Me to We
When Des actually made it to Bali I was amazed. It is a long journey, one I did in stages, yet he did it in one long haul. 30 grueling hours of travel. He is amazingly robust and apart from losing a bag of insulin, the journey was smooth and he took it, and the 5 hour time difference - in his stride. Lovely to be together after 5 weeks apart.
I swam in the hotel pool as Des slept a little more in the morning - great to get some proper lengths in a pool designed for it; so many pools here are weird shapes that mean swimming is curves rather than lengths.
Leaving half our luggage at the hotel, we set off much lighter. Our driver Ketut was keen to talk but after all the time apart, Des and I had lots to catch up on. It felt amazing to have my mate back beside me and enjoying the beautiful lush Bali scenery. We stopped at a temple - Phra Goa Lawah - one of the six holiest places to worship on Bali - just outside of Candidasa, donned sarongs and scarves and wandered through the ornate temple and to the noisy (and smelly) bat cave. I’ve driven past so many temples since I’ve been here, but only stopped at a few. This one is beautiful - they all are - and I love the focused but casual worship of the Balinese; a part of the daily routine rather than only on special days. There are hawkers selling all sorts of stuff - ‘Very special lava bracelet’ ‘It looks like stones’ ‘Yes but very special stones’ - usual story.
Our bed for the night in Candidasa had been recommended by a friend in Ubud. It was a cottage on stilts by the sea. The snorkeling is supposed to be good there and after all that travel I thought Des would want a chill. It was a beautiful place - a wooden house made of textured coconut wood. The Balinese are amazing master craftsmen and it astounds me how much detail and perfect finish is worked into everything they do. We explored the garden and the beach but the tide was too high to snorkel. Waves crashed into the sea wall where the guides say the best snorkeling is to be found. We swam across a bay and saw more fish than we had expected but nothing particularly special. The white rocky beach is stunning and we sat by the sea picking through the marine detritus of shells and coral all bleached uniform white. The sky was darkening by the minute and dark clouds from the south were heading our way. We made a plan to snorkel at the nearby rocky island the following morning before continuing north to Amed.
We never made that trip. The storm hit in the middle of the night. A massive tropical wall of water with attendant dramatic thunder and lightening. When we got up the following morning, the coconut palm lawn in front of us was waterlogged and it was clear our snorkeling trip was off.
Storms a’comin
The weather cleared the nearer we got to Amed and it was a relief to get to our beach villa. Another amazing find - on the beach - very cheap but everything you could want. We got our masks on and got out there within minutes of arrival. Pyramids is an amazing spot for snorkeling and we saw three turtles and a huge range of size and color of fish and coral. Des filmed and photographed, clearly delighted by the warm clear sea and lots to see.
Amed is an undeveloped beach town which has shifted from fishing village to tourist attraction since COVID. It is still emerging and very much in the ‘beach shack’ rather than posh hotels stage of development. It is a one road town, but its a long road that follows the coast for over 10km most of it overlooked by Bali’s highest point, Mount Agung.
The previous week I’d loved diving at the Liberty wreck in Tulumben and I knew Des would love it too. We jumped on our scooter and headed there after an early breakfast (I had green pancakes stuffed with coconut sugar. Not perfect dive food but quite delicious). We met up with Dive Master Steve again (‘Anything to get out of Grimsby’ is his catchphrase). Our dive group was five this time, and we set out for the wreck mid-morning hoping to avoid the crowds. No luck there - around 50 divers were coming or going. Piccadilly Circus is an exaggeration but in diving terms it seemed busy. Underwater it was worse with bad diving behavior on show across the site. However, the wreck is spectacular. Not just in the vast array of marine life, but also the colors on the wreck itself - algae, coral and seaweed in amazing colors and profusion. The dive is quite technical with lots of exploring in and out of confined spaces. It is fascinating to see how the 140m long ship has become part of the sea bed and a massive attraction for not only tourists but marine life too.
A quick reset back at the base, then back down to the beach for our second dive, a reef dive close to the Liberty site. It is everything Liberty wreck isn’t, quiet, calm and gentle. A totally different dive and the perfect compliment to Liberty.
I get really hungry after diving and not really having eaten enough (I’d held back on the green pancakes), I was feeling a bit hangry. We chatted to our dive mates but I was getting increasingly desperate to eat. Des is amazing - he just copes with stuff like hunger - but when I need to eat I lose interest and patience in almost everything else. I did see a sign on the way back which made me forget my hunger for a minute, however. A hospital board offering a range of services, one of which was “Fishioterapy’ - Des and I have had three days of fishtherapy in Amed, but I don’t think snorkeling and diving is what they were offering.
Back in Amed, I got my lunch, finally. Since Des has been here I’ve started having three meals a day. Before that I’ve only eaten twice a day but because of his diabetes Des needs a regular schedule and three meals a day. It’s nice going out at night when you’ve got someone to go with and so we cruised around for a supper spot but decided supper back at our villa was probably the best option. It’s amazing how much diving takes it out of you and after sups, Des and I were in a bit of a food / diving coma.
Our night was disturbed, however, by dogs. Bali dogs are a thing - very unlike any other dogs I’ve ever seen. They have their own communities and packs and run parallel but not dependent on people. They were running amok that night and the barking and yapping from the beach woke us both up - woke anyone up who was anywhere near the beach. Beachside suddenly looked less appealing and we vowed to book a place back from the beach next time.
It is great being together and only a slight adjustment from me to we and I am getting more and more used to it by the day. Des is a great traveling buddy - especially when the main activities are snorkeling and diving.
Tomorrow is a day of guess what. We are heading to the island of Nusa Penida for more of the same. The big 3-meter attraction of Nusa is the possibility of swimming with manta rays, and maybe mola mola (sun fish). I’ve met three people who haven’t been lucky with either in the last few weeks so I am aware that our chances are well, chances. It’s always fun to explore anyway, so with low expectations, we set off to Nusa Penida.
Amed Snorkeling
Stayed in Novotel Bali Airport
Ida’s Homestay, Candidasa
BBQ Villas, Amed.
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