Sanur

Kuningan and time to leave Amed Pemeluk.  It has been lovely and I thoroughly recommend a visit. I tried to spend money on a cheesy Amed souvenir, nothing. I bought salt. That is enough.

Goodbye little cabin.

 Three per bike is usual, sometimes four.

 Locals after the ceremony were happy. Shook their hands Selamat Kuningan!

 Offerings at the temple outside the hotel.

The locals are dressed up this morning. Ceremony is early.

Kunungan and we are being driven by Gede to Sanur. He convinces us of a stop about halfway at Tenganan for coffee and we readily agree.

 Luwak - eats coffee beans, poos them out, dried and dehusked, roasted and ground. Coffee.

 Nice wrist action.

 All the blends of tea with flavours and sugared to the max. Some are nice. Some not.

Its a coffee and spice plantation theme park. The Luwak coffee sells for 50,000rp a cup. I figure thats the entrance price. Nice brew. Didnt buy any for the trip but did get some coffee ginger blend and some vanilla pods.  Figure we are going through the red quarantine channel when we return anyway. No big thing.

An easy drive from Tenganan to Sanur, the traffic is light and soon we are entering the driveway to Tamukami.  Our third visit.

I intend to get on the front foot with Eugene the Belgian resident owner.  We check in smoothly but it appears they are not here. 

Bit peckish so its a quick ten minute stroll to the Hardy's supermarket. I suss out a half bottle of "whiskey" with a Gilbey's label. $12. And a half of gin. and some limes and tonic.

Back up the road for a quick bite to eat, fairly innocuous meal. Then to the room and later we decide to eat at the hotel.  Nice food, bit bland, the spicing is too beige. The owner arrives. Just back from Belgium where they have buried his wife's sister. I hope she was dead.

Massive bed here at Tamukami, two queen sized joined together and a large mozzie canopy.  I sit on the terrace with a snifter of "whiskey". Smells like nothing, maybe a bit caramel. Definitely not whiskey.  I sip and wait. Nope not bleeding from my ears yet, so maybe, but there is no taste at all.  I pour the glass back into the bottle. Not touching that shit. Air con set and zzzzz's

Sunday and we are planning tattoo's for Monday at Kadek Tattoo just around the corner.  My last tattoo was done at Kadek's in 2010 and it is time for another.  Bit of Pinterest research and I am down to three options, cycling or a scarab beetle.  Choices.

I decide to go for a walk to South Sanur and find a mysterious stone pillar that is supposed to be the oldest man made artifact on the island of Bali.  Got a vague sense it is off a narrow laane off Jalan Danau Poso so I march off.  Sandy is getting her toes done.  More on that later.

The Hyatt has dominated Sanur for decades.  We have wandered through the grounds on a few occasions marvelling at the pampering and isolation on offer.  Sandy's first trip with her family was to this hotel in 1983. Now its shut. And starting to crumble from accelerated decay in the tropics.  Nore the bored security guard.  I do know a man was killed by a python here maybe a couple of years ago?

Wander up the road some more. I am a terrible shopper. Cashed up refuse to buy the crap on offer. Same shops same stuff all crap and haggling is a pain in the arse.  Here's another building with some cool graff.

Anyway this bloody stone pillar. Its near a temple, in the red light district.  Single man I get a couple of whispered entreaties - happy ending, Cialys, etc. Jalan jalan. The massage places are less salons and more well brothels I guess.

The signs tempt someone for a 4 hand beer massage, four hand triple s massage.

Jalan jalan.

And there it is after a bit of wandering in circles. Half buried the very rickety shed they have built around it is slowly rusting/rotting away.  I do not read sanskrit so maybe do some googling.

Call from Sandy's Uncle Ray, in town heading over for a feed, so I start the three kay stroll back.  Cooling down with cloud cover.

.

Translation - Mother Megawati Soekarno Putri, please save Bali, cancel the reclamation of Benoa Bay.

Sandy has seen Ray and Sandy from the nail salon. They have managed to slice her cuticle and one of her toes is bleeding. Not very attractive but red nail polish.  Anyway we head to Ducks Nuts for cold beers and a bit of food. 

Spicy chicken wings are not. The nasi goreng, mee goreng and chicken breast are all good. I miss out again.
More beers and a couple more. Then dinner at the hotel - chciken cordonbleu yum and a walk around the area, through some back lanes and into the local night market.

She looks happy

Yes of course it works. That's why a tobacconist is selling it

Cos seahorses are medicine for kidneys

Its a party in my pants!

