pJBR:Our first trip to Bali lasted 17 short nites..4 in Sanur,4 in Amed,6 in Ubud & 4 in Sanur...May 15 to June 1st.
Bumi Ayu in Sanur is conveniently located,yet quiet..only 2 other rooms out of 50 seemed occupied.Gusti,our transport,spoke excellent English and was a careful,excellent driver.HP 081 5577 9602.The batik shop,Legong,Jl SUPRATMAN312,Tohpati, Denpasar got business from the wife twice this trip for cushions & bedcovers etc.We ended up for an excellent lunch @ Jimbaran Bay of grilled squid & prawns which had only 1 other customer.The view of fishing boats on the right & cliffs on left were great.
Next day, Gusti took us to Lake Bedugul..passed spectacular views of rice terraces..picked up some Bubuk instant coffee at an open mkt. Had dinner at Aladin where Wayan(Michael)told us all about Rex & Emiko...loved the Tom Yam soup.
The Sindhu Beach Mkt was hurting so we had to buy a batik & T shirt..enjoyed the first of many bintang at the Respati..sore break was big going under the lounge chairs.Gusti took us to the Carrefours which was packed w/locals..then to the Kecak Dance which had an overflow audience..the check=a-check rhythm was catching.Dinner at Jeppun did justify its reputation..enjoyed the Cap Cay.
Mie Goreng,fruit salad,pineapple,banana,watermelon & Bali coffee.Gusti again manueverd the van thru all the narrow roads w/motorbikes & cars,trucks coming from left to rt in front & behind.He took us from Sanur via Amalapura, Candidasa to Amed thru narrow winding roads w/steep gulches & lush vegetation,rice terraces.We had a nice 2 story cottage w/outdoor bathroom at the Coral View Villas..the beach was right infront full w/jukungs..went snorkeling on the rt side close to the rocky pt.and it was just loaded w/beautiful coral & all kinds of tropical fish & hundreds of baby fish some neon colored.The fish were tame & not aware of our presence like Hawaii 200 yrs. ago.I went fishing for mackerel in a Jukung while the gals went on a tour to Besakih & water palace.They were exhausted from walking uphill to the temple so had to hop on a motorbike.The fishing was unrewarding probably because of the many dophins present..even live-baiting for barracuda didn't work.
The Bike Baik tour from Ubud was THE highlight..the view of Mt.& Lake Batur was unbelievable..Ketut,our guide, was so knowledgeable about the cultivation of rice, the myriad of fruits,i.e. magosteen,mango, rambutan,banana,passion fruit,rabadillo(?)even coffee & cocoa.It was all there at the plantation..their store also sold condiments i.e. curry,cinammon,nutmeg etc with coffee.To top it off the lucnch that Wayan's wife,Ketut,prepared was truly a feast for the eyes & tummy.Bike Baik Hp 081 33867 3852.
Cafe Wayan in Ubud was our main dining place..a very nice garden atmosphere down the stairs..Bubur Ayam(chicken congee) for bkfst was so good..for lunch the Waerong across the st. had excellent noodles..both on the Monkey Forest Road.Tannah Lot & Jimbaran
fish mkt were next on our list..We did the "Lot"in the am before the tourists but got surrounded by high schoolers on a holiday from Java..they even wanted to interview us & have a photo taken w/us..must've mistaken us for some celebrities..the fish mkt at Jimbaran had an impressive array of pelagic & bottom fish..backs of pickups were loaded w/salted mackerel & drying anchovies which didn't agree w/the gals sensitive noses..I noticed there weren't any flies around..I wanted to try some fish being grilled w/coconut husks but the lady informed me that I had to purchase the fish first then take it there to be grilled...we also were able to see about a dozen yellowfin tuna(80-100 lbs.)being off-loaded from the jukung..carried by 2 men lugging a bamboo pole. On my last day I had to catch a fish so hooked up w/Ketut in Sanur..after trolling unsucessfully for 2 1/2 hrs. we finally got a strike and brought up a 10 kilo wahoo..coral (bottom)fishing wasn't good..small 4-5 inch fish which Ketut kept..he let me have the wahoo which I promptly gave it to Gusti, our driver,who was having a ceremony next day where he could make good use of the fish..he really was tickled pink to have it.
I forgot to mention that my wife also purchased a oil landscape painting from a Coop.Painters (300) for $250 down from $400.Semar Kuning 1,Artist Cooperative Paintings Tel. 0361)974080,also painted,chicken,goose & ostrich eggs from Lukisan Telor at Sukawati..I also purchased a painted giant Nautilus lamp w/tropical fish motif. In closing we truly appreciated the efforts of Jero of Coral View & Wayan of Adi Cottages to make our stay most enjoyable..too the drivers, Gusti of Sanur & Nyoman of Ubud..and all the BTF contributors with all the pertinent info..I must add that next time I will also take a roll of paper towels,plastic knives & forks and Scotch tape.
Aloha, Paul