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Lovina - Up Close With Flipper October, 2007 |
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Left off at the most expensive resort in Lovina, we quickly walked into town to investigate other affordable options. People come to Lovina to see the dolphins, those cuddly mammals that frequent the waters around these parts, and have contributed to changing this community from sleepy to entrepreneurial. There are two main roads in the town, with each ending at a large seafront park. Along the streets are a surprising choice of restaurants and souvenir shops, a few internet cafes, and an adequate range of accommodations. We were able to discover a charming guesthouse, located down a dusty road, which at first did not look too promising. Yet on we soldiered, and were rewarded with a comfortable room, a pool, views of the ocean and surrounding rice paddies, and breakfast, at the bargain price of $9 per day! The merchants or touts are easygoing and far less aggressive than our first stops in Bali. If you say 'sing laugh pee piss' (Balinese for no money, no problem) they laugh and leave you alone. The beach is black sand but not very wide, while the water is fairly clean, warm, and refreshing. Many people live in crude homemade shanties that face the ocean, their crusty old fishing boats at ease on the beach, waiting to head out to sea and catch another fill of fish. Inland, purple tinted mountains frame banana plantations as they rise above the fields. A lovely setting, and reason enough to spend the effort and come up for a visit. Standing on the main highway,
we flagged down a local bus to the natural hot springs. These local
buses, called bemos, are nothing more than a Early one morning, we awoke at 5:30AM to see the dolphins. Boarding a carved out log boat called a perfihu with the captain, his wife and their four-year-old son Ketuk, we sliced through the perfectly glassy waters as we headed for deep waters to see these local phenomenon. Other boats soon joined up with us, as we all canvassed the still waters in search of the dolphins. Suddenly, in the distance, a flash of black and broken water signaled the first pod, and we all rushed to the spot. Soon, the ocean was filled with these lovely creatures, both near and far, with everyone pointing and exclaiming, ‘over here’, ‘over there’. Effortlessly they slid by our boat, and surfaced in unison, as if part of some synchronized Olympic swim team. Over the course of two hours, we moved from one area to another, and as the wind picked up and the ocean starting to agitated, we headed back to shore. They think that the dolphins make a big circle in the calm, warm waters of the Indian Ocean everyday to feed on the many schools of fish. Early in the morning, they approach the shore before circling farther out to sea in the afternoon. For a cost of ten dollars, this was a beautiful and fulfilling adventure, with a magnificent sunrise, and hundreds of dolphins swimming and jumping. There are some ongoing environmental concerns about the boats chasing the dolphins and getting too close, but the locals do respect these lovely creatures, and know that much of their livelihood derives from taking tourists on these daily excursions, so won’t do anything to destroy this income source.
The next day, I thought maybe a little ginger ale would be just the ticket, so again went around to the same stores. At least they understood a little better what I was looking for, but in the end, no one carried it so I managed to get by with a product in a can called 'Rhino Juice'. I am guessing from the label it contains guava juice, although I could be wrong. Finally, we needed a bungee cord to lash my daypack to Marge's rollaway. Once more, I went around to the same stores and tried to explain what I needed. For some strange reason, despite the fact that everyone drives a motorbike and could certainly use one or two of these, they are not available, nor does anyone understand what they are. At the internet cafe, I printed a picture of a bungee cord so that I can show people what I need. Although now when I walk through town, I am on the lookout for any bungee cord and am prepared to make a generous offer to anyone willing to part with one - stay tuned... While wandering around the town I came across the most enterprising man in Bali - he carries with him a portable amplifier with a microphone. He goes from business to business, places the amplifier at the front door, and starts singing these awful songs at full volume. Naturally, the only way to get him to stop is to pay him 1000 rupiah (about 10 cents) - he must make out pretty well in the course of the day. I tried to get a picture of him today, but could not track him down. Maybe tomorrow, maybe it is just his 'off' day. We said goodbye to Lovina after six nights. We met a wonderful family from The Netherlands - William, his 83-year-old grandmother with a healing but sore broken arm, his mother Mia, and Aunt Yolanda. They showed us the true meaning of kindness and giving. They have been to Bali many times, and each time they bring bags of clothes for friends that have made here. Indonesia is a very poor country, with people subsisting on fishing or tourism. One such person was Budi, who works at the local restaurant, speaks good English, and is planning to go on to a University and study the travel industry. He has the personality for this field & we wish him much success! From Lovina, we took a taxi to
Candidasa, the port town on the eastern coast for the ferry to Lombok.
