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July 2nd
After we enjoyed our last breakfast on our veranda, we packed our goodies, hopped in our Jimny and set off for Lovina, a town on the north coast of Bali. On the way we picked up another tote bag to put our shopping in. We've accumulated a few things since our arrival here and need a spot more space.
Driving on these roads isn't as scary as we had thought (we've survived the streets of Vietnam after all). You just have to know that people insist on overtaking on blind corners and hills, and drive with at least half their car in the opposite lane. When you drive with this in mind you'll be okay.
After navigating through the traffic we finally left the city area and wound our way into the mountainous inner region. It got cool and misty as we climbed higher and higher. Near the top we stopped for lunch, then drove on past two big lakes, Lake Bratan and Lake Buyan. Just past the lakes we saw a troop of Balinese Macaques sitting next to the road. A lady was selling bananas to feed them, but we don't believe in doing that, so
we just took pictures. They were very very cute.
We drove on into the rain and mist near the summit, then wound our way down a very steep road. Soon we were clear of the rain and the heat started building once more. We were really enjoying the road trip. It's fantastic to have the freedom that the car affords us.
As we reached Singaraja (translates as "Lion King"), a few hotel touts on scooters wanted to waylay us and drag us off to their establishments. In an attempt not to be bamboozled or hassled we quickly scanned through our guidebook for the name of a place where we could say we're staying. Talita spotted a place that sounded great and we decided to go see if they had rooms available. Somehow we managed to lose the touts
and find our place of choice, Kuba Lalang.
Situated down a small road surrounded by rice paddies, these beautiful bungalows is almost on top of the black volcanic beach and surrounded by a tranquil garden. The bungalows are amazing and the price really good, so it was a no-brainer. We booked in for three nights.
The bungalow is
Mom and baby
Balinese Macaqueabsolutely gorgeous! It has two queen size beds, one upstairs and one downstairs. It also has two daybeds on the veranda and a semi open air stone bathroom. Bali is just getting better and better and we are getting thoroughly spoiled!
In the restaurant we enjoyed a delicious welcome drink with a bamboo straw. Talita went down to the black beach and befriended Suzie, a local lady about her age. She makes and sells pendants from treated coconut husks and polished shells and speaks English very well. Coming from Africa we're used to seeing poverty, but speaking to someone who struggles to survive daily in this "paradise" for western people was hard. It made us appreciate how fortunate and blessed we are all over again.
After chatting for about an hour we bought a few of Suzie's creations and said goodbye. We unpacked, had a shower in our gorgeous bathroom, then had a delicious dinner.
Just after 8pm we were in bed and soon drifted off to sleep. What an awesome place this is!
Today's highlights:
1. Driving through the misty mountains.
2. Seeing our first Balinese Macaque.
3. Finding Kuba Lalang with their beautiful bungalows.
Welcome drink
Note the cool bamboo straw 4. Delicious curry dinner.
Thought for the day:
Our lives are but a puff of wind, so why do we stress/think so much about the future instead of enjoying the here and now? July 3rd
Breakfast was a feast. Kuba Lalang is awesome! If you want to enjoy amazing food and fantastic service in a beautiful and peaceful setting, then this is the place for you.
After breakfast we hopped into our little beast and hit the road, exploring Lovina and its surrounds. We drove through town and some villages farther to the west and passed a big Buddhist monastery (we weren't properly dressed and wasn't tempted to go in). We drove on into the mountains looking for the Air Panas hot-spring. It was a beautiful drive and we stopped for a few pictures, but after a while we realized that we were on the wrong road so we turned around.
We found the right road and drove to the hot-springs. Before we could get to the entrance we had to run a gauntlet of shops and hawkers, most of whom were cute little girls selling bracelets. After meeting Suzie we were much more attuned to
the hard life these people live and were ready to give a little back. Ferdi's heart was quickly stolen by the cute, babbling little children and the bracelets they sold were so cheap. Before you could say "bracelet" he had three on his arm.
