Out for a stroll on the beach...

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  Jimbaran, Bali, Indonesia
Tuesday, September 20, 2011

We started our day exploring the Jimbaran area on foot. This hotel is perched up in the hills above the bay, so we started out going downhill toward the water, following a narrow, rutted roadway with no sidewalks and quite a lot of construction and traffic. It was a hot and dry, dusty and dirty walk and we felt profound relief once we had cut away from the street and were actually out on the sand. Jimbaran Bay curves around for quite a distance, with the Denpasar airport at its terminus. Consequently, we could see planes landing and taking off periodically but couldn't hear them for the roar of the surf. The beach was also practically deserted and very pleasant to walk along, especially as compared to the busy roadway we'd just left. Along with bits of broken shells and coral scattered in the sand, we also saw dead baby sharks, numerous fish heads, as well as a dead snake. I guess that was the nature part of our walk. After about a mile, we slogged through hot sand up to a restaurant and ducked under an umbrella for a cold drink--it was sweltering out in the sun, despite the ocean breeze. From there we cut back to the road, passing through an alley that ran adjacent to a large walled cemetery. We smelled something burning and saw puffs of smoke and realized that there was a cremation ceremony going on. We both covertly took pictures, and Bill videotaped what was going on over the wall by holding his video camera up over his head. He had no idea, until later, what he'd recorded.

Our walk back along the roadway was definitely not as relaxing as the beach walk, as we picked our way back toward the hotel over broken sidewalks punctuated periodically with open manholes, deep ditches, and other obstacles that necessitated our being very careful where we placed our feet. We were in the downtown area of Jimbaran, I guess, and passed numerous fish shacks and store fronts. We stopped at a DVD store and bought several cheap movies (all still playing in the theaters back home) before finally stopping for lunch at a local chain restaurant. From there we caught a cab back to the room because the rest of our way was uphill in hot sun, and we were pretty pooped. I think we probably walked about 3 miles total.

We spent the afternoon playing in the pools and relaxing on lounge chairs. As it grew later we decided to walk down the road in the other direction to a place called the Rock Bar, which Made had recommended to us as having a beautiful sunset view over the water. We had no idea how far it was and the guy at the lobby here had no idea either, so we just started walking on the side of the road, dressed up for dinner. We walked for about 10 minutes, not seeing anything, before giving up and turning back. We decided to cut our losses and try our luck down at Jimbaran Bay, which is a famous location for fish dinners on the beach. We caught the next taxi and were dropped right in the thick of the fish restaurants. Employees were stationed outside of the various establishments, intent on luring in the tourists. We quickly decided on a place rather than wandering around basically because we were hungry and didn't want to try comparison shopping, especially as it appeared each restaurant offered the exact same thing for the same price. Here is how it all works: Tourist walks up to large counter, looks over the various types of seafood which are each piled in their own rubber bucket. Tourist points to whatever fish or crustacean looks interesting. The selection is then weighed and a price given. Greedy tourist continues to point at different delicacies like huge prawns, lobsters, clams, various types of fish--all of this freshly caught that day--and after agreeing on the price is escorted down to the beach to sit at a lovely table facing the water. The food is then grilled and brought to the table, along with accompanying dishes of rice and long beans. This is how it worked for us. Bill and I decided on a red snapper because everything was expensive, and the snapper was the least costly. We were also interested in the prawns, but when 4 of them were weighed, their price came to $17. Needless to say, we ate snapper only. As it turned out, the fish we were served was absolutely delectable and succulent and almost more than we could eat, so it turned out to be a good choice. Combine that with flickering candlelight, a starry ocean view, Balinese dancing on a stage behind us, as well as a strange group of traditionally dressed Balinese men wandering through the tables singing Doobie Brothers songs, and our evening was an unqualified success. Particularly as dinner for two with drinks came to just $27.

This was our last night in Jimbaran. Tomorrow we make the transition up to our accommodations in Ubud, about a 1-1/2 hour drive north of here. Mike will be joining us--he's being driven up from the airport by Made. It should be a good visit.

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