Bali does not have a well-developed transport Riding in an Indonesian taxi is like being in a video game. Weaving and darting about, there are no observable traffic rules. You disregard the few traffic lights, beep your horn as you pass someone, or when you want a motorbike or person to move out of your way. It’s best to look out the side window and not straight ahead, and certainly don’t think about car insurance. We hit a traffic jam in a village along the way, then realized they were having a tsunami evacuation drill, as police closed the main road, and villagers were seen running up the road, under the constant screeching of the police whistles. In Candidasa we found a nice condominium on the water for $35/night, more than we had been spending but still good value. Candidasa is quite small and is known for good diving and snorkeling. We decided to splurge on a snorkel trip, and went with two local kids to the famous Blue Lagoon. Although there were many small fish and some corral reefs, it was nowhere as good as Hawaii or Australia. In years past, the fishermen used dynamite to blow up the coral reefs, the broken pieces used to make cement for buildings and roads. Fortunately, they are no longer allowed to do that! We had finished snorkeling and were resting on the boat while our two guides continued fishing for squid with their spear guns. Suddenly, we heard them shouting underwater and as they back on board, they explained they had seen a huge shark, and that they were afraid to shoot it because of its size. We were somewhat surprised that they were so shook up, and surmised it must have been one big fish. From Candidasa, we walked up to Tenanan, one of the original Balinese villages. This walled village is about eight blocks in size, and textiles seem to be the main industry. By tradition, anyone living here is expected to marry someone from within the village, unfortunately with dire genetic consequences. On the walk back down, we stumbled across a German bakery serving bratwurst, sauerkraut and some kind of fried potatoes. It is a little curious that I am more surprised by the fact that there is bratwurst in Bali than I am by the fact that there is a monkey eating a banana on the side of the road. From Candidasa, we are boarding a four-hour ferry to the island of Lombok, which bills itself as the way Bali used to be. With a major international airport being built there now, this is probably the last chance to see it as a rugged outpost of Bali past. There are small puddle jumper planes that hop from Denpasar to Lombok, but the ferry is certainly more adventuresome.
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Leaving
Ubud, we headed north on an old public bus for three hours to Lovina, a
small village on the north coast. We were grateful for the overcast
skies since the bus did not have air conditioning. With open windows, we
passed through the sights, smells, and sounds of the beautiful
countryside. Steamy jungles, playful monkeys, verdant rice paddies,
friendly settlements, and of course, many temples. All for the tidy sum
of $9 per person (which included lunch). 
small pickup truck with bench seats mounted in back, with a canopy on
top. For twenty-five cents, you hop on with the locals, and then rap the
side of the truck when you want to get off. Plying the popular routes
from one village to another, it is the preferred way for the locals to
get around. We arrived at the natural springs on a Sunday, with families
and young kids packed into the pools. 
Yesterday
I spent a couple of hours wandering from store to store looking for some
Pepto and/or Maalox thinking it would be readily available (I have a
little bit of Bali Belly). I did not think it would be that difficult to
explain exactly what is was I was looking for - rub my tummy, explain it
comes in a pink bottle, that you drink it, etc. In the end I ended up
with a package of local 'stomachache pills' (this is the label) and some
other pills the pharmacist gave me.
infrastructure, with a few bus lines operating between major points of
interest. However, the taxi, which is actually a local kid who borrows
someone’s car for the day, is economical and practical with our cost for
the three-hour ride coming to twenty bucks plus a five-dollar tip.
