December/January, 1998
No. 032/VI/97

cover story

Christians in
Paradise
How Christianity came
to Bali

Once Upon a
New Years Eve
MC-ing a New Year's
Eve party during a
blackout

bali focus:
nusa dua and
jimbaran

The Origin of
Nusa Dua
A fable

People of a
Fertile Sea
The fishers of
Jimbaran beach

Center Stage
Steve Charles revamps
the Candraloka
Amphitheatre

Nusa Dua Nights
How to survive them

The Sacred
Wilderness
Colonial encounters with
Bali's southern peninsula

arts and
culture

Latter Day
Laksamana
A.A.M. Djelantik's
recently launched
autobiography

Kulkul
new Fiction by Gde
Aryantha Soethama

The Rat Pack
Who are Bali's literati?

beyond
bali

An Eddy in The
Counter of Time
Kayaking off the west
coast of Lombok

Slick and Cool in
Sengigi
Round midnight at the
famed Lombok resort

regular

Fashion

Adventure
Into the blue

Food
Jewel of the southren rim

Jungle Drums

Bali Update

On the Road

Home Grown
Made Adi Putra

advertising index for
Bali Echo web site

Slick and Cool in Senggigi

Hardcore night-owls with the will to carry on can move over to the Moonlight Disco or to the Tropical Disco, rated as the number one dance bar in Lombok. Both dance bars begin to pick up around 1 a.m. to the strains of heart pounding dance music that won’t miss a beat until the sun begins to shine again. The Tropical is a dark hole, with a massive dance floor and black vinyl couches lining the walls. Haida-like paintings of blood red thunderbirds decorate the walls, but these begin to blur as the lights flash and the music gets dancers into a frenzy. There are a couple of comfortable nooks and crannies to take a rest, but if you really want to escape for a break the Tropical Restaurant above the disco is open 24 hours a day and opens up to the beach, where you can take a real breather before heading back into the disco. The Moonlight disco, in the basement of the Bukit Senggigi Hotel offers up the same kind of excited and energetic frolic. Both discos charge a cover of 10,000 rupiah, which includes a beer or soft drink and the best night to get into the groove is of course Saturday, where at the Tropical the cover jumps to a hefty 20,000 rupiah.

For revelers who might need a jolt of caffeine to maintain their stamina into the wee hours, the Kafe Espresso offers imported Italian Lavazza coffee in all its favourite manifestations: latte, cappuccino, espresso and the iced versions as well. Whether winding down for the night or picking up an energy boost to keep moving, this cafe is a friendly, cheerful java oasis where you can people watch from the road-side garden. 

Most live music is booked for weekends, with the Warung Ronaldo offering nightly live shows. The Blue Coral Band and Pondok Senggigi bands play Monday and Wednesday nights as well. The Marina Pub has live music Thursday to Saturday. There are a couple of other cafes in town that cater to people who pursue a more subdued version of night life. The Artilina has a regular repertoire of films and, on nights where the stage is quiet, the Pondok Senggigi also shows movies.

The real charm of a night on the town in Senggigi is that everything is within stumbling distance. You just have to stroll down the Jalan Raya Senggigi, the main street, and take a peek in the various cafes, pubs and discos to see what catches your interest. There is a lot on offer, but its easy to taste it all, even in just one evening, which can very quickly run into morning. 

Photos and text by Jaye Wood        

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