Tips for a smooth trip

* Secondhand books are available at the Magic Mushroom bookshop on Jl. Pasanggrahan.

* Bring enough cash for the length of your stay unless you have a BNI card, the only ATM I saw there.

* The best, yet cheapest, seafood, from three restaurants I sampled, is at the Lonely Planet restaurant, at the far end of the west beach.

* Alternately, buy raw seafood at the fish market and grill it yourself on the beach. Ask your hotel attendants for help.

* Be careful to keep your electronic belongings -- cell phone, discman, camera -- in a waterproof bag.

* There is no changing room on the white beach, although you can create your own in the woods for a more jungle safari feeling.

* Bring extra clothes and always be prepared to jump into the water, even if you think you wouldn't want to.

* Take a shower after enjoying a swim in the river. Even if you feel refreshed, you never know what small bugs may lurk in the creases of your clothes.

* A tube of insect bite gel will probably prove indispensable.