BEEFCAKE!

The market is finishing at 8.30.  We wander some more, get an icecream Es Krem and wander down to the beach and see some ritzy hotels not seen before.

Then a dinosaur emerges.

What is it?

No idea what that is.
Head back to the hotel and the Sumatran 6 piece folk music ensemble is strutting their stuff. Quite nice with a gin and no conversation with my Japanese bar rat.  I do know Kampai though.

Sleep comes and I leave, walk ten yards to the room and at the dunny before the knock on the door, I didnt sign my one drink bar bill.  FFS.

Tuesday second last day. Coffee blogging breakfast and a walk to Kadek's. I dont have a booking after all. There's a bloke getting a full upperarm sleeve and chest. Just started. Damnit.
So I make a booking for Cait for 10am 26 January and leave.

Watch out anjing I am going to kick you.

Freed up the day. It will be cheaper for me to make a booking with Kadek, book a one night hotel, get inked and return than to get a tattoo in Perth.  Kadek's art is of the highest quality, and after my last tattoo where I himpaid higher than the local going rate, I only want him to do my work.  Cool, I can put more though behind my ideas and maybe get a coverup on my first tattoo.  Choices.


Might be the last blog on this trip. Thanks for reading. Please comment here not FB. Tar.
Steven

Day before Kuningan Day

The day after Sacred Baby Festival and nothing has changed.  I wake to the soft thrumming of motorbikes pootling past, some fast some slow.   The putt-putt of the boats leaving or returning. Mewling cats. People walking on the beach.

Deb's kettle is invaluable. I can get up and start the day without having to negotiate with anyone before I have had my hit.

Pretty close to peaceful I reeckon


Post breakfast Sandy has chosen to endure a massage at the cabin. I choose a walk along the beach and maybe a souvenir and to change a bit of money.

Just a short walk along the beach.  Past Warung BoBo and further.  On the way down the beach I find a 100,000 rp note. Not loose change.  I cut in through a salt panning area and a couple of young girls sell me a small packet of salt. Maybe I get ripped off, really cant be bothered to haggle and how am I going to lose out? Paid 30,000rp for their morning good luck sale and move on.

..

And building continues. This will be another beachfront two storey hotel.  There are a couple more being built along the Jemeluk strip.

Its looking like rain, its 10.30. Time for a beer.

The coast road to the east.  Our cabin is just behind that building on the left.  All traffic for the east goes past this point.

Where old jukungs go to die, in a ditch next to the coast road.

Entrance to Kembali Beach Bungalows.

Sandy is still having her massage when I get back so I prop myself up in the breakfast room and have a beer. Warum nicht?

Post massage I propose a luncheon, choose then reject pizza as an option and head into the next section of Jemeluk. Avoiding Sama-Sama because of the lacklustre food, but now I recall the lack lustre service as well.  Last time we started to kick our thongs off but they said no need, ok we take our table. Before giving us our menu they are washing down the floor of our footprints.

No. Not again.

Choose Tradisi Hotel instead. A warren of two storey bungalows that on a hot day would be airlesss and monstered by aircon units. Nice beachfront pool and restaurant.  Choose Sate Lilit and Nasi Campur. Start playing cards - rummy. Sandy is whipping me today.  Her meal arrives, and we stop playing.  Mine will come soon enough. Ten minutes later Sandy has finished and here comes mine and wow, salty spicy ground chicken mince delicious with a beer or three.  I then request a change of card game and we mosey on into cribbage, scoring on the phone.

Sandy gets cocky. She is whipping me at this, I blame the cards and she struggles to make smug faces. Every time she tries her face gurns into a leering jubilant beaming "Im smashing you" visage. I love her so much.

Then the cards turn and despite being 20 points behind when she reaches 101 I start pegging well especially for "his knob" and take the win at 201!! We call it later with me on 225 and the boss on 205. YESSSS!!!!
..
As we sit and play and drink and eat. A troup of child trinket-sellers comes to us and offers bracelets.  I smile and say no thankyou.  The girls ages guessing 7,6,5,4.  They leave, Sandy softly mutters some words and I call them back.  I ask do you share the money? Among all four?  Not sure if I'm getting through.

I hand the 100,000rp to them. They each say thankyou and we shake hands.  It wasn't my money I found on their beach.  Later a young lad of about ten who is flogging model jukungs does the same. I have been smiling and saying "No" or just ignoring him in my book. All week.  I give him 50,000rp. Happy Kuningan.  Hard working boy.

