The morning in Permuteran was pleasant and I went down to the restaurant for my complimentary breakfast. It made me laugh because one of the choices was 2 eggs on toast’. I figured they meant 2 eggs on one toast. The result was 2 of each piled on top of each other. No worries I ate it all.
I paid my bill, said goodbye and hit the road. Stopping about half a mile down the road I had a nasty surprise, my keys weren’t in the ignition, but the bike was still running. I turned around and rode back hoping the bike wouldn’t stall. Reaching the alley that led to the hotel I saw a local woman standing holding my keys, I was so happy!
Sunday is a good day to go riding here in Bali as there is less traffic and less trucks particularly. Reaching the town of Cekik I came to a sign which said turn right for Gilimanuk ( the port for Java ), turn left for Denpasar ( south coast ). I didn’t waste any time and kept going. Rounding the turn and heading in the direction of Melaya I noticed the roads were wide but pot hole city’. Seriously you have to watch out. For the first 10 miles or so they are just in random spots unmarked and furthur down the road they are marked with white paint. It gets exciting when someone pulls in front of you and then you have to move for a car. I hit a couple of pot holes that came up so fast I had no warning because of blocked vision. Anyway I lowered my speed and things worked out fine.
I know someone from Negara, the largest town in west Bali and wanted to check it out for an hour. Taking an exit I slowly cruised down a main street then took smaller lanes checking out the Sunday scene. I noticed the muslim influence here and made eye contact with some of the locals who returned my glance with smile. One old lady thought the back of my shirt was hilarious ( in the laundry right now but has a glaring portrait of a Halloween type man).
This drink shop let me use their bathroom after my teh bottle’ and I noticed they had a 30 ft deep well in the back of the house. This lady’s husband was busy making an es campur’ ( mixed ice ) for a couple of customers . It contains a variety of chewy sweet stuff, syrup and sugar, just the thing your dentist recommends.
I knew there would be some lovely countryside heading back to Kuta and stopped at the Pura Rambut Siwi temple. I wanted to take a look at the beach but the attendent was keen to get me done up in local attire to visit the temple. The pathway led all the way to the temple and there was a track to the beach, paddy fields and this small temple along the way. I thanked him and moved on, buying a small packet of rice tofu from one of these ladies. The thing was about 900 repiah and came with a small red chili and some peanut type sauce.
Passing close to Medewi Beach I pulled over for a photo break and sipped a Sprite from a vendor. There are some reasonably upscale hotels here and I noticed some American and Asian tourists enjoying the surf and sun.
The game of chess is very popular in Indonesia and these guys were passing the time under the shade of their bale’.
My last stop down the coast was a place along the road to Balian. The beach may not be the greatest but as you drive along looking at emerald paddies to the left and swaying palms to the right its really a delightful sight.
I drove down a dirt road to a river estuary to eat the tofu in the shade and stated talking to these folks who were building the entranceway to a new house. The foreman from Jakarta told me a French guy owned it. The ladies needed a fun break and I caused some uproar by showing them their photos. The word cantik’ ( chantik ) which means beautiful, never fails to get a laugh.
The ride through Tabanan was made easier with my pollution mask firmly in place. It now has a big crease that runs east-west and makes me look like Daffy Duck, but who cares, those trucks and bikes put out so much emission that you’d have to be crazy not to wear something.
Turning off from the road to Denapasar and passing through Kerobokan I was home in no time.
This was a short trip, riding back from Gilimanuk would probably take 3 hours with no stopping. At least now I have a mental picture of west Bali.
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Nick, Hope your keeping the 5th free…..
We only have 4 sleeps to go!!!! Done some Duty Free Shopping already & friends helped talk me in to buying a new pair of shades!!!???? We will find you somewhere uopn our arrival I am sure….
I’ve been reading a lot about the Sari Club, and I’m curious, do you have any pictures of what it looked like inside?
I am a bar owner, and the Sari Club seemed wildly popular, and I’m trying to get a grasp of what the interior looked like.
Thanks.
Kristin,
Great to have you posting. I look forward to seeing your site full of photos.
Tracey, I’ll e-mail you my cell phone number. We’d need a celebration drink when you arrive!
J, I know the Sari Club had a traditional style roof made of bamboo and alang alang which goes up like a torch. Will try to find photos of inside.
Inside the Sari Club was basically a lot of bamboo and hundreds of flags hanging from the ceiling.
It had a big screen TV and two areas - a lower area with a bar and a side bar on the way to the upper dance floor.
It looked very similar to many bars/discotheques you’ll find in places like Cancun, Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, etc.
Jason
Waikiki, HI
Thanks Nick,
Will call you… Once we are settled in!!!!
I am really excited, only 3 to go!!!!!!
Hi Nick — Just registered at BootsNAll.com, and read that it was a good idea to “butter you up,” so here I am! Love the site and plan to do some exploring. My friend and I are undertaking our own travel adventure mid-September, you can learn more about it at http://www.2girls1world.com. Thank you!