A nine-hour flight brought us to Bali, a tropical island in Indonesia, located south of the equator.
Amed
Before embarking on our long journey to the resort for a week, we spent one night in Ubud, a major tourist hub in Bali.
The 24-mile journey from the airport took three hours due to the overcrowded roads. We inched along the dirty streets, past small, open shops with no doors or front walls. We drove past old, falling-down shacks that at first appeared to be abandoned but, on closer examination, were actually inhabited. Intense traffic noises from mopeds, motorcycles, cars, and trucks.
Alice has traveled extensively but never to a “developing nation” (what we used to call a “third-world nation”). She was shocked at what she was seeing and getting increasingly nervous about where we would be staying for our first night in Bali.
We arrived at our hotel and checked in. Outside, it looked rundown, but inside was amazing.
We walked past the reception desk into a jungle oasis! It was awe-inspiring. A hidden gem. Manicured lawns; trimmed hedges. Beautiful!
In the morning, we had a lovely breakfast in their outdoor dining area. We were the only guests.
The problem with an oasis is that it’s an isolated paradise. I took a walk and couldn’t find anything worth seeing outside of the resort. Narrow sidewalks, if present at all, are crowded with motorcycle riders trying to bypass traffic, making walking stressful and unsafe. Plastic and debris everywhere; trash-strewn wastelands. Stray dogs roam the streets. Endless, drab concrete buildings. Time to catch our taxi to our next resort.
Goa Gajah
Since the ride to our next resort would take all day, we had arranged to make two stops along the way. The first was at Goa Gajah (literally “The Elephant Cave”), a Hindu archaeological site that is 1000 years old. Since this area is actively in use as a Hindu shrine, they wouldn’t let me enter wearing shorts. So, I borrowed a pair of loose-fitting, baggy pants.
Gangga Water Palace
Our 2nd stop of the day was Gangga Water Palace, a temple complex built for a king in 1946. It was designed for meditation and proved to be a relaxing stop.
The most famous activity here is walking across the pond on stepping stones. Unfortunately, it wasn’t tranquil, as there were many tourists there. You had to wait for your turn to move forward. Posting a photo on Instagram of yourself standing on one of the stepping stones is a very popular trend.
Amed
We’ve been looking forward to staying at a Puri Wirata Dive Resort and Spa in Amed, right on the ocean at the far side of Bali. The plan was for me to go scuba diving while Alice enjoyed the spa.
Alice was quite apprehensive after she learned that nine nights at this resort cost a small fraction of the cost of our three nights in Bora Bora. What would it be like?
As our taxi crossed the island, that apprehension was getting validated. The brilliant green rice terraces carved into hillsides in the middle of the island became less frequent. They were replaced by steep slopes, sharp turns, and heavy truck traffic. Reaching Amed was feeling more perilous than picturesque.
As we entered the village of Amed, the street didn’t seem wide enough to be two lanes. And it barely qualified as “paved”. Motorcycles whizzed past in both directions. At one point, we went through deep water that was washing across the road.
Finally, our taxi descended a steep slope to a small parking lot that didn’t look too inviting.
Once we entered the resort, our view changed completely. Everything inside the resort was perfectly kept. Our suite was spacious, featuring a living room, dining room, kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom. We had our own private patio with a clear view of the ocean.
We spent hours at or near one of the two swimming pools. Twice, I walked down the steps to the ocean and walked in. The water was bathtub warm. In fact, too warm. We couldn’t cool off in the pool or the ocean.
Even the A/C in our apartment couldn’t keep up. The only way we could cool off was to hide in our bedroom with the air conditioner on, the doors closed, and the ceiling fan running.
Groceries
Our first priority in Amed was to buy some groceries. The food that we had brought from home was gone. There was only one restaurant at the resort, and no other restaurants anywhere in sight.
We had a kitchen with a stove and refrigerator, and we wanted to prepare some of our meals in it.
Amed is a small village located far from the major tourist areas. Even if it was cool enough to walk to the village center, the traffic on the narrow, winding road was far too scary. I asked at the front desk. They recommended asking at the dive center if they could drive us. Luckily, the truck used to transport scuba tanks was available after 3 pm.
The driver beckoned for us to climb onto the bed of the rusty old pickup truck. I politely asked if Alice could ride up front with the driver, then I clambered up. As the truck rattled over the potholes, I barely managed to stay upright.
The driver patiently waited while we shopped at the town’s only grocery store. We repeated the process on the way back. Alice inside the truck; me in the bed of the truck. Only this time, we also had to juggle the bags of groceries.
Those groceries lasted us for the rest of our stay in Bali.
Scuba
Bali is renowned for its scuba diving and is recognized as one of the world’s most popular dive destinations. I had made arrangements to dive once or twice most every day.
In Tahiti, all of our dives had been from a dive boat. I sat on the gunwales of the dive boat and leaned back. Didn’t have to stand up or lift my scuba tank. To get back in the boat, I handed my tank to someone and then climbed the ladder. No strain on my back or issues with my vertigo.
In Bali, all of the dives are “shore dives”. You put on your scuba tank on shore, wade into the water until you’re waist deep, then put on your fins. That would have been hard for me even under ideal conditions. These weren’t ideal conditions; the fierce wind whipped up heavy surf. Those tanks are heavy! The rocky seabed made it nearly impossible to balance. With help, I managed to get into the water.
Once in the water, it was a magical world. The waves overhead had no effect once you were submerged. The water was crystal clear. The aquatic life around the reef was extraordinary. There were many scuba divers visible in all directions, but only three in my group: myself, another novice diver, and our instructor.
After a fantastic dive, I had to reverse the process to get out of the water. This proved impossible! I couldn’t stand up in the shallow water with the waves and the rocks. Eventually, my instructor helped me take off my flippers, and he carried my scuba tank to shore. Now barefoot, I still couldn’t stand up and had to crawl to shore.
We walked back to their dive center for a rest break. Meanwhile, another member of their team fetched our tanks and brought fresh tanks to our next dive site.
Again, I had to get chest deep in the water and put on my flippers and tank. This was exhausting in the heavy surf. As before, the dive itself was incredible. Lots of fish and sea turtles around the reefs. In any direction you looked, there were also other scuba divers slowly drifting through the waters. After an incredible dive, I had to get out of the water. At this point, my instructor realized I wouldn’t be able to manage on my own, so he took off my flippers and brought in my tank. Without flippers or a tank, I still had to navigate the rocks while the waves kept knocking me down.
I concluded that I love dive boats, I adore scuba diving, but I don’t have the strength or the balance for shore diving with surf and rocks. My instructor was not surprised when I told him that I was cancelling all of my dives for the next week.
Spa
The spa at the resort offered a couples’ massage, which they called “Honeymoon for Two.”
The massage included:
- Foot flower bath
- Manicure
- Full body massage
- Flowerbath
and lasts four hours!
We made a reservation for our last full day at the resort.
The foot flower bath involved soaking our feet in two tubs of water with flower petals. The manicure was precisely what you would expect.
For the last two, you’re going to have to use your imagination. It’s an understatement to say that they were an “experience”.
Pura Goa Lawah Temple
For our return trip to the airport, we arranged for a driver to stop at Pura Goa Lawah, often included among the “Sad Kahyangan Jagad”, or the “six sanctuaries of the world”, the six holiest places of worship on Bali
This time, both of us had to borrow some baggy clothes before entering the active temple. Most of the other visitors were Hindu worshipers. One “feature” of this temple is a natural cave filled with bats. Alice opted to quickly move on to the next area.