Sunday morning at Seraya Shores in Karangasem Bali

Sunday I woke to the sound of waves crashing on the beach. Karangasem doesn’t have a developed surfing industry but on occasion there is surf, its just unpredictable.

My balcony was complete with a small table and 2 comfortable chairs and I could enjoy the view. I took a stroll around the property to check out the long �bale’ close to the beach and Vincent and Akari’s room.

We ate breakfast which consisted of fried egg on toast, coffee and fruit. I could of asked for anything I wanted without limit on how much.

Before we had finished saphir bali the owner arrived. Originally from Perth Australia she bought land 5 years and put a � bale‘ in the middle. Living on the site she figured out the best placement for her rooms regarding the sun, view and the winds. I think she’s done a great job. The hotel doesn’t get a ton of visitors and is great if you are a guest, it also means that saphir bali works 6 days a week in a large hotel in Ubud, returning only on Sundays. I think its cool that her staff are responsible ( driver excluded ) enough to run the place for a week without her.

It was decided we were spending the morning at White Sand Beach which I promised not to tell the location of. This beach takes about 25 minutes to get to and is not easy access. What awaits is a small fishing village with lovely white sand and turquoise water. Swimming here is relatively safe and I splashed around for a while before taking myself off to a shady patch near the cliff. We ordered coconuts from a local vendor who hacked them open with his chopper and put a straw in for us. After drinking the milk we handed our coconuts to him and he hacked them open using part of the husk to dig the chunks of flesh free. These guys have figured out coconuts!

I will take visitors here and point them towards saphir bali’s place which I recommend.

Seraya Shores 081 33874 9108

serayashores@hotmail.com

Talking to Vincent, Akari and saphir bali we mulled over the westerners dream, of coming out here, buying land, but in a place that other people won’t want to develop. That really is a fantasy and people will look to develop in all desirable locations, look at Ubud.

saphir bali has a particular problem in that she wants her hotel to be successful but doesn’t want hoards of people out here. I can see that if the coastal road is finished Karangasem will start developing more rapidly. Here’s why: Traditional villages, unspoilt scenery, Gunung Agung ( volcano), Amed, Tulamben ( diving ) Tirtaganga, Ujung (water palaces), Candi Dasa ( restaurants ) and a ton of little coastal places without much development. Compare that to Nusa Dua where you have resorts and nothing else.

I can see Vincent and Akari getting a place out here, but they won’t be the only westerners.

Back at the hotel we had an early dinner and Akari’s massage lady showed up ( she’s friendlier than she looks). The whole scene at Seraya Shores is hotel extremely mellow, the place is well taken care of but no one is pushing you to do anything. If you want to sleep on the bale with your book no worries, Made will bring you a pillow and hot tea. If you want to do a day trip the guys can organize it.

Sitting on the veranda with Vincent sipping a ginger coffee and watching the start of the sunset I ��..sunset!!!! It’s a 3 hour ride back to Kuta and I should have been on the road. I quickly grabbed my stuff, said a goodbye and set off in the direction of Amlapura to the west. Riding at night isn’t something I particularly enjoy but as long as you take it a bit slower there’s no need to have accidents.

I arrived home at about 9pm safe and sound and very glad that I had made the effort to get out to Karangasem and enjoy the company of Vincent and Akari. They plan to spend the next couple of weeks touring the north coast checking it out and I’ll see them on their return to Seminyak.