It was Nypei Eve and time to say goodbye to Sri Ratu ( temporarily )and head over to Sanur for a 5 day stay at Puri Kelapa Garden Cottages.I decided to use Perama Shuttlebuses for the short trip- they are so efficent at moving people around Bali and great value for money. If you are ever passing their office in JL Legian do pick up a copy of their cruise leaflets advertising tempting trips to other exotic islands such as Flores,Komodo,Sumba etc. My fare to Sanur was a mere 9000RP and if you use them regularly or can provide them with a receipt from a previous journey you get an automatic 10% discount.I left at 10am and with quiet roads because of Nypei I soon arrived in Sanur and Perama kindly dropped me off by Macdonalds just around the corner from Puri Kelapa. I had phoned the hotel a couple of days beforehand and negotiated a nightly rate of 225,000RP inclusive of a full breakfast - a good deal bearing in mind I paid 250,000 the previous year.
Puri Kelapa suited my needs very well as it is situated at the top of JL Segara, just a 4 minute level walk to the beach at the Sindhu Beach Market end.It comprises about 50 bedroom units ( single cottages and two storey )set amongst lush tropical gardens that are well cared for but not over-manicured. The service is good and staff are very helpful as in the majority of establishments. There is a good sized pool with swim-up bar and plenty of sun beds and towels.My room was an upstairs one with a king sizes bed, fridge,T.V and great A/C. I had a decent balcony with a great view over the pool and gardens.
After a quick unpack I went straight for the beach and took a sunbed in front of Segara Agung Restaurant.The beds are free on the undertsanding you buy a little food or drink from them and with heaped plates of Bali fruits at only approx 11,000 Rp a time who can say no.This really set the pattern for the next 5 days with mornings on the beach and early afternoons back at the pool - I was totally relaxed here - more so than at any previous visit to Bali .The beach here at Sanur is just fabulous with clean white sand stretching for about a mile and ideal for swimming coupled with a newly paved pathway meandering along past markets and Resort restaurants.In the evening most restaurants have candlelit tables on the sand and it all looks gorgeous- sadly a bit on the quiet side tourist wise although food outlets tend to be busier at lunchtimes.Bosai cafe was always busy as was Mango's and Tootsies restaurant.Talking of Tootsies their market stall no 28 was doing good business with DVD's selling at 8000RP although Tootsies 2 along the beach sells them for 10,000RP.I am surprised by the lack of tourists in Sanur despite all the beach renovations- I guess many people prefer the razzmatazz of Kuta/Legian with so many different options for night-time entertainment.However I do believe that it won't be too long to wait for a resurgence of popularity here and with a few more live music/dancing venues that could happen sooner rather than later. I would be interested to hear other peoples views on this.
My first day in Sanur was Nypei eve and at about 8pm massive crowds were gathering at the major intersection by Macdonalds eagerly awaiting the parades.There were literally thousands of locals around and I have never seen so many cholera carts - all lined up as far as the eye could see ringing their little bells in unison and all doing a roaring trade.Amazingly traffic was still being allowed on all the roads with no police in evidence and people scrambling over bonnets and boots to get the best view !!.When they eventually arrived it was a bit of a damp squib compared to the parades in JL Legian a couple of years ago.Anyway it was all a bit of fun and I wouldn't want to have missed it.
Nypei Day was simply peace perfect peace and I enjoyed the day in the pool and just wandering around the gardens.All food and drink service available during the day by the way. The weather was still superb and it seemed to be getting hotter.The other guests about 30 of them were mainly German and Japanese - me being heavily outnumbered just as we were in 1941 but hey we'll win in the end - we always do !!! ( only joking really )Between 4pm and 6pm the Hotel put on a special Indonesian Nypei Day Buffet and it was all fabulous food and freshly cooked.At 100,000 inc beer a bit pricey by Balinese standards but it was certainly top quality.
The following morning I took a walk down to the beach and there were hundreds of locals playing soccer and volleyball - nothing unusual really except it was still only 6.45am !!!It was great to see it all happening and with the weather being so settled the sunrise was a terrific sight.
As I mentioned earlier this bit of the holiday was pure relaxation and didn't do a great deal and to be honest with the heat and amount of time I was spending outside I was pretty much done in by 10pm.I failed to make it to the Cat and Fiddle Irish bar which I will have to do next time. I did visit the night market which was still going strong at about 10pm - apparently some of the hot food stalls serve up really authentic and tasty food at very cheap prices.Some Dutch people I got talking to ate there every night and got a huge feast for about 10,000RP.
Well the five days were sadly coming to an end and I was a bit reluctant to leave but I was curious to investigate Padang Bai and spend a couple of days up there.
More Tomorrow......