In the North of Bali, we spent three days on the coast in Lovina. The popular tourist attraction in Lovina are the active Balinese dolphins. We opted out of this since we've seen hundreds of dolphins on this trip, and back home for that matter. The hotel had a nice pool and Lauren spent a day reading and relaxing while Brian dove Pulau Menjangan, Bali's most famous dive location. The island is uninhabited and is now a protected national park. The underwater life was very vibrant and healthy. The highlight of the dive was a pair of pink pigmy seahorses that were perfectly camouflaged to the pink fan they were attached. They were nearly impossible to see being a mere 3/8” tall.
A two hour shuttle ride took us to our next destination, the small fishing village of Amed. We were able to secure a bungalow on the beach for $17/ night... a little more pricey than the landside accommodations, but well worth the $2 upgrade. The snorkeling right off the beach had nice coral (especially fan coral), fish, sea bottom temples, and strong current. Amed was difficult to leave so we opted to stay here a full week and skip the Pandangbai area. The family that ran our bungalow and the attached cafe were very kind and had cute children who would eat breakfast with us and come to check-in during the day. The Balinese view children as very honored beings, since it is believed that babies are reincarnated ancestors. A Balinese baby will be carried everywhere (without exception) for three months because the ground is considered impure.
We went out fishing twice with the family, once at sunset to bottom fish and the next for some sunrise trolling. Locals fish using sailboats, which we loved. Everyone in Amed is a sailor and fisherman, but no one would consider themselves such. It's just a part of their coastal lifestyle and a culture that promotes supporting a multigenerational family, regardless of one's day job.
We rented a scooter for two days and explored the villages to the east of Amed. There was a Japanese shipwreck just off shore, two bays east of us. The wreck was shallow so we were able to snorkel and explore the boat frame and the coral growing on it. Afterwards, we warmed up on the rocky beach, covering ourselves with smooth warm rocks. Brian spent a morning diving a Liberty Ship wreck off of the beach in Tulamben along with a wall dive, which he really enjoyed. The ship wreck was a good spot for schools of fish and nudabrinks but the highlight of the day was another pair of pgymy seahorses on the wall dive. These were twice the size, a mere 3/4”, and light purple with dark purple spots to perfectly match the fan they were attached to.
During our stay in Amed, there was a three day wedding ceremony on the hillside above the town. We never saw the bride or groom, but heard the festivities and ceremonies carry on day and night. The proper way to be married in Bali is for the man's family to propose to the women's family. Becoming more popular is the “less proper” way to marry which is by elopement/kidnapping. The man steals the woman from the village and they go off and commit to themselves to each other. It's a little scandalous (especially for them woman's family), but when the couple returns they are officially recognized as married and a big party is held.
A day trip with a motorbike took us into the highlands of East Bali. Pura Lempuyang is one of Bali's nine directional temples. After a 30 minute walk to the base of the temple, our sea legs were put to the test with climbing 1,700 stairs to the highest temple. We were not able to visit the temple at the top of the peak of Gunung Lempuyang because “aggressive monkeys” recently killed a priest. This prompted Brian to carry a bamboo stick around for the remainder of the walk. The middle temples were filled with worshipers and had impressive views of the valleys along the coast.
Just when you think you've seen it all (I've said this before on this trip) we were motorbiking and came across a family that carves wooden penises to be sold as Bali souvenirs in the larger cities. We had seen these in shops lining the streets of Kuta. Now we know... they are, in fact, authentic Balinese carved penises. Anyway, there were hundreds of these things in piles and a whole family just whittling away... strange. Supply and demand.
The tickets are booked. We fly to Bankok, Thailand on September 27th. We are looking forward to spending the holidays with our family and friends in North Carolina and Ohio.
A two hour shuttle ride took us to our next destination, the small fishing village of Amed. We were able to secure a bungalow on the beach for $17/ night... a little more pricey than the landside accommodations, but well worth the $2 upgrade. The snorkeling right off the beach had nice coral (especially fan coral), fish, sea bottom temples, and strong current. Amed was difficult to leave so we opted to stay here a full week and skip the Pandangbai area. The family that ran our bungalow and the attached cafe were very kind and had cute children who would eat breakfast with us and come to check-in during the day. The Balinese view children as very honored beings, since it is believed that babies are reincarnated ancestors. A Balinese baby will be carried everywhere (without exception) for three months because the ground is considered impure.
We went out fishing twice with the family, once at sunset to bottom fish and the next for some sunrise trolling. Locals fish using sailboats, which we loved. Everyone in Amed is a sailor and fisherman, but no one would consider themselves such. It's just a part of their coastal lifestyle and a culture that promotes supporting a multigenerational family, regardless of one's day job.
We rented a scooter for two days and explored the villages to the east of Amed. There was a Japanese shipwreck just off shore, two bays east of us. The wreck was shallow so we were able to snorkel and explore the boat frame and the coral growing on it. Afterwards, we warmed up on the rocky beach, covering ourselves with smooth warm rocks. Brian spent a morning diving a Liberty Ship wreck off of the beach in Tulamben along with a wall dive, which he really enjoyed. The ship wreck was a good spot for schools of fish and nudabrinks but the highlight of the day was another pair of pgymy seahorses on the wall dive. These were twice the size, a mere 3/4”, and light purple with dark purple spots to perfectly match the fan they were attached to.
During our stay in Amed, there was a three day wedding ceremony on the hillside above the town. We never saw the bride or groom, but heard the festivities and ceremonies carry on day and night. The proper way to be married in Bali is for the man's family to propose to the women's family. Becoming more popular is the “less proper” way to marry which is by elopement/kidnapping. The man steals the woman from the village and they go off and commit to themselves to each other. It's a little scandalous (especially for them woman's family), but when the couple returns they are officially recognized as married and a big party is held.
A day trip with a motorbike took us into the highlands of East Bali. Pura Lempuyang is one of Bali's nine directional temples. After a 30 minute walk to the base of the temple, our sea legs were put to the test with climbing 1,700 stairs to the highest temple. We were not able to visit the temple at the top of the peak of Gunung Lempuyang because “aggressive monkeys” recently killed a priest. This prompted Brian to carry a bamboo stick around for the remainder of the walk. The middle temples were filled with worshipers and had impressive views of the valleys along the coast.
Just when you think you've seen it all (I've said this before on this trip) we were motorbiking and came across a family that carves wooden penises to be sold as Bali souvenirs in the larger cities. We had seen these in shops lining the streets of Kuta. Now we know... they are, in fact, authentic Balinese carved penises. Anyway, there were hundreds of these things in piles and a whole family just whittling away... strange. Supply and demand.
The tickets are booked. We fly to Bankok, Thailand on September 27th. We are looking forward to spending the holidays with our family and friends in North Carolina and Ohio.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
No comments:
Post a Comment