Saturday here in Seminyak I called Made from Bali Land and Houses to rent his Suzuki Katana for a day trip.
His office is just up the road from me and the asking price was 75,000rp. My brother Chris and I were planning on heading to the Bukit peninsula to vist a beach or 2. Erica from San Francisco was staying down in Kuta and was joining us.
The Suzuki is a very compact little vehicle, short wheelbase and no suspension, still its cheap and easy to drive in the crowded downtown streets.
We got the car at around 9.45am, drove to Kuta, picked up Erica and then shot down Bypass Ngurah Rai in the direction of Nusa Dua. We took the Ulu Watu turnoff and headed for Pura Masuka temple on thr bottom end of the Bukit.
The journey took about 30 minutes and after a 15 minute hike down a steep cliff we were on a deserted beach with the surf pounding in front of us. We splashed around, happy to cool off and that the sun was out. I could see the tide was coming in and decided to move on to another beach after about a hour. The little bays here stretch on for miles but if the tide is in you aren’t left with much sand.
Climbing the cliff we were all sweating like crazy, its hot here! I drove us 10 minutes away to Dreamland beach which I’d never been to before. This sandy beach is a favourite of begining surfers and has a row of warungs and places to rent boards. The surf was pounding and Chris fearlessly strolled down to the water and swam out into th middle of the rough stuff. I followed a while later and had a decent time, looking for surprise waves that might slam me. Actually when I was past the breaking point it was just a case of staying afloat and riding up the wave as it passed. You do have to be careful though as currents and tides are strong.
We took shelter from the sun and checked out a warung. Erica went with the mie goreng ( fried noodles ) while Chris and I chose a couple of sandwiches. Mine was 11,000rp and was decent.
On the beach in front of us a selection of partially clothed Europeans splashed around enjoying themselves. The locals seem cool and relaxed about attire.
For visitors to Bali I recommend Dreamland beach, its scenic, takes a bit of getting to and has enough places to grab a bite or a cold drink. Also no beach vendors unlike Kuta Bach.
Around 3pm we headed homeand I got stopped for rolling through a red light. The cop pulled me into his roadside office and demanded money. He gave me the spiel about a ticket costing 70,000rp. I tossed 30,000rp on the table, he said I need to pay 70,000rp, I said ‘too expensive!’. He let it slide at 30,000rp and we were off again. I’ve never managed to bargain with the police before.
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Barrie,
What’s the story with “C”…..? When does she arrive? In time for Christmas I hope…!
We had a lovely day at the beach. I was happy for Chris and Erica.
Getting pulled over was my fault. Traffic was heavy and I was rolling through a light with the locals.
G’Day Nick,
Understand. I’ve rolled through traffic lights myself, BUT, you can’t bribe the coppers here!…they are Gestapo merchants!.
I’m looking forward to reading about your ventures with Chris as you show him the island.
Hi Tracey,
Yeah, yeaah, yeah AND HOORAY!!. C got her visa and will be arriving in 2 weeks. So tracey, it seems the Gods have smiled on us both eh. Strange thing was that she only applied for a 2 month visa BUT they gave her a 3 month visa instead!. C was told it was because she had Rp100juta in her account!. Hey, I didn’t know that!!.
Nick didn’t actually drive through the junction, just about ten feet past the red light, but the cop was ready and waiting with his whistle in mouth.
Nick offered him cash when he came to the car window but he made a little show and kept us there for about ten minutes.
What a beautiful beach Dreamland is, a great place to learn to surf.
hey nick, did you forget your camera? Dreamland is such a photogenic place.
also i thought a suzuki katana was a brand of motorbike ? anyway, as usual its a tough life for you !!……
You were stopped by the cops
I hear they treat tourists driving rented cars as sources of income.
Is this true?
G’Day Nick,
Nice day and a great intro to Bali for Chris eh.
What’s it with you huh!. You’re always getting picked up by the cops!. Have you got a mystery sign pinned to your back that says ‘STOP ME’…