Yesterday, we went to two beaches. Our first stop was Padangbai. We were supposed to go snorkeling there at Blue Lagoon, a place we could walk to. Well, our driver had trouble finding it and the locals said that it was too far to walk AND that there were strong currents there and that we shouldn’t go snorkeling. Of course, they could take us by boat to a much better snorkel place. Well, unplanned, we negotiated a price (too high) and went down to the beach to get on the boat. The boat was really old and beat up. So, we get in and as soon as we get out of the cove, the motor stops. He gets it restarted, but it dies five times on the way to the snorkel spot (I violated a travel rule – always look at the transportation before paying!).
We get there and get off the boat and start snorkeling. It is pretty good, but not great and we are ready to go to another spot. We go back to the boat and I see that he has the engine torn apart and is cleaning what looks to be the carburetor! He tells us that there is better snorkeling on the other side of the boat and to go over there. We do, and it isn’t any better. We come back and he has put the engine back together and we go to another spot: Blue Lagoon!
We snorkel in the Blue Lagoon (which doesn’t have that much current at all). It was much better and we were happy with our snorkel trip.
From there, we got back in the car and went to a beach that our Lonely Planet guidebook said was one of the best in Bali. The only trouble is that no one has heard of it (it is called Pasir Putih). So, our driver tries to find it and we look for the road sign. We drive to where it should be and don’t find it. Made’ then asks for directions – three times! Finally, we find the turnoff and go down to the beach. And it is as wonderful at it was described. Not a big beach, but very beautiful water and sand. As a bonus, there were maybe six other people on the beach besides ourselves. If it wasn’t 2.5 hours away, we would have gone back the next day.The waves were nice and we had a great time bodysurfing. The waves were almost a little "too" good. I had one wave go WWF on me and I did a full piledriver move straight on top of my head. I had to sit down for a little while to get my bearings - my neck hurt a little the next day. No pain, no gain! All in all, a great day.
Today, we did another beach tour – this time, close to the villa. We started at Ulu Watu beach, which is known for surfing. It was a tiny little beach with no sand, so we sat there and watched the surfers for a while. The entire time, we were constantly asked if we wanted a sarong or a massage. Finally, I told them no in a very firm voice. They kept pestering Rachael however. They left us and went to other folks. Rachael went to take some pictures and I was just sitting there. One of the ladies came by and called me what I have to assume was a nasty name in Indonesian!
From there, we went to Padang Padang, which is where they held a surf championship a week ago. The beach is a little better there, but not good for swimming. Not many surfers either. Funny story there: we went down to the beach and someone offered us an umbrella to keep the sun off of us. They offered it to us for 30,000 rupiah and I offered the 10,000 because we were only going to be there for an hour or so. She called me a crook and walked away!The water wasn’t that great there, so we left after about an hour and ate.
Our final beach was called Dreamlands and it was a great beach. We stayed there the rest of the day. The waves were huge and there were a ton of surfers. The waves in towards shore were big to. I rented a boogie board and tried to learn, but the waves kept crushing me. Later on, we both went body surfing in the huge waves (see the pictures – we were actually body surfing in the ones close to shore – great fun).
We met a couple from Austin at the beach (very small world). They said we were the first Americans they had seen!
Two great days of beach fun – great way to end!
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