I want this for the front yard!!!

Back to the cabin for an episode of HoC and then where else but Warung BoBo.

Koman says - "Hello Wayan Steve Made Sandy - Two margarita On Rock?"  Ya Ya suk sema!!

I choose the tasty mee goreng, Sandy goes for a stir friedchicken and vegetable dish.  Beers for me and the band and more when we leave. 

Playing with the voice activation on the phone.

We have loved being in Amed. Bogan count zero and I include myself in that. Seven days is enough to really relax and get into a sense of true mental quietude.  I started my meditating by the shore and throwing pebbles and watching the ripples radiate. And watching and the focus of your attention narrows, still aware but less stressed. The waves wash the occasionally intrusive motorbike noise away.  The beeps of bikes and cars and trucks are gone in an instant. Waves are constant and this is serene.

As I wake I notice the jukung putt-putt noise is absent - it is Kuningan Day - day of celebration. Everyone is at ceremony.  Our day to leave Amed and head to Sanur.  Happy to leave because Amed has done its duty and put us both into extreme casual rest and focus.  Both for ourselves and each other, and perhaps even les autres (now don't go too far Stevo)

"Money doesn't buy you happiness but it can put you in a hotel in Amed Jemeluk and cruise right up beside it" Steven McKiernan 27 December 2014 adapted from David Lee Roth.

What I did Christmas 2014

The roar of traffic on the one coast road that connects the villages in the east coast is subdued. Its just as loud but seemingly less hectic, the young lads aren't gassing it through every turn, and the two strokes have turned it down a notch.

Coffee on the verandah - aah.  Our trip here was sponsored by Deb and Jack who loaned us a small kettle for early starts without imposing on the breakfast staff. Also I dont have to get dressed. Just a sarong and sit and sip and watch the put-put boats return to their home beach.

I am sitting at the perfect angle to watch the sun glint of one of the wake waves, flash flash flash.

It's Christmas and we are not with Caity for the first time and its a little strange. She is at her boyfriends family's place and she texts through that they are not as committed to this day or the early start and the rush of visiting necessary that we seem to do every year. A few texts and chatting with her and we scoff our slap up Sacred Baby Festival brekky.

Banana pancakes yum.

Get the key and helmets for the Honda and head west.  There is a large front that is over the ridgeline to the south. It woke me up at 04.30am not by the rumble but by the flashing of lightning in the sky. I wandered down to the beach and turned south and the entire sky filled with flashes reflected back through the clouds. Yet to the north there was nothing of this weather nonsense.

Sandy's back has taken a hammering by the physics involved in riding 2-up on an undersuspended 110 scooter carrying perhaps over its design guideline weight restriction.  Twist the throttle and go. But we have a warning and a series of pelvic floor exercises to do every time I warm 'Bump'.  The way I see it we both win. 'Bump' squeeze. 'Bump' squeeze.

Out of Amed. We immediately enter farming community and then the small town Culik, which stands at the intersection for the road over the mountain to Amlapura and the south, and the road west. We turn right and head for Tulamben covering the road we took when we drove from Lovina.  Many small roads go left or right but no indication they lead to anything significant, we know the ocean is on our right and we cannot ignore the domination of Gunung Agung to the left. Over 3000m tall the north coast is dissected by lava flows from the 1963 eruption. It made a huge impact on this side of the island and many people died.

We are through Tulamben before we realise and there was nothing that stood out. So crack on. The road is smooth the only issue being bridges where we watch the expansion joints for more pelvic floor action. The river beds we cross are dry and rocky and despite the storm front hitting the mountains we are riding in strong hot daylight. The evaporative airconditioner that is riding a bike is fooling us we are ok when in fact I'm feeling quite dehydrated.  Sandy tells me we need to stop and stretch so I go for a couple of kays and find a local shop in Kubu.  A can of sprite and one of coke. Not super cold but it'll do. Stretch drink water. My kidneys dont feel right.

We could go further west but we know it will be just more of the same. Turn around and goanna.

This time I strava the ride, 3g a plenty along here. Go right through Tulamben again, turn around and choose a resort Mimbi Cove. Find the restaurant, order beers and a menu, and curse we didnt say room 26 or something. Chicken satay and rice, and salad nicoise (oooschmancy). And an hour of cards.

