Bali Episode 1: Lovina the Beach
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Saturday 13 Feb 2010 Bali, Indonesia
How to relax at the beach: Swim in the warm ocean, swim in the pool, sunbathe
with sun block applied, go snorkeling, go dolphin watching, eat delicious
Indonesian food, watch the sunset drinking a cold one, read and contemplate
life. We practice what we preach. That is how our days are filled at Lovina
Beach.
We arrived Tuesday afternoon and found an airconditioned room, essential for
this hot climate, in a small resort on the north coast of Bali. Our room faces a
nice garden, next to a small restaurant and swimming pool. The black lava sand
beach is just outside the gates to the resort. The ocean waters are warm and
buoyant, just right for floating. A line of fishing boats wait to take you
snorkeling for the equivalent of $10 US for two people.
The coral reef lays about 200 M offshore. The fishing boats are simple wooden
affairs with a narrow hull and two outriggers for stability. A maximum of three
adults or four small people can sit single file on wooden boats for the short
journey. The reef isn’t the most exciting we have seen but it is fun. We have
gone twice and enjoyed it enough to go one more time before we move on. The reef
is regenerating well from destructive fishing practices using dynamite. The
visibility is clear and the fish numerous. There are mostly hard corals but
there are some soft corals with Nemo guardians as well.
The dolphin is king in Lovina Beach. A large statue of a dolphin erected in
the town square next to the beach attests to the popularity of boat rides to see
the dolphins swim in the bay. The best time to go is at sunrise, about 6 AM when
the dolphin pods go in search of breakfast. Yesterday morning we motored out in
the fishing boat to join what seemed to be every tourist currently staying in
the Lovina Beach area. I don’t know how the dolphins stand being the center of
attention but they were there in great numbers. I kept snapping pictures as Ray
called out “there’s another one!” They swam past and between the boats in twos,
threes and even greater numbers. It was exciting to see.
There are numerous restaurants to choose from. We have our favourite “good
value” spots that we return to. Lunch today was a pre-Valentine’s celebration at
a very good Thai restaurant. The last few days we have been enjoying a Happy
Hour beer and watching local men play their end of the day volleyball game on a
court in front of the restaurant. It is a soft surface court so only about one
or two of the players wear shoes. They obviously enjoy the game.
We don’t have TV in our room so will have to rely on TV in the bars to get
our Olympic fix. I hear everyone in Vancouver is encouraged to do a Snow Dance.
We trust everything will go well for the games.