Bali Tour Guide

I woke at 5.30 am, take a shower and start my car engine at 6Am. I need to be at Amed in Amed 9 AM. I used the main road passing Gianyar, Klungkung, Candidasa and Amed. I stop for few minutes in Tirtagangga for a cup of coffee. I arrive in Jemeluk (part of Amed) around 8.30 AM. Salt makers still busy doing their activities. I also notice there are still numbers of ‘jukung’- traditional wooded boat , with their colorfull sail out in the water. I guess this is fish season.. Many baskets full of fish waiting side of the road confirming my guessing. All the fish were ‘macarel’ type of fih, locally call ‘awan’.

I reached the hotel where my guest staying and I saw them still having their berakfast. I rested a while until they ready to go. At 9 AM we start driving. A drive from most eastern part of Bali, Amed, to most western part, Menjangan area. We would be driving on the northern coastal road. After 20 minutes drive we were passing Tulamben, one of the main diving spot in Bali. We did not stop. After Tulambern, the are still dry. There were not that much rain fall in this area, as usual. However, there were many manggo tree side of the road with a lot of fruit on them. Its manggo season. We stop at one of the side road house to get manggo. We got 2 kilogram of mango for Idr 10.000. We did not bother to bargain.

We proceed the trip passing Air Sanih then Kubutambahan and made a stop at Beji Temple in Sangsit. I noticed there were some renovations have been done on some part of the temple. The wooded carved door has been repainted with bright gold color. Stairways in front of the gate have been replaced with volcanic black stone. It used to be built by sand stone. One main building in the inner yard has been redone on all o their wooden part , roof as well as floor. It become more colorful then used to be. However, overall temple still remains the same. Still showing very much the northern Bali style temple. Using redish sand stone and distinctive sytle of carving. The carving as not as small as the one in south Bali but still intricate. The statues of two men holding guitar and violin still exist. The carving with Ramayana story still decorating the outer wall. The unique leveled shrines with twin gates in the inner yard have not been touch for changing.

After saying good bye to the temple’s donation lady, we continued our trip to Lovina , passing Singaraja town. We made a lunch stop in Lovina. Leaving Lovina , we headed to Buddhist temple. There were group of people doing their praying. Some of them were doing sitting meditation while other doing walking meditation. There were all very quite. We did not want to become disturbances so we look around silently. The ‘stupa’ type shrine on the topside of the temple becomes the most interesting part of the temple beside its quietness.

We then drove down hill to visit Banjar hot spring. There were a bit of rain when we arrive in the area but were not stopping my guest to jump into the natural hot spring pools. Numbers of other people were enjoying the spring that time. My guests were not long in the water. They would like to stay longer but some sun burn on their skin make them uncomfortable.

We drove on the coastal road again passing Seririt district town then Celukan Bawang. We reached Pemuteran after non-stop driving for one hour. My guests’ hotel was not located on Pemuteran village but 20 minutes west. The hotel was Menjangan Resort. It is located within the National Forest. It must be a lot of effort and investment done by the hotel owner to get permission to build the hotel within the National Forest. The hotel lobby located under the impressive tall Bali Tower, constructed by huge logs of woods. We arrive here around 5.30 PM. After refreshed by welcome drink offered by the hotel staff, my guests went to their cottage by hotel’s jungle jeep and I started driving back home.

I drove on the southern coast road passing Negara town. I arrived in Rambut Siwi temple after one and a half hour non-stop drive. I stop to pray at the temple and have my quick dinner. Another two hours non-stop drive passing Tabanan area until I reached home in Ubud at 9 PM. What a tiring day.