Happy Hour at Seraya Shores in Karangasem East Bali

Monday I rode out to Ujung in Karangasem to visit a guest house I am trying to promote called Seraya Shores.

I’ve mentioned it a lot before and it is a really cool place. I know the owners saphir bali and Jamie from Australia and this time Jamie was on the property while I was there. Seraya Shores is located on the coast just past the massive Water Palace in Ujung and takes 2-3 hours to get to from Kuta. The guest house has 3 guest cottages with 5 rooms, my task was to photo all the rooms from various angles and describe them as best I can so people will be able to make the best choice ahead of time.

Arriving in late afternoon I put my bags in one of the rooms and said hello to the staff. Seraya Shores is undergoing some construction and since my last visit they have added a new ‘bale’ structure over looking the ocean. This offers a lovely place to eat dinner, have a drink or simply sit and enjoy the view.

When saphir bali first bought this piece of coastal land 5 years ago the only structure she built was the small bale that sits in the center of the property and houses the gamelan. I spotted a long set of tables and chairs there too inviting guests to dine outside together if they feel like it. I also noticed this table area was filling up with workers who were building a new laundry on the far edge of the property. Wanting to be friendly I went over and introduced myself and they offered me a drink from the petrol canister they had on the table. The can contained a local drink called tuak which is alcoholic and is made from palm sap. It tastes like a mixture of rotten cabbage and old socks with a sour twist.

There was only one glass so we each got a glass, downed it then passed it on to be refilled. Sitting next to me was Bakti the security man and driver who I had gone to a Joged Bung Bung dance with in Amlapura once before. Bakti is a total alcoholic and that evening I had to get him out of the driver’s seat and drive myself. The way it goes in Bali is that when you own a house or business you are expected to employ a certain amount of locals, in fact the banjar will sometimes tell you who they want hired (basically the lazy dumb-asses who nobody else wants). I think this is how Bakti ended up as security man.

As more people wandered over we got more into conversation and relaxed with each other. The guys all took their shirts off revealing extensive tattoos. I asked why all of them had skulls and they told me they like skulls. Not wanting to be left out I went topless too but without any ink to show them.

One skinny fellow told me his dad was a great gamelan player and showed him, the others already recognized him as the maestro. Most of the guys couldn’t speak any English but I have to say the more tuak I poured down my throat the more my listening and reading between the gaps in my vocabulary seemed to improve. I don’t feel like I missed out on anything. Conversation ranged between life out here at Seraya, women, drinking and each other. They of course asked if I was married. I said no. They asked what women I prefer and wanting to be diplomatic said Indonesian. I then asked them where in Indonesia are the most beautiful women and they said “Bali”. “Javanese women are also ‘cantik’ too ya?” I said. “Javanese women ‘tidak bagus’ (no good) they replied. Of course the most beautiful women were from Karangasem�how fortunate for us all to be right there! It was really funny because I felt like they really believe what they were telling me and were offering their version of the ‘inside scoop’.

A steaming plate of pepes ikan ( baked fish ) came along and for those who have been to Bali before it was somewhat like ikat laut, with chili in. Interesting bar snack but very welcome!

The big guy opposite me who kept refilling the glasses had his son Gede with him as well as his father Gede who played flute for us.

After dark we were joined by Jamie and 2 of the guests, Doug from Canada who works at the Ritz in California and his companion Suzy from California. We got Doug going on the tuak which he hated but gamely carried on with. The cool thing about these Balinese guys is they are friendly and share their drinks but no one is pulling the macho ‘come on drink another one’, its all cool.

Doug and Suzy told me something very interesting. They are out in Bali for only 8 days and were staying at the Ritz in Jimbaran. They hired a driver to bring them out to East Bali not knowing what they were heading for and he offered to have them stay him his family home which they accepted. Doug said this was sensational and as authentic as it could get. The guy’s mother was cooking them food and they were hanging out with his relatives and kids. He also said that this little ‘happy hour’ session we were having was a memory he’d never forget because it was totally spontaneous and one you are not going to have in a resort.

I’d like to point this out to all the visitors to Bali who limit themselves to Kuta and complain about the vendors and the traffic�get out to East Bali, or any part of Bali for that matter and you will access a different world. Doug and Suzy accessed it through hiring a driver and they were loving it.

Sometime during the evening we drained the can of tuak and someone ran off to get another. I paid the 20,000rp and gave them another 20,000rp for next time. I actually offered them all a beer but they said “Bintang mahal” (beer is expensive) and settled for the tried and tested potion. I think they would flip if I told them how much I pay for a bottle of Cianti.

I stayed with these guys for a total of about 3 hours and made sure I was okay to finally eat my dinner which was 2 large spring rolls for starters, followed by a large portion of rice and baked chicken with veg in a dark sauce. This was prepared by chef Sasa and Komang.

Sleeping at Seraya Shores is always a pleasure with the waves seeming like they are going to crash through the wall at any moment. The tuak didn’t leave me with any ill effects although I wouldn’t want to repeat the exercise 2 nights in a row. While Doug and Suzy moved out and headed up the coast and 2 other shy guests from Australia packed and left ( I hope our tuak party didn’t scare them!) I followed Komang around with my Alpha Smart (typewriter) and camera snapping all the cleaned rooms and asking questions. Komang told me she wasn’t married and I asked why not. She said she men don’t like her�poor Komang. I think Komang is quite nice so any of you single guys out there wanting a nice girl who works hard and can cook, here she is.

While I was checking out the rooms I stepped over this cat and had to take a photo. Do cats have an easy life?

There are some exciting new developments in store for Seraya Shores in the near future including 2 more cottages, existing cottages getting larger decks and natural rock bathing pool close to the shore fed by pumps using seawater. That will be awesome when it happens. Also you will soon be able to book a night at this fab place right here on Baliblog.

My ride home was uneventful although I do advise newcomers to Bali to be watchful for some crazy drivers after having people try to merge with me from every direction today.

Think I’m going to make a suggestion to Jamie next time I see him, “Hey mate your place rocks but it needs one more thing�a bbq.”

• Kadek makes a bed at Seraya Shores in East Bali
• View of the coast from Seraya Shores in East Bali
• Coast of Karangasem as viewed from Seraya Shores in East Bali
• Wayan serves lunch at Seraya Shores in East Bali
• Seraya Shores is a tropical dream guest house in East Bali

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