Category: 2018 or earlier

22 nd October 2007

I was convinced that I would manage no more than 2 or 3 nights in Amed but here I am 5 nights later having only just checked out of the Sunrise Café this morning. Oddly enough for me that attraction was the serenity of it all. Evenings would end at about 9.30pm at the latest. I drunk little beer or any other alcohol (until the last evening) and ate healthily as dinners were always served with robust portions of vegetables and steamed rice. I think there must have been 5 small resorts along the beachfront that comprised of ‘Sunrise Bay’ so I had dinner in a different one each night. With that simple task complete it just felt like time to move on. The days were a mixture of walking, rehydrating, reading, eating and chatting although the chatting was pretty limited (another reason for choosing to move out and move on now I think about it) as there were virtually no tourists and conversation was limited to brief encounters with the locals viz the temperature, snorkeling equipment and transportation ‘bargains’. My biggest thrill was the snorkeling which revealed extensive hard coral no more than 10metres off the shore line with such a diverse range of marine life it kept me entranced for hours. Box fish, Jacks, I saw one bloody big Barracuda just skulking over sand, Cuttle fish, Angel fish, a plethora of Banded Sea Snakes with their heads out of the sand.. comical!, arguing/fighting Trigger fish, those little spindly buggers that hang vertical in groups of about a dozen, Moorish idols, it was endless and quite incredible.

A close second on the notable events calendar was the sunrise which despite the early evenings to bed I only managed to surface once in time to capture it on camera. It was supreme and added much to the mental image that the Amed visit created in my mind. The pictures are either on Flicker or Facebook.

Yesterday evening brought the Amed visit to a fitting close. The least attractive looking restaurant and therefore my last port of call on the dinner expedition turned out not only to serve the best food but to be the most friendly; and on the evening of my visit allowed me to meet some excellent company and make two lovely new friends. Warung Bali looked like a shed. I’m sorry Warung Bali but it does. A shed with some tables and chairs out the back..beachside. But it served one of the nicest fish curries I have eaten in years. Not rich in cholestrol (coconut milk) sauce it had a gentle non spicy curry flavour to it and was loaded with fresh (steamed, I guess) fish and vegetables. A perfect delight! At the next table were Alain and Mireille. Alain and Mirelle from Belgium. Also a perfect delight. Alain thought I was younger than him and he was younger than me! He knows how to make friends! Conversation was a pleasure and never an effort. Alain is an artist who works with metal. I wasn’t sure but I think he was into household items like candleholders. Forgive me Alain if you read this and I have that completely wrong. We both enjoyed to travel so there was plenty for us to talk about. Alain explained that he plays the flute and in his younger days took his flute on his travels earning his food money from his flute playing. He would learn the local music styles for the country he was visiting which I am sure attracted a few more sheckels than foreign music. He earnt just a little bit of admiration from me for all this. Just to complete the picture Alain still sports a healthy crop of curly hair (which spiked a seam of envy in me) and on this evening wore a Sarong. This is a note to me – I must have a look at the Turkish interior and the South of France. Mireille approved of everything as far as I could tell and clearly felt comfortable with Alain frontstage! Bless them. Oh Yes – Alain introduced me to the Balinese drink Errak. The locally brewed drink that derives from palm trees I think. We took it at Alains suggestion with lemon, honey and ice. It probably doesn’t taste much on it’s own because it tasted like we were drinking lemon, honey and ice. However it oiled the evenings progression admirably

