Exploring Padangbai Bali

This article was submitted by Ann Wallace.

annewallace@iprimus.com.au

Woke at 4.30 am – damn … must have been a ferry horn that woke me up. I’d say I got used to it over the four nights and henceforward slept through. Back to bed till 7 am then breakfast on our private balcony – watching the interesting nautical happenings in the harbour. There were the Bali-Lombok ferries going back and forward, one would be Leaving and pass another one waiting out in the bay to come in, and then there were a multitude of fishing prahus and boats taking divers and snorklers around to Amuk Bay, a few kilometres to the east.

Breakfast was the usual eggs, juice, toast, bali kopi, you got to know what was the best value to keep you going till lunchtime (the best breakfast to order was the egg sandwich because you got egg, tomato and cheese in a toasted sandwich); as in Bali, you never know what you are going to get and it is nice to have a bit of tomato (bit like needing a vegemite fix).

We decided to go for a walk to find the Blue Lagoon (page 295 Rough Guide to Bali & Lombok). We walked along the beach road towards the east and just before you turn onto the road that leads to the three temples of Padang Bai we found the turnoff to the left (signposted) and followed the track up a hill, and then … down the hill … a fairly steep track leading down (and I mean steep … we were clambering down at an angle of about 45 degrees) through palm trees and foliage for about 5 minutes until we came to a tiny cove with mixed black and white sand. It was like finding a hidden beach. We were Surprised to find 3 warung there selling drinks and meals – they must bring in supplies by boat, or otherwise it would be a bit of a haul by foot I’d say. It was a beautiful little cove, and the water would have been so clear if the sea hadn’t been so choppy. We’d been told it was one of the nicest snorkelling and diving places in the area. I’m glad we’d arranging a snorkelling trip for 2 days time; maybe the wind would be calm by then as I didn’t fancy going out in a prahu when the sea was so turbulent.

Sam adventurously ordered a margherita pizza (18,000 rp) – teenagers! always hungry and we’d only just had breakfast! Oh well, at this price it doesn’t cost too much to feed him. (I wondered whether they were going to cook it on site or order it in … back over the track we’d come!), but after 20 minutes it was served up and he declared it pretty good even though the cheese on top was a bit runny and he couldn’t have been that Hungry because he shared it with a beach seller who’d managed to track us down and was selling art – 8 x 10 pictures, some finished with a fine layer of sand – very effective. Sam bargained and got a beautiful one of two fish for 20,000 rp and I had it framed only yesterday and it looks really good.

So we sat at a warung watching the waves crashing on the beach and enjoyed some yummy fruit juices and chatted with the sarong ladies who had managed by this time to find us. I bought 3 sarongs for 50,000 rp. keeping in mind I was the one who was going to have to cart them back up the track again. Also bought 3 little wooden sailboats Modelled on the traditional prahu boats for 35,000 rp.

We then clambered our way back up the track and back to the Puri Rai Hotel for a swim after getting all sweaty from our walk – we put one of the toy boats together and had fun sailing it in the swimming pool. It was nice relaxing in the pool and having a few bintangs at the pool bar. By the way, Rooms 305 and 306 are close to the pool and would be a good choice if you wanted cheaper rooms without the sea view.

We had a late lunch at one of the beachside warungs called the Dewi Café and talked with the owner who was a school inspector at Amlapura/Karangasem. The nasi goreng and satay were really nice. Graeme bought a sarong with geckos on them … a first …. I thought he’d be the last person to buy a sarong, it must have caught his eye! By the way, you don’t come to Padang Bai for the shopping; mainly they have toy prahu, wooden fish and sarongs. There are plenty of restaurants and homestays, and also a few laundry shops.

Later that afternoon I noticed a lot of people wearing traditional outfits making their way up the hill in the direction of the temples. Ah, I thought, it must be part of the odalan (temple anniversary) that locals had told me was happening over a three day period, so I quickly put on my sarong and sash, grabbed my camera and dashed up to the temples. Arriving at one of the temples, the Pura Tanjunsari, and after checking with one of the ‘organisers’ – I tend to find them fairly easily because they tend to wear a distinctive check type sarong arrangement - I was invited to enter the temple. The gamelan orchestra was playing music in a bale in the outer courtyard and it was so pleasant to hear the Music being played in a traditional environment. In the inner courtyard the Balinese people were kneeling before the priests in prayer and being blessed with holy water and I was able to sit quietly at the back near the entrance to the inner court yard to observe.

Like most things ceremonial it seemed to finish up fairly quickly. The gamelan players took a break (ah, now I discovered the secret of how you get cool … lift your sarong and tuck it in at the waist … it was amusing to see the gamelan players getting cool .. some of them wearing shorts under their sarongs! (I suppose it’s a bit like discovering what a Scot wears under his kilt) The larger instruments of the gamelan were then packed up in a truck that passed me as I was walking back down the hill to the beach. About half an hour later a procession of men came down the hill playing small gamelan instruments such as drums and that was the finish of the day’s ceremonial events. I had been able to get some great photos and felt very privileged to have been able to see this event. That night we had dinner at Made’s café and watched the movie they played - Mona Lisa Smile – I enjoyed it, the boys only just endured it, as it could be considered a bit of a girlie movie.

Emailed to our son at home and then bed …

Tomorrow, the Padang Bai early morning market and a day trip around the eastern tip of Bali to Amed.

To be continued ……

• Odalan ceremony at Lake Bratan Bali
• Sound of the gamelan in Legian Bali
• Galungan in Kuta Bali
• Padangbai: Beaches close by
• Pommy Crims mad about gamelan in Yorkshire England

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