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.
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.
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.
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