The staff here are clearly bored. Everything is built around the dive industry, there are reefs and a sunken WW2 US cargo ship the Liberty to visit. I imagine this must be very impressive, but it has never been of interest for me. Not that the hotel is packed anyway, but it is situated on a nice bay and it has a relaxed vibe.  Beers 35000rp but they're cold and I am riding a bike in a foreign country on possibly wet roads.

I have been watching the storm front and despite a couple of crackles the clouds are seemingly less malevolent and the staff dont want to top us up with anything.  So after a few games of 'lets call it a draw' Rummy we get the bill 285,000rp and get on the bike.

As soon as we turn east, at the very gate of the resort it starts to rain.

Cocking cock.  The raindrops get steadily heavier and denser and yes this is the storm I have been monitoring all day and we head straight into it, bloody idiot. We should have stayed but no to beer and I am not feeling 100%. The road is good and the weather has dissipated the less stupid motorcyclsts off the road so we basically have it to ourselves. Go very carefully through the switchback corners. Tippy toe, rear braking only. Onto the straight and away we go.

I am getting quite wet now,except my feet - the advantage of the scooter! The formerly dry river beds are starting to torrent red and angry. This kind of first flush is impressive for its fluvial dynamics but it must be a bastard to try and understand the management of such fluctuating peaks and sudden inundations.  Hard geotech engineering and canalisation seems to be the response - the sixties and seventies reborn!

Back in Culik turn left and onto the Amed coast road.  All the development, all the supplies, all the air minum, bintang, bricks, cement, sheets, and all the traffic must make that left turn in Culik and meander down tight narrow lanes. About 20 kilometres of develoment is facilitated by this one narrow road.  And like most beachfront hotels ours has its back wall on that road.  There is absolutely no chance of another being developed and very little of it getting widened.  This is a good thing? 

The desperation of people further east who are barely above subsistence barter farming see tourism as a means of economic advancement.  Making 5000rp profit from retail is easier than a margin call on corn or salt or chicken eggs at the local pasar. That massive 500 room (I might have misheard it might be 5000 room) luxury development way past Aas with Jakarta money will make a huge difference to the local economy.  I guess the money is changing hands now in terms of the transport construction and service franchises.  This isnt trickle down economics as the mass of profits go back to Java. With the underhand black money and korupsi still prevalent in Bali it will not change current exploitative systems but entrench already powerful vested interests. Perhaps they will get better health and education, I certainly hope so.

Get on with it Joko - the curse of celebrity politicians.

I am part of this process as well I completely understand my role as someone who is skimming the surface, with very little Bahasa Indonesia and less Balinese.

Sing la piss - trans. Balinese -I have no money.

We cruise past our hotel and onto Sama-Sama Cafe, Deb said they had cold beer so I'm prepared to give them another go.

I am a bit peckish so I order a hawaiian pizza. Shoudn't. Stale crust, sweet tomato sauce and layers of ham that are barely warmed. I eat less than a quarter. Beer and two panadols.


Sandy's second lunch is nice babi kecap - Sweet and Sour Pork and it was enak!
Wander down the street for air minum and back to the bike. Helmets, start, go. All of 600m back to the hotel. Off the bike. Wander back down the central steps and I notice Sandy's helmet has a visitor.

Its about a 50c coin across. It must have crawled in there while at Sama-Sama. Umm I'm glad it didnt emerge while riding or do anything else.

Back to the room and sponging wifi from the hotel next door and social media and chillax.

Fall asleep for about an hour and a half.  We considered getting a lift out to Sails but the phone number I tried on the mobile didnt work, the website was listed in Lonely Planet and when I tried to go there it was indicated to be an attack site.

Warung BoBo. Softly lilting bali gamelan from two blokes, sometimes the wait staff join on percussion. Its beautiful and serene and a polyglot of visiting Euros -Danish, French Russian Dutch and us Strayan.  Mee goreng and fresh mahi-mahi. Delicious.

I buy the boys a beer for the music, and we are both pleased. Look after the band and they'll look after you.  Before I pay my bill I ask about the beat, I was trying to work out the cycle for the rythym and I counted first 15, then 18 then 7. Was the margarita that strong?
They give me a small klungkung and I keep a beat of 4. Oh dear. Laughs and merry christmas.
I was also impressed with their bespoke light shade.

A good christmas day, about 55kms covered, six beers, two gins, a margarita and some good food and laughs with my lovely. But we are missing our girl and this holiday is coming to a smooth finale.
Tomorrow we head to Sanur on Kuningan Day which Bali has agreed to hold in honour of my Mother's and my niece's birthdays. Which is nice.
 