18th October 07 – A bumpy start in Bali

Sunday 14th October heralded my Philippines departure for KL. An(other) uneventful overnight at the Empress Hotel, Sepang, how many more times can I overnight at this throughly depressing location, took me into the 15th October and an afternoon flight to Bali. 25USD for the visa on arrival allowed me to move freely to the arrivals area outside of the airport and the taxi office news that Kuta was jammed and no taxis were even arriving at the airport let alone departing. Chill out and work it out are the thoughts that ripple through my mind in times like this. I had booked via email a room at the Melasti Beach bungalows in Kuta. As I hovered thoughtfully around the covered but empty traffic lanes I was approached twice by ‘unofficial’ taxi operators. The second offered to get me to Melasti in about 30mins for 10USD. As soon as I nod my head the luggage trolley is seized and I have no choice but to follow, at a canter. We do a maze of alleys and backstreets to arrive close to Melasti in about 10 mins. Melasti is fully booked. So much for their email booking service. However the driver smiles and suggests ‘no problem’ we will find you a room. As I subsequently find out this is perfect for him. 2.5hrs and at least a dozen hotel stops later we discover a fairly broken down family room at a hotel that could have been nice but was verging on a state of neglect. I can have the room for Rp400, 000. A place to lie my head, no debate. I must have dinner after that marathon hotel hunt I am informed. Little or no discussion precluded the 20minute ride to a beachside fish restaurant of the drivers choice. Ketut he had said I should call him. Over dinner Ketut announced that he would be arriving tomorrow with a motorbike to take me around to find more suitable accomodation. I hadn’t liked the look of the overcrowded Kuta and suggested I would like to get out of the city to a quieter beach side location. Again I play into his hands. I pay for dinner and back at the hotel I pay for his taxi services (Rp300, 000) before I am bid farewell for the night. He is to arrive at 11am tomorrow morning to transport me to this fabulous quiet beachside location that is a mere 3hrs drive away for a bargain Rp400, 000. OK, I must escape Kuta.

16th October morning I am in exploration mode. No meals at the hotel was the previous evenings information so I am ready to venture forth and find coffee and something to start the day with in nearby streets. A scantly organised reception counter was manned by friendly enough young staff who responded to my enquiry of nearby cafe’s with ‘none’ but you can take breakfast here. A hard boiled egg, two pieces of toast already prepared with strawberry jam and a cup of sawdust heavy ‘coffee’ complemented the neglected feel of the hotel perfectly. At check out I began to get a proper understanding of Ketut’s game. Rp250, 000 was the rate offered on a sheet under the counter for my room. The staff said I could get Rp200, 000 as a returning guest (inc breakfast.. I was tempted to suggest for a further discount if I could eat that breakfast daily). Mmmm. Well I’d finally got a room in an overcrowded Kuta… probably worth a little premium on the standard rate. Is Ketut on comission?

Ketut was on time and we were off. No ATM’s in Amed, our destination, so better empty a machine now was his advice. Message understood. I asked him for a number and used it to code the machine to deliver a wadge to me. I sweat more in his miniscule people carrier in the next 3hrs than I have done sat still for a long time. It’s hilly and with the aircon on (I’m still sweating) the hills are quite a challenge for the little (worn out) baby. After two hours I offer to buy lunch. I need to dry out.

Finally in Amed I am delivered to a very well presented Bamboo Bali and given Bungalow no. 1 at the top of the rise amongst well presented gardens and an almost unblocked sea view. Rp250,00 per night. Done. Bye Ketut. A walk through the village revealed many vacancies. I have now moved to a 1st floor room with balcony, clean and comfy bed, shower and fan over the beach at the Sunrise Cafe for Rp80, 000 a night inc breakfast (nescafe available). Ketut, you opportunist. The picture here is the bay view from the Sunrise Cafe in Amed.

Red Red Wine plays across the poolside terrace as I sit here in a gentle sea breeze compiling a smiley Philippines blog entry for the month of October 07. Today is the 12th. I brought a memorable and thoroughly enjoyable stay at Sunset Bay, San Fernando, La Union to a touching close on the 10th. Steve – a wonderfully positive character with a Philippina wife and young family newly arrived from England, George – on an South East Asian exploration trip from Wales, Tony – embarking on a job hunt , and Spider our Sunset Bay host, made up the UK contingent; Paul from the US with grizzly stories of his time at Bazra, and cool John from Perth completed a crewe with stories to share, views to debate and adventures to plot. A fine time was had by all! Departure inevitably included a bus trip. A sweaty seven hour bus trip that took me to Manila and city reality. Manila – jams, pollution, building work. Yuk! So, yesterdays schedule included another bus trip. A 2.5hr bus trip of escape to Alongapo, Zambales. My present location is the Mangrove Resort at Baloy Beach, Subic Bay just 10 minutes from Alongapo. Inexpensive, Seaside, Sunny. .

My picture is a San Fernado streetside snapshot taken one afternoon whilst on a shopping jaunt from Sunset Bay.