We continue things in an easy going lifestyle in Bali. After our first day of lounging ( and burning ), we were eager to get ourselves moving. The activity of choice was surfing! The Kuta/Legian area is a fabulous beach for beginners. Big, yet forgiving swells, with an all sand bottom to cushion your fall. There are no shortage of beach options too, with all the locals set up with their own little business of selling comfy chairs, surf boards and cold beers. Being low season, it didn’t take us long to find a new friend named Bego. We negotiated an acceptable rate for 2 boards, a one hour lesson for Julie, and some umbrella space for staying out of the sun.
Julie kicked some ass, and actually was up on her feet on her first run. A remarkable feat I say! I floundered around on my own, and after a couple hard crashes into the sand on my burn, I took to the beach to watch Julie’s skills improve from afar.
After hanging ten for a while longer, and a couple Bintangs in the sun to celebrate, we took it easy for the rest of the day. We queued up 2 scuba dives for the following morning however, as we were both excited to get under the ocean as well as on top of it. I was tuckered from my burn and slept away the evening, while Julie did a little shopping and ordered some hand made leather garments from a local vendor.
The next morning we woke early, as our driver was picking us up at 7 am for our first day of diving! Again, due to low season, it was just the 2 of us and our dive master. The site, Padang Bai, was a 1.5 hour drive and as we rolled in I remembered it clearly as the jump off point for fast boats to Gili T ( a fav spot of mine from 4 years ago ). We chilled in the local restaurant while they assembled our gear, and after a refresher test we were on a small boat heading out.
Our first dive went smoothly, a there and back cruise along the reef wall at a depth of 6-20 meters. It was a nice dive to get our comfort levels back up, and see a little bit of sea life. The water temp was 28 and the visibility was about 15 meters so conditions were great. The next would be much more interesting.
With both of us now eased back into our skills, the next dive was to take us a bit deeper across a lagoon, where the boat would meet us. The first point of interest was a small sunken boat! I had never done a wreck dive ( not calling this a wreck but… ), so it was very cool to float along side this lovely little vessel. I’d forgotten how serene and otherworldly it is to just float weightless underwater, temporarily sharing existence with the tropical life usually only seen through a camera lens. A few interesting fish later, we had an encounter with cranky fella. He was quite a large fish, perhaps 1.5 feet long, 1 foot high, and he decided Julie was the enemy. He followed us lunging at her fins, nipping away! Wow, what a jerk! We did manage to scare him off, but a sobering reality as to who owns this world. Clue, it is not us.
We completed that lovely adventure, and feeling quite satisfied, headed back to our home base to plot the next one. It was decided to take a walk on the beach and browse the ocean side offerings. We strolled on the sand, sipping beers care free as can be. A happening new venue, called Potato Head Beach Club was recommended, and I had seen a photo from a friend of this place, so we made our way. It is a stunning restaurant and bar with an infinity pool, and an incredible view. The sunset was magnificent. We indulged a bit, as the drinks were fancy and expensive, but delicious, as was the food. It was a pretty perfect day in paradise.
The next day we awoke with another craving for the beach, and a mild hangover. Our surf buddy who gave Julie the lesson was happy to rent us a board, and give us some shade. I toughened up and even went for a barefoot 6 km run on the sand to kick start my body. After we clearly needed another massage. Comically, we found our way to a suspect operation in an alley way, perhaps in a back room of somebody’s home. We received the classic 4 handed massage, but were constantly up sold on mani/pedicures etc. It was a decent massage but we shall not return.
This would be our last day on Bali for now, as we were bracing for a cultural extravaganza in Tana Toraja, on the island of Sula-what, sula-where? Sulawesi.
Till next time.