It was pizza night at Bunga Bungalows with a wood fired oven, so pizza & a glass of wine on the beach sounded like a fine thing. Love life in the tropics.
Next day my mantra is: don't scratch - every day a new bite. Sigh. Mostly awake at 5:45 so I decide to walk along the coast path. Walked & walked until I didn't feel sure of my pathway. Seaweed farmers out already & I tried to greet everyone as I went by. Wife walks in water pushing a floating tire with basket on top & a bright blue net for scooping. Hubby has snorkel & perhaps harvests from the seabed. It's quite the sight.
Am not moving too fast & feel in a quiet mood so it's a day spent reading & watching the beach traffic. Lunch at the Chinese place. Most expensive thing on the menu 12,000. I ordered the veg & spice meat stirfry. Meat was battered slices of somthing...(not chicken), veg = carrots but it was really yummy. Love it when you sit down & order & 2 minutes later you smell the garlic cooking. It was kinda fun to be perched on plastic stools watching the scooter traffic go by. One had a metal "C" shaped bin behind the driver full of what looked like kitchen utensils - slotted spoons, ladles etc. It's oh, so hot so no outings after lunch. I tried a dip in the ocean but it wasn't pleasant at all (you need to be aware I don't swim at all - I'm more of a step in to my knees & get wet type) - too much seaweed etc (and a dead kitten.)
We did see a very buff native who was strutting his stuff in front of the restaurant yesterday. You just don't see that body builder type here or expect it, I guess. Couldn't help but wonder if that was considered attractive or desirable amoung the local Balinese ladies?
It's pouring rain: we asked down to the kitchen from our balcony if they delivered? I love the sight of the guy wading in the sea carrying an umbrella. It was nice to sit on our balcony having a glass of wine & watch the rain sheet down. Luckily it lightened up enough to go down & have dinner.
This makes twice today no water - ah, 3rd world tropics! Good thing I only need to do teeth.
We did get up before 6 am - welcome to life in the compound. It's hard to ignore the rooster alarm clock. Day feels cool enough to attempt a walk around the island. Took me 2 hours. I'm really glad I did. It's a very simple walk - nothing of interest (except the dump??). An often decayed narrow lane treed or leafed in. But I enjoyed the solitude. One lady came out with a big smile & said hellow & waved goodbye. I felt welcomed in many ways. How do those ladies walk (much) in a sarong? I finally hitched it up into my underwear on both sides until I could hear someone coming, then pulled it down to be a more presentable picture.
The Bali Hai boat drops off a load of tourists - looked like Japanese including one lady in high heels! They pull the boat way up & provide a step stool for clients to decend. No getting your feet wet for these folks.
At dinner we can see 2 flashlights bobbing up & down the beach. Couldn't figure out what they were harvesting. Turned out to be worms.
Got offered a session in reflexology by one of the locals so we booked him for later in the day. It seemed short I guess compared to a full massage, but felt pretty good. Truth is I don't think I could have handled too much more treatment! Not enough time to hurt me bad!
A trek out for water finds a temple festival in progress. Temple all dressed in yellow & the boys in their finery. A great sight of a young man in his traditional dress perched crosswise on his scooter. I finally break down & go shopping for t-shirts from the old guy that's tried to entice me into his shop every day. T-shirts are too heavy but the Bintang tank top is perfect. I'm almost disappointed he hardly bargains at all. I decide later on that wearing this is the next best thing to being naked!
We walk the beach till I find the 1st beachside table - somewhere beside Ketut Losman etc. 1st chance to eat right on the sand. Sunset looks promising. Chicken avocado burger is actually pretty good. The toilet is quite the experience tho' - our 1st squatter this trip. It's starting to rain & it's gotten dark so I need my flashlight to get to it out back. there's a small piece of corregated plastic as the roof which doesn't completely cover the stall. Too fun.
Walked back along the village road in the dark which was a bit disorienting. As we turn the corner into the busier part of the village a man stops us to ask if we'd like to play pool?! Pool? Sure enough we're 2 doors away from the pool hall. We turned him down but think of the possibilities!
Earlier in the day I had an older man come up to me to ask where were my children? I told him no children & he apologized saying oh, I'm so sorry, you so old, I thought you were married! (pokes me in the chest) , says he's sorry agaain (for my being old/not poking me in the chest?) and off he goes.
We're off to Candidasa via the public boat in the morning. I took an extra dose of gravol just to be sure & kept breakfast to a minimum. We were only 2 of about 6 caucasians on the boat. It's loaded to the gunnels with people perched on the roof. Not for this girl! A young kid wants us to hire his brother to drive us to Candidasa from the boat & quotes 200,000! I laugh at that one. Told him I'd only pay the same price as it would cost us to take the shuttle so that was a no go. Crossing wasn't all that bad & I enjoyed being amoung the locals for the trip.
Candidasa itself turns out to be a sad & depressing place. It's a reminder of the traffic noise & grind of Ubud but without the charm. People ooze a sense of desperation that's uncomfortable. We get begged by everyone to give them a job, come into their restaurant, take a tour etc.
We ended up staying at the Grand Narita which is beautiful. A tiny path leads towards the ocean side with canals full of large goldfish on either side. The rooms are on either side of this & our bathroom is open to the outside with plants growing in a wall beside the tub. the pool looks like it's part of the ocean. Very, very nice. (paid $40 US)
I ask about safety deposit box & they have them but he is reluctant to allow me inside to put my own things into the box & lock myself. Well, there's no way I'm handing over my worldly goods & watch it disappear into another room. He relents when he sees I won't do it any other way. Strange! Or is it?
Feeling like I've gotten too much sun & the back of one hand is starting to look seriously burnt. I'm glad of this luxurious refuge for a few days. We both loved Nusa Lembongan - in many ways it was the best part of our trip, but the hot shower after a week of roughing it felt SO GOOD!
Lots of sights & picture taking opportunities along the way. Will have to relate that next time.
Thanks folks. Michelle