Saturday at the Bukit in south Bali

Today was a perfect Saturday and it seemed only appropriate that I get out a take some photos.

One place I like to relax is the Bukit peninsula. This area at the southern end of Bali is very popular with surfers because the best breaks, Ulu Watu, Padang Padang, Bingin etc. are here on the NW coast. On the NE tip the Bukit is Nusa Dua, the famous resort area that reminds some people of Beverly Hills. The rest of the Bukit however is small villages and not much else.

The ride from Seminyak to Jimbaran / Ulu Watu turnoff takes around 25 minutes and is an easy ride. I wore a grey longsleeve ‘Dry Fit’ shirt and my bicycle gloves to help protect against the sun. A good dose of sunscreen (Johnson & Johnson ) is always part of my preparation too.

Heading up the main road to Ulu Watu I saw the new developments. The Bukit is barren and had never been considered good farming land, but now locals and foreigners are building houses. The easy access to Kuta means this area will always be popular.

On the way here I noticed a ton of people riding around in cars and buses waving huge yellow flags. I think this has some political meaning. Here on the Bukit there is an abundance of massive red flags advertising Megawati’s party.

I made a left turn off and headed quickly down a one lane paved road towards the cliffs. Parking next to the sign so I could remember it in my mind in case I went jalan jalan I then descended the concrete steps to beach. Locals were wading on the reef collecting seaweed as the tide was going out.

This whole southern coast is a series of small beaches largely free of tourists, they are also some of the more scenic. I sat in the water for about 20 minutes then retired under the shade of the cliff.

I mentioned a while ago that it amazes me how its possible to follow your favourite sports team around the world these days via tv and the internet. You just don’t know where you’re going to see a Bulls fan. This lady showed me her seaweed. She gets 5,000rp per kilo.

I must of walked about half a mile down the beach and walking back said hi to this family who were gathered around a rock pool trying to catch tiny fish with a net. These folks weren’t wearing hats and that’s something I can’t imagine out here. They were friendly though. I also passed a whole family of about 8 members taking a cooling dip in a large rock pool. They were calling me and waving, I didn’t want to point my camera at them though.

Reaching the top of the stairs I had worked up a good sweat. I rearranged my gear using my sarong to wrap around my waist to protect the legs against the sun. My helmet was in my day pack, I’ve been warned before not to leave anything on the bike in this area.

Riding about 5 minutes up the road I came across a ceremony going on. Maybe it was lucky I wore my sarong. Parking across the street and sitting on my bike I saw a large group of locals dancing next to a banyan tree. I saw Balinese dancers and one fellow who looked like he might be a groom so I thought it was part of a wedding. Locals told me it was a ceremony for 2 dead people. A gamelan orchestra was present too providing the tunes.

After several minutes the party moved to the back of the tree and started poking the high branches with a long pole. I couldn’t really tell what was going on but after a few chunks fell off they placed these in a white blanket and paraded this around the tree a few times. Great photo-op and also great to be able to watch a genuine ceremony that is colorful and dynamic. Also not a tourist in sight.

Across from the tree was a small warung so I got a nasi campur which cost 7,000rp with drink. I’m sure the lady inflated the price but what the heck, its 90 cents.

As usual mothers with kids were on hand including this rather strange looking kid.

My ride home took maybe 35 minutes. This would be a very enjoyable day for someone staying in Kuta.