Views #135 | Low Intermediate 4

Bali

Phil talks about his travels to Bali and recommends things to do while there.

Script
Vocab
Quiz


Phil	Todd

Todd: OK, Phil, you've been talking about your trip to Asia. I have a couple weeks,so I can go anywhere in Asia, what do you recommend that I do if i only have two
weeks?

Phil: How much money do you have?

Todd: Maybe $2,000, $3,000.

Phil: If I were you I'd probably go to Indonesia. -- Do you like surfing?

Todd: You know, I've never surfed.

Phil: OK, well, Indonesia is not a bad place to learn either. I'd recommend going, flying in to Denpassar, and getting down towards Dreamland beach. That's at the southern most tip of Bali. The waves there, I'm a beginning surfer too, the waves there aren't very big, 5, 5, 4 - 5 feet, and just really nice people there. The locals are willing to help you. You meet a lot of Balinese young kids, 12, 13 years old. They're singing in the water as they surf. They're giving each wave names, so It's a lot of fun and there's no attitude, and people are there just to have fun. It's a good time.

Todd: Wow, that sounds nice.

Phil: That area of Indonesia is really nice. Lombok is nice too. If you are more wanting to relax, I would go to Lombok, and then go up to Gili Trawangan, which is a small island off the east coast of Lombok. There's no cars on the island. The electricity is a little dodgy. It might flicker on and off. Food is great. You get fresh fish all the time. Snorkeling's nice if you like scuba diving. You can arrange tours through several companies there. But, yeah, I really like Gili Trawangan and I would recommend that to anyone who wants to relax for a couple of weeks.

Learn vocabulary from the lesson!

recommend

What do you recommend?

If you 'recommend' something you are telling other people that it is good and that they should try or do it. Notice the following:

Our friend recommended this restaurant.
Would you recommend the hotel where you stayed?

willing

The locals are willing to help you

In this sentence 'willing' can be replaced with 'ready' or 'happy.' In other words, the locals like to help. Notice the following:

The cashier said that she wasn't willing to return my money.
Are you willing to help me move to my new apartment next week.

no attitude

It's a lot of fun and there's no attitude.

In this case 'attitude' is referring to negative thoughts or actions towards other people. Notice the following:

I don't like your attitude towards me.
If she had a better attitude she would be more successful.

dodgy

The electricity is a little dodgy.

If electricity is 'dodgy' you can't always be certain that it will work. It is unreliable. Notice the following:

When you are traveling, you should try to avoid the dodgy parts of town.
The taxi driver seemed a bit dodgy, and I was very happy to be with a friend.

flicker

Flicker on and off.

If lights 'flicker' on and off then they are blinking, but not at a regular speed and not intentionally. Usually lights flicker if there is a problem with the electricity or the light bulb. Notice the following:

The lamp next to my bed was flickering on and off and making it very difficult to read.
The signal was bad and the television was flickering on and off.