Sing la piss!

sacred baby festival

24th Friday in Bali, The lethargy from being ill has resulted in a massive binge of laptop download viewing.
Gangs of New York, and many episodes of House of Cards.
Tuesday was lazy.
Somehow by Wednesday I turn good and get a motorbike hire.
Superficially the roads look hectic, but there is a rule and that is give way to the front.
Its actually easy to ride two up at 40kmh because going faster is impossible. The roads are too bumpy.

The traffic generally is predictable and keep to a side of the road, which is variable. Easy.
So we have a Honda 110 auto. Point and click. Wander off.

We set off for Life in Amed. A restaurant we visited maybe 12 years ago on a day trip FFS.
Wander through the next bay and the next and take a right turn. We are going up hill next to a river. Quite a nice bit of bitumen and pleasant views. We some blokes working on river canalisation, why, its friggen dry here? The hills are verdant and vertiginous. It must rain sometime I guess.  Gabion cages of rocks, large boulders are being crushed and smallified by the simple application of sledge on rock. Blokes look fifty, I bet they are 30 and dont c0mplain about blisters on their fingers.

Road goes up, I wish I had GPSd it. Twisty steep and rutted and the bitumen is a notion rather than a commitment. Creek crossings. Cows. Chooks run wild. Big baynan tree and a clearing and steep climb. Passing peoples homes and schools and churches and temples and shops. Wood working and lumber yard and nil safety standards. Motorbike shop with a bloke wearing sunglasses as he arc welds. Still climbing.  We get to a place where the houses are less rustic, brick is rendered, painted, rooves are tiled sat dish and shiny cars in the driveway, suburban in a rural economy. We get fooled into thinking that we have climbed quite high and stop. Still really hot, the movement through air is keeping us cool.
Photos and descend.

Down the same road, still smiling, waving to kids and lads and Pak and Ibu.
Back to the flats and the tourist grind on this tiny coastal road heading south east.

We have gone looking for Aas and we will find it.

Riding here is EASY, just watch the bumps potholes and bridge crossings and creek crossings and dogs and chickens and cars and trucks.

Stop at the Smiling Buddha. Dont fancy food at 11am, settle for a some kind of turmeric lemongrass herbal tea, comes outboiling hot on a hot day. Lounging on cushions on a bamboo mat under a large open building staring at the horizon. Cool breeze. Rinkydink gamelan kamplung music. Sandy sees a whale out to sea.
From next door comes the cheap over bass of some kind of OONTS OONTZ crap. Killing my buzz.

Onward and southeast to Aas!

Over a headland, through a bay, overa headland, keeping the coast on our left. Easy riding traffic thinning tourist development decreasing and the land is increasingly drier and more marginal. The margin between beach and very steep hill is ever shorter, bu there is terracing and some crops, mostly corn or tapioca, and goats.

Then we sight a lighthouse in the distance as we go through Aas. Sandy makes the connection between the "Cleansing Healing Centre" and the location. Continue on. Much drier now. Reminds me of Karijini after the wet, all ironstone rocks and gravels and little soil but the plants adapted are green. This is subistence agriculture and very obviously recent.

A bay opens up and there is a scar of clearing in the rock from the hill to the beach.


Jakarta money is building a development for 500 rooms. No idea where the water for this come from. Not locally thats for sure.  There is a certain desperation from the people who are located next too these developments or even the whisper of them.

We go on and the kilometre count down for Amlapura is reducing and we climb the steepest hill I have ever seen and then we plunge down the other side. We are about fifteen km past our objective to get the restaurant so we turn around and retrace again.

I completely miss it. Turn around again and roll into Life In Amed. Very different.  Last time it was by itself in this bay, no trees, no neighbours. I felt very disconcerted.

Nice meal and worth the trip. Chicken in coconut curry gravy, fresh snapper, beef rendang. All good but the snapper was a standout.  Roll back past the big name 'concept restaurant' Sails and back to drop Sandy at a spa for a pedi/mani/pamper.

I will meet her back at my new favourite place - Warung BoBo. Cold beers and good fresh food.
Get talking with a guy and ten minutes later Gede is my driver to Sanur on Kuningan Day.

Sandy shows up later after a couple of beers. We go back to the room just a short walk up the beach and chill for a while and then back to Warung BoBo for grilled prawns and mahi-mahi. Delicious.

Pretty sure Warung BoBo is my new favourite spot.
More tomorrow my sweet ones.