Yawn, yawn, yawn.
Wake up at 6.30, just in time to miss the sunrise, fail to produce something drinkable with the coffee facilities at the room, and head out to see the village. Tropical plants all around, and I meet a woman who's fetching breakfast from the local store (far different than the local store of your neighbourhood, I assure you). In some of the yards further away from the hotel, women seem to have come to life out of a Gaugin-ese setting. Did not take any pictures, as it felt too intrusive.
Back to the hotel, waiting for The Man to wake up, I walk around appreciating the taste of the owner, nothing is out of place, fitting nicely with the scenery and local aesthetics, yet luxurious in a laid back kind of way. Breakfast, balinese message by the lady I met in the morning and her daughter (I think everyone in the village works for the two hotels that are here in one way or the other) and off we go!
On the way down, the driver stops and shows us the vanilla, coffee and chocolate beans. Some are hard to get, and he uses a big stick to make the fruit drop on the ground. Taste was nothing like I know it to be. He explains how challenging it is to dry the beans under humid conditions (i.e., always). Do you know which is which?
We encounter more rice fields!
We will visit two temples, both part of a seaside-temple-trail founded, or reestablished by priest Nirartha. After 3 days on the island, we will finally get to the sea!
First thing's first, the crowded Pura Tanah Lot, guarded by holy snakes (entrance 10.000Rp). The temple is on a rock, and we get wet on the way there. A priest gives us blessings, sticks rice on our foreheads and a flowers behind our ears, but we are not allowed to go further in.
Back to the car through the longest trail of stalls, much more expensive than those we encountered yesterday.
On the way to Bukit Peninsula, we ask the driver to stop at one of the run down food stalls by the road, where the locals eat. We get two plates of everything ("ap'ola", I have never ordered this in a restaurant before), but the fact that it is too spicy, combined with my doubts for the hygiene of the place, means that I will not eat that much after all. The Man did, however, as it was the most grafic thing to do under the circumstances, and I am glad to say he survived it quite neatly!
We get to the south, in Pura Luhur Ulu Watu, also one of the nine most important temples of the island. The view to the ocean is amazing. Far away, we can distinguish a couple of surfers waiting for the waves.
We are not the only ones mesmerized by the view, though. Some monkeys are having dinner overlooking the ocean, as well as the tourists. One of them actually grabbed my purse!
Time to head for the beach! We opt for Jimbaran, and get there about half an hour before sunset. We went to the southest part of this ultra long beach, which is protected by the big balinese waves. Lots of people were swimming, mostly locals. One of them brought me back my mobile phone, which I had accidentally dropped while running around, and started talking to me, but I could not understand a thing!
Our trip finishes here, with the one of the best dinners of my life, delicious seafood, grilled over coconuts, served practically on the beach, overlooking the Indian ocean. If there is one thing I recommend to everyone coming to Bali to do, is to come and dine here. Best value for money I have ever gotten.
We did go to Kuta afterward, but not much to write about.
We did go to Kuta afterward, but not much to write about.
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