This is a handy little blog post about extending your visa at the Immigration in Lombok and also how to kill some time whilst you’re there.
Lombok’s Immigration is conveniently located on the edge of Mataram opposite the largest Mosque.
Having helped guest extend their visas a number of times and having extended Hannah’s visa in many locations across Indonesia we have found this Immigration centre to be the best and most tourist friendly!
In all the years of being in the ‘visa business’ we’ve never seen Lombok’s immigration anywhere near as busy as the packed and sweaty hot pot that is Bali’s Immigration centre.
TOP TIP for visa extensions across all locations: extend your visa in the morning, when the office opens, and your visa will be one of the first to be processed and you’ll have minimal waiting time.
After you’ve handed in your visa and been given your numbered ticket which informs you of your place in the ‘virtual’ queue, head across the road and sample the local delicacy that is NASI KUNING which simply translates as yellow rice. This rice is a gift from the Gods and is commonly eaten by locals for breakfast. It’s been cooked with spices and fresh turmeric to get its yellow colour.
This humble street food vendor is located on the right hand road beside the big Mosque. The seller sells from their van which has been converted to display all that they have on offer.
Ordering is simple, there’s a choice of yellow or white rice with a number of scrumptious choices to accompany the rice – small corn cakes (delicious!); shredded chicken mixed with a slightly spicy sauce; sliced long beans cooked with garlic, onions and chilli; fried egg; fish in spicy sauce; noodles; crisp finely chopped Tempe, to list just a few. There’s also some extremely sexy sambal (spicy sauce) to have on the side that tastes like rich roasted tomatoes with chilli and of course Indonesia crackers, dive into the box and take the biggest handful you possibly can because once you’ve finished your meal you’ll be craving more. Simply point with your whole hand, as is polite in Indonesia, at the accompaniments you want, bearing in mind that the more you order the more expensive it’ll be. Simple rice with 4-5 sides won’t set you back more than 20K IDR.