A greedy shop keeper lured us into his shop and proceeded to bully and harass us until we bought a sarong. We felt cheated and stupid because the lady right next door offered us the same sarong at half the price we paid the bully. Every time we let our guard down or want to do something good we get ripped off. It's not about losing the money, it's the way they take advantage of us that anger and disappoints us.
We weren't in the mood anymore and the hot-spring wasn't much to write home about. We took a couple of pictures then ran the gauntlet again. Ferdi chatted with the children and bought a couple more bracelets, but when the bully started harassing him into buying more bracelets from his small son, he got angry and left. It's sad that a few greedy locals have the power to make one dislike an entire
nation of really nice, friendly and helpful people, even if it is only for a few moments.
After that yucky encounter it took us a while to shake off the bad "juju" we felt, but soon the (not-so) open road and the freedom and wonder of where we were won us over again.
Back at home we read and napped on our veranda. We've also started naming all the fish in our dive photos. We're discovering a whole bunch of fish whose names we never knew. It's fun but exhausting and we do a little bit at a time.
In the evening we had a superb dinner (we've almost run out of expletives to describe how wonderful the food here is) then retired for the evening.
Today's highlights:
1. Cruising around in our Jimny.
2. Buying bracelets from the little kids.
3. Superb dinner.
July 4th
We were up before dawn to prepare for our dolphin spotting expedition. Because we stay for three nights we get the trip for free.
Just after 6am we got in a little boat and slowly headed out to sea. It was great to cruise the Bali Sea in the
cool early morning. We saw a whole bunch of dolphins, but sadly, as it goes with these things, we were soon surrounded by a ton of other boats chasing after the poor creatures (Leon will remember a similar scene in Zanzibar). Our skipper had a good approach though; he would move as if to intercept the dolphins, but before he got too close he would lift the throttle and just idle. Some of the other boats would chase till they were right on top of the dolphins, who then (surprise surprise) remain under water and disappear.
We wondered if the dolphins feel threatened by all the boats. Maybe they just laugh at us silly humans, chasing after them, pointing and shouting. They might be just as entertained by us as we are by them. Talita also spotted bright little dots of blue light racing beneath the water. We've never seen anything like it and guessed that it must be little jellyfish.
Breakfast was served on the boat. We had coffee, tea and toasted samies, one with egg, the other with banana. All in all it was an enjoyable experience. We hadn't done anything like it on our trip
and just being out on the ocean that early in the morning was fantastic.
Back home we took an early morning nap on our veranda, then went to a nearby hotel that has dolphins in their aquarium. They have shows as well as therapy programs with their dolphins. While the staff was busy helping other customers we had a great time gazing at their fish tank. It's a saltwater tank and they have six Seahorses (Talita was ecstatic to see live ones because the only place we saw Seahorses in Asia is dried in the markets, bound two by two with elastic bands). There was also a Snake Eel, a Lionfish, a few Boxing Shrimps and a few other creatures.
At the counter we found that if you have US$50 per person you can swim with the dolphins for 20mins. That's the equivalent of two days budget (or seven dives). We just didn't have that kinda cash so we went to explore a part of Lovina we hadn't seen before.
We shared a pizza, three beers and a lot of laughs at a restaurant near the beach. On the way back to our bungalow we saw a dive
shop with some masks on display. Ferdi was still mourning the loss of his beautiful mask in Sipadan. Also, his days as a 30 year old are numbered so we thought a new mask would be an appropriate birthday present. We got a mask (not quite as special as his old one) for a good price and headed home.
We got to Skype boeda Konrad and Vicky and after that had a nice chat with mom Sonja. After a fantastic dinner we also spoke with dad Franz and mom Corne. It was really nice to chat with our peeps back home and see their happy faces.
Today's highlights:
1. Dolphin spotting.
2. A few beers and a lot of laughs with lunch.
3. New mask for Ferdi.
4. Chatting with our family back home.
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Leon Melinda
Leon and Melinda
HAPPY BIRTHDAY OUMA!!!
Ons twee wens jou 'n fantastiese verjaarsdag toe, hoop jy het 'n heerlike amazing dag gehad en ons wens julle alle voorspoed toe vir die jaar wat voorlê! Hugs van Leon & Melinda