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Published: June 24th 2008
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So with the worst map in the world and our £4 a day rental jeep we made it to Perernan Beach just outside of Canggu, another surfing hotspot. The L.P had mentioned a lovely little homestay called Pondok Wisata Nyoman, right on the beach with just 4 rooms. We actually managed to find it, more by luck than judgement I think. It was at the end of a long road through the paddy fields dotted with houses of typical beautiful Balinese design. As it was firmly off the tourist trail it was frequented with a lot of local surfers, and on our arrival the waves were big and menacing crashing onto the beach wall.
We got out of the jeep to investigate. The sun was beating down and the tarmac was hot. Stu had been driving, as I was not quite brave enough to tackle the craziness of Balinese roads just yet! He has a habit of driving barefoot and particularly now with the injured lacerated toes from the motorbike incident, but, shoes were now clearly needed……and he had left them back in Kuta, on the pavement, outside of the Bendesa! He had no other shoes, and there were no
shops in the immediate area. So now he had burnt soles too!
The homestay was a real find. Beautiful bungalows tastefully decorated in Balinese style with well tended gardens around. The bathroom was really something else. The cost a mere 120,000Rp - just £6.70 a night! Amazing!
We had to head back into town to pick up some cheap flip flops for Shoeless Joe Jackson (or he would have to wear mine). On the was back we stopped at Echo Beach and saw a Hindu ceremony taking place at a temple on the beach - it could have been a wedding, it was difficult to tell, but it was very enchanting.
I was still quite sunburnt, and unable to straighten out my legs for fear of ripping the skin on the backs of my knees, that were now beginning to blister. And I certainly had to keep them covered in case I frightened anyone. How silly do I feel? I never go outside without at least SPF 30 - but just didn’t think I had been in the water that long! And now Stu was developing another illness, that terrible, worst of all illnesses- ‘man-flu’. Oh dear!
So the rest of the afternoon was spent snoozing on the terrace (not being well enough to get in the water).
By the evening we were feeling a bit brighter and of course with the sun going down the intense heat was easier to handle. We walked along the beach (black volcanic sand), which with the tide now out became a hub of activity. There were games of football, a martial arts lesson or 3, and lots of young Balinese surfers, probably aged about 8 or 9 - really showing up the Westerners.
In the evening we decided to head back into Canggu to find some food, as we had eaten in the café at lunch time and didn’t fancy its limited menu of jaffles (toasties) and nasi goreng (fried rice) again. Canggu by night was a different experience. Crossing the road was hard enough with the swarms of mopeds and lorries thundering through. There were no tourists and we stuck out a like a sore thumb. Other than the intense staring we received most people were friendly and helpful. We picked a satay stall that sold unidentifiable meat on sticks. We were told it was ‘kamping’, well
I knew it wasn’t chicken and it couldn’t be pork as it was run by Muslims, so I hoped it was beef. Stu was convinced it was liver. The addition of rice and sauce made it quite palatable. With our usually international sign language we successfully ordered, ate and paid the bill - spending less than 50p. After that a helpful taxi driver who could speak English directed us through the stalls, and we picked up some sweetcorn, deep fried somethings, and a doughnut. (I later learnt kamping=lamb).
It was still a little intimidating so we left and headed back for a quiet beer at the homestay. We were joined by the pet dogs, which were very cute looking but really quite aggressive. In general, Bali has a dog problem. There are literally hundreds of dogs on the streets and wandering in the roads. Some are owned, but most are strays and very scabby and skinny. It’s quite sad.
During the night the rain came down relentlessly. The morning didn’t really improve. We had our breakfast in the ‘surf watch café’ and watched waves that were not being surfed. The rain and rough sea conditions were predicted to
last the next few days so we made the decision to move on and inland to Ubud for a few days of tranquillity.
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