will envelope you as you arrive in the warm, early morning sunshine, at around 8 am, by local transport—a pretty painted horse drawn cart known as a 'cidomo'.
The market overflows with bountiful indigenous produce, selling everything that is grown or produced on the Island. Coffee beans, fruits, vegetables, meat, smoked fish on sticks, blocks of locally harvested tobacco, peanuts and cashews are all available somewhere amid the rich aromas, ripe smells and chaos of the heaped stalls. You will see panniers of red, hot, chilli peppers—from which Lombok takes its name—small red onions, large bundles of aromatic garlic bulbs, rice, cassava, grain, spices, and buckets full of eggs.
Additionally, you will find hardware, textiles, baskets, clay money boxes and bamboo crafts. Look out for the 'Sok', this is a square basket of woven bamboo, usually with a lid; it comes in numerous sizes from miniature to huge. An alternative to cupboards and drawers, it is used by the local people for storing anything from onions to offerings.
The narrow, crowded, covered alleyways of Tanjung Market are crammed with vendors, buyers, and produce stretching in all directions. You will be accompanied by a guide from the hotel and, if you wish to purchase anything, you will discover that bargaining is essential and highly entertaining with a lot of theatrical gestures and laughter.
TURTLE RELEASE PROGRAMME
The nutrient-rich seawater around Lombok and, in particular, the Gili Islands has spawned a magnificent ecosystem flourishing with thousands of species of life, including three species of turtle—the Green Turtle, the Leatherback and the Hawksbill. Sadly, all of these turtles are in danger of extinction due to harvesting for eggs, leather and shells. Additionally, their existence is threatened by the loss of nesting grounds, natural predators, destruction of coral reefs, water pollution, and entrapment in fishing equipment and marine debris, especially plastic bags, which turtles fatally mistake for jellyfish—one of their favourite foods.
The Oberoi Lombok has therefore set up a programme to protect and rehabilitate the turtle species, by purchasing the turtle eggs that are gathered by the local people before being sold at Tanjung Market for consumption. Unfortunately, these eggs have been a traditional food source in Lombok for many generations. The Oberoi purchases the eggs at Rp 2,000 each, which is four times the going rate. While it might be argued that this is increasing the demand and trade in turtle eggs, it is generally acknowledged that the eggs stand little chance of hatching on the tourist beaches where they are laid. Additionally, the premium rate paid by the rescuers for these eggs boosts the meagre income of the local people.
The eggs hatch after two months, and the hatchlings are tended in special tanks, within the gardens of The Oberoi, for a further few weeks, by which time their chances of survival in the ocean should have increased. When the healthy baby turtles are ready to be released, awestruck guests at The Oberoi can experience the joy and emotion of watching them being tenderly placed on the sand just above the tidemark, from where they will immediately and instinctively crawl towards the ocean. The first wave to crash over them will most likely send them tumbling belly up back on to the shore but, after being flipped over by gentle hands, they will regain their bearings and head out towards the sea again and again, until the undertow pulls them to freedom in the clear deep water.
For more destination information please visit Travel Planner for Indonesia
