The drive from the batur area to amed was my longest drive yet…just over three hours…down the mountain on twisty, curvy roads, that were sometimes pretty steep…locals go zipping down those roads at speeds that would terrify me…I suppose if I knew the roads I’d be going a bit faster, but still…then along the coast with glimpses of the water peeking through trees from time to time…on the mountain I was cold…driving through a cloud and winds, I got so cold my teeth started chattering, and my body shaking…and I knew I had to keep going because the only way to warm up was to get down…amed is an area on the east coast of bali…it has only recently begun to develop, but it’s still nothing near the level of kuta/legian/seminyak…the sand is black, the beaches narrow, the water super clear…I’m glad it isn’t as developed, but it won’t stay this way for long…there is a lot of building going on, locals have realized the income possible if tourists come in larger numbers…
I found a place for a reasonable price…it’s smaller than my room in batur, but cheaper…and toilet paper and a towel are provided! After relaxing and settling in, I headed across the street to the beach…I followed a small path, and found the beach…NO ONE ELSE TO BE SEEN…that’s even better than the amazing west coast beaches in new Zealand…I did see and hear a couple goats, but that was it…the sand is black, the waves calm, the water the perfect temperature…I WAS THE ONLY PERSON ON THE BEACH!! At some point a jogger ran by me, and a lady walked past twice as she walked along the beach…but that was it…awesome…
Dinner that night was barracuda in some kind of sauce, with veggies and rice…and one of the best banana milkshakes I’ve ever had…followed by a two hour walk, again it seemed that every guy along the road wanted to offer me transport, diving tomorrow, etc…annoying, but I liked the walk anywho…
The next day about the only thing I did was go to the beach…and eat the same dinner…with two banana milkshakes this timeJ
The third day I got up a little earlier and after breakfast, hopped on the motorbike and drove to a place called tirta ganga…also called the water palace…the guy who built it was really into water, so there are pools all over the place…not surprisingly, after I parked (there was no parking fee, yippee!!) someone tried to attach themselves to me as a guide…I had to be direct, and tell him I wasn’t going to pay him anything…he said he just wanted to tell me some information, but I knew that if I let him continue walking with me he’d demand a “donation” when I left…I enjoy the beauty of places more than anything…I love history and culture too, but with all the temples and such I’ve seen here, I know there is no way I’d be able to keep things straight if I had a guide everywhere…
When I tried to pay the entrance fee (which was only for foreigners, there was no fee for locals) they didn’t have change for me…they told me to come back after I was finished and pay then…gotta love the honour system…I could’ve left w/out paying anything at all, but that would’ve been bad…I enjoyed walking around the area, though I’m not sure where the temple part was…there were stepping stones across one of the pools, and statues, so photos were fun…i’m glad I got there early, as about the time I left a lot more people were arriving…
on the way home i stopped a bunch of different times to take photos of the rice paddies i was seeting everywhere...they were amazing...so beautiful...at one point i got a bit distracted by the photo i was trying to take, and forgot to look at where my feet were...oops...i took a step forward, and before i knew it, was in a rice paddie...whoops...i'd taken a step when a step wasn't there...fortunately, the fall was only a couple feet, and there wasn't anything stick or rock like in the area where i fell...i laughed at myself, and was somewhat embarassed when i got back to my room with mud all over...the camera didn't get wet at all, and that was my first concern...lol...obviously, i had to wash off the seat and foot area of my bike...i have a gazillion photos of rice terraces, so i didn't need to be taking anymore, but there is just something about them that's so beautiful...
After the “temple” it doesn’t take a genius to figure out what I did with the rest of my day…go to the beach of course…followed by the same dinner and drink, and another walk…life is good…
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