Bali III (Yeh Sanih to Amed)
Feb 3-5
Bali is one of the only islands in Indonesia that is predominantly Hindu while the rest of the country is largely Muslim and this is evidenced by the fact that you see “offerings” everywhere you go. The Balinese people are very devout and most family compounds have their own small temple where, two to three times a day, they present offerings consisting of tiny palm frond baskets containing rice, fruit, flowers, incense and even candy to their various gods in order to obtain good luck. The offerings are not limited to temples, however, and appear everywhere from windowsills to sidewalks and we had to be very careful not to step on them when walking down the street. It seemed like everywhere we went, the women were constantly preparing the offerings and would often take time out to show Alexa and Simon how to weave the palm fronds into baskets.
After four days in Ubud, we decided it was time to see the rest of the island and hired Wayan to drive us to the north coast of the island. Along the way, we drove through beautiful mountainous terrain and lush forests with tiny villages sprinkled here and there. When we reached the coast, Wayan took us to a beautiful inn called “Mimpi’s Bungalows” which was owned by a German lady named Rosemary. We were up on a hill overlooking the ocean and had a simple room next to a beautiful pool with flowers all around. The rooftop restaurant commanded a stunning view of the beautiful coastline and served topnotch food. Once again, the exorbitant price for this luxury was 200,000 rupiah ($25Cdn) including breakfast.
The next day, we continued down the east coast in the shadow of Gunung Batur and Gunung Agung. We were now about as far off the tourist map as you can get in Bali and had to resort to hiring a “bemo” to get us to our destination in Amed, a small fishing village about an hour and a half down the coast. A “bemo” is a bright yellow minivan usually used as public transport in Bali and generally crammed to capacity with locals. We paid about $30Cdn for a private trip to Amed and I had to laugh when the ancient creaking bucket of bolts pulled up to pick us up. Our driver spoke no English and had a penchant for the horn, enthusiastically announcing our imminent arrival around every curve in the road and to every pedestrian and motorcycle we passed for good measure. We spent the first half of the trip behind a string of dump trucks hauling volcanic sand and belching black diesel smoke until our driver worked up the nerve to pass them in hair-raising Dukes of Hazzard style with vehicles three abreast and us sandwiched in the middle. After that, we could breathe again and we were able to enjoy the ride a bit more. Simon hung out the open window and waved to everyone we passed and the locals were as curious about us as we were about them. When we finally arrived in Amed, we found a charming little place just across from the beach called Bali Yogi Bungalows where we got our best deal yet. For 120,000 rupiah ($15 Cdn), including breakfast, we got an A-frame bungalow with a loft bedroom for the kids. The place had a beautiful in-ground pool and, since we were the only people staying there, the staff waited on us hand and foot.
We absolutely loved Amed for its peace and tranquility. I got up early to watch the sunrise on the beach by myself the next morning and, as I sat on the black sand in the shadow of Gunung Agung wrapped in my sarong, I felt a sense of calm and serenity wash over me – this was what I had been searching for.
There were hundreds of jukungs (Balinese fishing boats) pulled up on the beach and a layer of smoke and mist hung in the air as a lone fisherman walked the beach. I felt like this was the Bali that so many tourists never get to see and this was the one that I had been longing to experience. As the sun stole over the horizon and lit up the slopes of Gunung Agung, I felt my heart squeeze with a sense of rapture that was mine alone to enjoy.
After breakfast, we rented a couple of scooters and headed further down the coast to go snorkeling on a sunken Japanese wreck just off shore. After lunch, we continued along the coastal road and explored some villages that very rarely saw tourists.
Everyone waved and smiled and the kids would run up to us for high fives. At one point, I noticed that my gas gauge was on empty and we stopped at a tiny store to refuel. There are very few gas stations in Bali and the only way to buy gas is usually from roadside stands in 1L pop bottles. At the little store where we stopped, a group of women were unloading huge bags of rice from the back of a pick-up truck while the driver smoked a cigarette. Claude immediately pitched in and started humping rice sacks for them and only stopped when they brought him gas to refuel the scooter. When he was finished, the driver waved his cigarette at the truck and said, “Hurry up, let’s go!” The ladies were delighted with their unexpected help and gave us some interesting fuzzy fruit in thanks. As we sped back toward Amed, we were glad we had ventured off the beaten path to see Bali at its best.
Tags: Amed, Bali, South East Asia, Travel
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