At breakfast we're presented with the breakfast menu -- didn't we have breakfast included? Phew, we do, and it's the most expensive American Breakfast. Normally a good thing but we turned up late for breakfast expecting a slice of toast and then onto diving. We stuff fruit juice, fruit platter, toast and jam and bacon and egg and coffee down at a rapid rate -- not good for digestion, nor 30 minute sea bound boat trips nor diving. Still, the boat's a good size (compared to the shoebox of a boat yesterday) very similar to the Zanzibar fishing boats.
The first dive is a bit plain, though, with some caves with swim-throughs back out -- cue bits of diver brushing rock and coral. I don't know why they let people do it, it's to nobody's benefit -- the diver doesn't see much (there's little light and you're concentrating on not hitting anything) and the environment suffers as clumsy divers scrape through gaps they're not skillful enough to exit cleanly.
The second dive at the eponymous Sandy Slope is much better as it's more of a drift dive with some small (20cm) stonefish and big (15cm) nudibranch and a turtle. Turtles are funny creatures, they're never scared nor interested, they just go about their business as if you weren't there.
Taman Sari Bali has been a very pleasant stay and a shame we can't stay longer. We head off towards the Taman National Park where Putu reveals that, as with so much in Bali, there's an associated cost involved with trekking. You must have a guide. In this case for IDR157,000 we can have a guide for 1-2 hours where we'll see, um, some vegatation, the state of the park and maybe some animals
The flashes of lightning and peals of thunder have the casting vote and we decline. Putu wants us to see the hot springs (entrance fee IDR3,000 -- about US$0.33) but we're falling asleep, have seen hot springs before and have little IDR left. We suggest we just go to Lovina and rest.
The first hotel is OK and we crash out. At 7pm Putu picks us up to take us to a popular (with his clients) restaurant but they look shiftily empty and aren't taking credit cards (for what would be about US$8 worth [for two people]). We go round the corner to a Lesehan, a simple Balinese restaurant where Putu orders us a traditional Ayam Goreng (lit. chicken fried) and to our delight the entire chicken has been fried [head, feet, the works -- at least it's been gutted]. Helen refuses to touch it so I rip bits off for both of us which we eat with our vegetables, rice and very spicy sauce. The chickens aren't like in the UK. You'd be a bit miffed if you were served this scrawny effort anywhere in the UK. The sauce is way too hot for us (having been reduced to a mere three chillies from ten) which is a good excuse not to eat too much (if you could). Even I decline to tear the meat off the neck. That's too close to the beady eyes... Putu's had to pay for this and it's a pretty rum do: IDR50,000 for the chicken, and veg and rice for two. Last night I had a top dollar Nasi Goreng (lit. rice fried) which had more meat and was much tastier. But what do I know? Tonight was traditional Balinese.
Back at the hotel we had a couple of beers in the restaurant whilst writing journals and trying to get pictures of the very still pool. Our small reserves of Rupiah [IDR] were decimated by the unexpected request to pay for the beers in cash rather than on the room.
Bali Lovina Cottages S8.16283
E115.02376 Elev. 21m!
Copyright 2003 Ian Fitchet. All rights reserved.