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Padangbai, Bali, Kembar Inn
After a rolling ferry ride back to Bali yesterday morning I decided to stay here next to the boat terminal - it's a tiny beachfront place entirely tourism-based but super low-key and basic: just a few blocks of cafes, guest houses, and dive shops fronting a small harbor with the usual small outriggers pulled up onto the narrow yellow-sand ( and clean ) beach.Not a lot of tourists here now, but more than in Senggigi; a mix of young divers and older couples, mostly.I see them strolling or just sitting in cafes as I pass.I'm glad I'm not the only one who prefers the calm and quiet of a place like this to the glitz of the big-name places like Kuta.This family guesthouse is just in from the beach; the owner saw me walking by after I got off the ferry ( headed for an LP-listed place further along ) and enticed me in at least to have a look with her mention of a fruit buffet breakfast every morning, along with omelets/toast/coffee etc. I've had some good conversations here already, which is important to me as a look ahead just a few days to being back in Palembang with no access to native speakers except the ETAs. ( though hopefully I will see more of them than I did before )E.g. I met a French woman doctor this morning, a bit younger than I am, who like me goes stir-crazy if she can't get out of the normal routine pretty regularly.I will also swap 2 books here before I leave tomorrow for Sanur.
Today I took a bemo up to Amlapura, my favorite town not only in Bali but in Indonesia so far, with wide unobstructed ( ! ) sidewalks and leftover colonial architecture downtown, and just an easygoing, absolutely untouristy 'vibe'.I spent a couple hours wandering through the two sultan's palaces ( former and present ) taking photos of details that I'm sure no one but me will be interested in - though the attention to detail at the current palace was a delight to see, with everything large and small designed to be good to look at, and a from the back side a great view over a village to jungle and palm trees rising up the slopes of twin peaks ( actually visible despite buildingclouds ) in the distance.No one was there but me and a few locals.I walked through 'downtown' to the small covered pasar, which was almost over by 1 pm and looked pretty unremarkable anyway.I did see big mats and mounds of tobacco, though, in several colors - grown on Bali but not right here.I wandered through a Hardy's supermarket, not expat-oriented despite the name, just to see what they had, and enjoyed a tall, icy mixed-fruit juice and a decent seafood/veggie concoction with rice at an stylish place next door - probably my lunch and dinner today apart from some snacks.The ride up and back was interesting as well, past rice terraces - some being harvested - and coconut plantations, with occasional views down to the sea.We crossed over several rocky, rushing streams.Coming back, the driver stopped to buy shrine offerings and then place them at a temple and at a shrine almost overrun by monkeys, as well as on the dashboard of his van.A grandmotherly type riding in front wai'd formally with her hands as we passed one temple - like Catholics making the sign of the cross when they pass a church.
My day in Mataram was almost a waste, though at least it did not rain.The market at the E end of town was even muddier and messier and darker and less interesting than Kebon Roek was;I was never even tempted to take out my camera.It seemed very serious and wholesale-oriented, with endless mounds of the same few things not arranged in any way designed to create eye appeal.I constantly had to step aside in the narrow walkways for people who seemed to be in a big hurry and with no tolerance for a big bule who was unaccountably wandering all around gawking despite having no intention of buying a single thing.I didn't stay long.Coming back to Red Pepper, I made a walking detour to what LP describes as 'the old port'.Nothing port-like about it:just a string of poor people's small houses and thatch-roof stands fronting the filthiest beach I have ever seen, with mounds of trash and debris piled up everywhere that wasn't washed by the small surf, and what I hope was just mud or black-lave sand making the beach almost black.A few fishermen were gamely tossing their lines into the waves.Lots of kids were happily playing outside, one group of pre-schoolers making' music' or at least banging on things rythymically.Near the beach a few people had gathered at a very small Chinese temple for Chinese New Year;I saw hundreds of lit candles inside but decided not to go in.In the lane to Red Pepper a group of giggly girls greeted me and then followed me to the inn and did some hand games with me to nonstop laughter, until a mom retrieved them all.I talked quite a while with the Dutch owner, who seemed as happy as I was to have the chance for a fairly high-level conversation in English ( he's married to a woman from Bengkulu, on the coast W. of Palembang! )Walking out later for dinner, I found a dozen folks - several families, in fact - all gathered on a front porch; they invited me over and I ended up chatting a half-hour with one guy who knew some English, about Sasak culture ( 99% on Lombok are Sasak ) and the local, more open-minded version of Islam.Everyone else looked intrigued if uncomprehending; I imagine he was asked to 'translate' later.I had a tasty and filling seafood nasi goreng ( just 8000 rp! ) for the second night in a row at the little evening-only place right at the end of the lane, and was recognized and greeted warmly.Actually, just simple interaction witha few people in Mataram was the one memorable aspect of my brief stay there.
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Dorothy Loving the travel updates, Paul! I haven't been to Bali for... 13 years? something like that. Eager to go again. Yemen & YALI say hi!