Bali -- Day 5 -- Road Trip

I had a quick continental breakfast at Adi Cottages, checked out and went to an internet cafe to check my mail. Around 9.30 am, Ayub came to Adi Cottages to pick me up for the road trip to north of Bali. He had hired an SUV (a small one at that) for 2 days at 180,000 Rp (~ 18 USD) per day. Accompanying him was his friend, Dewi, whom I recognized as one of the staff from the hotel. They were on a "clandestine" trip together at my expense. I didn't mind it all. Dewi knew very little English, so we mostly communicated through Ayub. We drove through some terraced paddy fields, then northbound to Kintamani, near Mount Batur, an active volcano. We took the detour downhill along the steep and winding road to Lake Batur, where we spent a few minutes taking in the beautiful, yet rustic surroundings. There are lots of campers that spend days on end climbing the mountain. I might consider it one of these days. We'll see.

On our return to Kintamani, we went to a recently-built popular restaurant that overlooked the volcano and had lunch. I offered to take Ayub and Dewi with me, instead they went to the lower level where the Balinese go (it's much cheaper), while I went to the rooftop (90,000 Rp) and had the lunch buffet. I think it's a form of discrimination to have the locals and the tourists eat at separate places and to, of course, be charged different rates. As they say, while in Rome... It was a good spread, but nothing to write home about. The view, however, was fantastic. Strong gusty winds blew across while I ate looking at the weirdly denuded sides of the mountain where the lava flow had obliterated all vegetation.

Our final destination was Lovina/Singaraja, a sleepy town on the north coast of Bali and a welcome change from the hustle and bustle of Kuta. The roads to Lovina are relatively narrow, winding and full of traffic. The lush greenery and the varying vegetation made the long, slow drive very enjoyable. Bali has only two seasons -- rainy and dry, but the temperature remains more or less the same. Therefore, many fruits such as mangoes and bananas, and vegetables grow all the year round.

We tried accommodations at many beach resorts and after some search, Ayub recommended a cottage right on the beach. For the life of me, I cannot remember the name of the place, since it's relatively new and construction was still going on. To get a good price, Ayub bargained and got the local rate for two a/c rooms at 125,000 Rp each. Had I gone there on my own, I would have easily paid at least 3 times that amount! Good to have a local friend. We checked into the hotel rooms and after a few minutes of resting in a/c, we met again under the canopy facing north toward Bali Sea, relaxed with a couple of Bintang beers and feasted on the freshly cut mangoes Dewi had bought at a roadside stand. Man, it was peaceful, however, too hot to swim yet. This is what beach side resort living is all about -- leisurely pace, calm waters, good food and of course nothing to disturb you. I can fully imagine coming here to write a book (if I only had the talent to do so).

After a nap, we had kopi bali at a beach side cafe about 10 minutes by car and waited for the sunset views. It lived up to my expectations - gorgeous colors, calm, soothing waters. We drove back to the motel and I swam in the calm sea for about 45 minutes. Interesting fact: the sands on the north coast of Bali are black and volcanic, while the sands in the south (Kuta) are white and sparkling. The water in Lovina was fairly warm and very conducive for a swim. Upon my return, there was a minor crowd of locals hawking cheap jewelery and useless trinkets as well as Balinese massages and dolphin sight-seeing tours. They left when we didn't buy anything.

We were ready for dinner and searched in vain for authentic Balinese food, but had to settle for the beach side cafe we had visited earlier. We had some beer, excellent Balinese satay, nasi goreng, a fish curry and a terrible calamari. Oh well. The total tab for three was only 91,000 Rp! Well, time for bed. Good night! I will definitely visit Lovina again.

Bali (Kuta) -- Day 1 -- Restu Bali Hotel

It was a long, tiring night at the Hong Kong international airport. My 3 1/2 hour flight to Denpasar at 10.00 am was uneventful. The airport was very cheery and I looked forward to a fantastic time in Bali. Upon arrival, I got a visa for a week (10 USD). Since I had not made any hotel arrangements, I decided to book a room at the airport itself. After going through the brochures I settled on Restu Bali Hotel (435,000 Rupiah for two nights ~ 24 USD per night). This hotel is situated on the main strip in Kuta along Jalan Legian about 1/2 km from the beach.

Kuta is the principal tourist destination in Bali and approximately 15 minutes by taxi from the airport. There are plenty of hotels, restaurants and bars in Kuta Beach and Jalan Legian is the hotbed for nightlife in Bali. However, since 2002, this area has been under a deep economic crisis due to two terrorist bombings. Since most of the Balinese economy is from tourism, the effects of terrorism are very visible -- empty hotels, empty streets, empty stores, empty bars, empty beaches and empty restaurants. It's hard to imagine why someone would commit such dastardly acts on a people who are among the most peaceful and gentlest I've ever met. Unlike the rest of Indonesia, the Balinese are 85% Hindu and their commitment to non-violent ways are always on display. More about the Balinese later!

I took a cab to Kuta (45,000 Rupiah ~ 5 USD), once again a ripoff, not that I minded it that much. One thing you have to get used to is the number of zeros in the currency. You feel like a millionaire in Bali especially when you use the ATMs, and they are plentiful in Bali! First order of business was to get acquainted with the hotel and the surroundings. The hotel was very nice and had two Jacuzzis and two huge swimming pools. My room was for two persons with nice bathrooms and plenty of towels. The hotel was built in a typical Balinese style and reminded me a little of temples in India, however, without the ostentatious decorations. The hotel staff were extremely polite, helpful and spoke English with varying degrees of familiarity. The hotel was practically empty, maybe the fact that it was off-season had something to do something with it as well.

I relaxed for an hour in the Jacuzzi and never saw any other guests. After a quick shower, I checked with the hotel reception for restaurant recommendations. In the meanwhile, one of the hotel staff, Ayub, an extremely nice, polite man, suggested that the following day I try some outdoor activities. He was going to be my de facto guide throughout my stay in Bali. I sauntered along Jalan Legian and had an early dinner at Made Warung restaurant (it was also recommended by Lonely Planet). I relaxed with a bottle of Bintang beer until food. I had some excellent pork satay and nasi goreng (104,000 Rp). I shared my table with two young Japanese girls who spoke very little English. Nevertheless, with sign language and some Japanese words I knew, we had a great time.

Dinner done with, I walked back along Jalan Legian and took in the hundreds of (empty) arts and handicrafts stores, sporting goods stores, jewelery stores, restaurants, clothing stores and the always open bars. The merchandise was touristy for the most part and in my opinion a little schlocky. Of course, you cannot avoid the guys standing around offering you fake watches and shades or hawking "massage parlors". In an effort to survive, many of them convert their motorbikes into impromptu taxis. If you are traveling alone, it's a good deal to take one of these motorbikes. I stopped at Roscoe's Bar near my hotel and had two more Bintang beers (16,000 Rp each). You don't have to tip, although they were very glad when I did so. I returned to my hotel room and slept early, for the next day was going to be hectic.