1 June 2024
After two hectic days of exploring Lombok’s waterfalls and islands, we had a day to chill out at the Jeeva Klui Resort.
We started the day with breakfast, served in the resort’s restaurant named The Wareong. The restaurant is located on the oceanfront verandah overlooking the swimming pool, the beach, and the ocean beyond. Guests could also sit under the Banyan tree on the beachfront deck as an option but we preferred to eat in the restaurant.
On the resort island of Bali and Lombok, wareong or warung refers to a small traditional restaurant that sells local food, as well as Asian or Western food. The Wareong in Jeeva Klui serves ala carte buffet breakfast that includes Western, Indonesian and Asian dishes. Over the 4 days of our stay in Jeeva Klui, we practically tried every item in the menu.
While the Western dishes like Egg Benedict, Pancakes, Egg Omelette were nice, we particularly enjoyed the local Mee Rebus, which tasted more like Mee Soto Ayam than the Mee Rebus commonly served in Singapore.
The local Lombok coffee is also worth a mention. The coffee is made from robusta beans grown on the volcanic soil found on the slopes of Mount Rinjani and then roasted with rice. It is served unfiltered in a tall cup. The trick is to let the sediments settled a little before drinking the sooty coffee.
After breakfast, one couple went to burn calories in the resort’s gym while the rest of us went for a stroll on the beach.
We could hear the roar of the surf breaking on the reef located a hundred meters from the shore. The sand on the beach is slightly dark, mostly due to sediments washed into the sea from Lombok’s black lava rock.
There are numerous warungs located in a large coconut patch on the side of the resort. Since this is a weekend, some local families could be seen picnicking in this area.
Some warungs are starting their charcoal stoves, getting ready to serve lunches that includes BBQ seafood, noodles etc.
On our way back to the resort, we joined some locals relaxing by the sea.
After the relaxing stroll on the beach, we went for a dip in the resort’s infinity edged pool. The pool is the pool is nearly 25 meters in length and is good for those who want to swim some laps. However, it is about 1.5 m deep throughout. With no shallow area, the pool is not so suitable for kids to play. There is actually another pool by the resort’s gym but that pool that is “adult-only”.
Our friends from the gym came and joined us in the pool. Instead of swimming, they chilled on the lounge chairs and help take photos of us.
After the morning walk and swim, we went for a 2-hours massage at Orchid Day Spa & Beauty Salon, located in downtown Senggigi. This was the same spa we went to on Day 1.
Getting to and from the spa from the hotel was by Bluebird taxis. These are the cheapest and most reliable taxis across Lombok. The hotel reception helped us to call for 2 taxis for our group of 8 persons. The fare was by meter and cost less than 35 IDR per taxi.
I was actually impressed by the well groomed taxi drivers dressed in smart Bluebird uniform. They are enterprising too. They told us to call them after we finished our massage so they could drive us back to the resort.
After eating out in the last 3 nights, we had a chance to try the dinner served at The Wareong on our last evening at Jeeva Klui Resort. We had made prior reservation for our group of 8, so we were all seated together in a long table.
Dinner at The Wareong in Jeeva Klui Resort.
We were served by a very friendly waiter named Komang who explained and recommended the Indonesian dishes for us.
Komang told us he originated from Bali and in Bali, his name meant 3rd child. This was where all of us learnt about the interesting naming system in Bali.
In general, Balinese people name their children depending on the order they are born, and the names are the same for both males and females. The firstborn child is named Wayan, Putu or Gede, the second is named Made or Kadek, the third child goes by Nyoman or Komang, and the fourth is named Ketut. If a family has more than four children, the cycle repeats itself.
May wife and I ordered the Ayam Sauce Taliwang (Lombok’s Grilled Chicken), Gulai Bebek (Indonesian Duck Curry), Kakap Sambal Matah (Fried Fish) and the Prawn Bisque. Since all the main dishes came with rice, Komang offered to inform the kitchen to replace some of our rice with vegetables since we do not need so much rice. The food was so good that we regretted a little that we only ate dinner here once.
We were fortunate that there was a live music performance on this night at The Wareong. According to Komang, live band performance only happens on Saturdays.
The band was made up of two guys on guitars (one on acoustic and one on electric). They belted out excellent music from 7 PM till almost midnight, non-stop. They accepted requests from diners and one of my friends went almost berserk with request after request of her favourite songs. You know the electric guitarist is good when he can perform a guitar solo of Hotel California that sounded like the real thing. Even the restaurant and kitchen staff were swaying to the music as they do their chores.
June 1 was also the birthday of one guy in our group. The staff at the restaurant made him a birthday cake to celebrate his birthday.
Delicious dinner with excellent live music at The Wareong was a great way to mark our stay at the Jeeva Klui Resort.
H2O Hotel in Kaohsiung.
Fenqihu Railway Station.
Shopping street in Fenqihu.
Cherry blossoms at Alishan.
Alishan Forest Railway.
Giant trees in the forest of Alishan.
Views of tea farms with the mountains beyond are a common sight.
In the midst of bamboo forest along the Tea Trail. 
One of the best views on this day. At the top of the Sunset Trail.
View of the sea of clouds from our bedroom.
Stall selling the popular HSR Bento lunch sets at the Chiayi HSR Station.
Anping Tree House – The "treehouse" name refers to the living roots and branches of a large banyan tree that covers the old warehouse.
Shennong Street in Tainan.
A colourful mural of the Kaohsiung Station at Pier 2 Art Center.
Journey to Chiayi would take about 80 minutes by High Speed Rail.
7-eleven store inside the Taoyuan HSR Station. We took the MRT from the airport to this station. Approximately 20 minutes journey.
Delicious tea soaked egg that is sold in almost all 7-eleven store.
Taiwan’s High Speed Rail’s bullet train. It could reach speeds of 220 km/hr.