Friendly Welcome On Familiar Ground

The ferry from Lombok arrived in Padangbai on the Indonesian island of Bali just in time for the afternoon wet season down pour. Once again the wet weather gear was put on and as I rode off the ferry the drenching began. I got about twenty metres off the ferry and I could see Michael out in the rain picking up two pieces of the Mini's exhaust. As I have previously mentioned, the Mini sits a little low to the ground and the exhaust bottoms out on the uneven ferry ramp when exiting from ferry crossings. This time the complete exhaust system from the extractors back had been neatly removed in two pieces and left laying on the dock. I continued past the Mini and sat waiting on my bike under an overhanging section off a terminal building out of the rain.

Soon enough I could hear Michael's Mini coming, the Mini now sounded like a full blown race car with a statue some what larger than a Mini. With the exhaust now positioned inside the Mini, we continued into Padangbai to find a hotel, the rain was bucketing down relentlessly though, so we spotted a nearby bar / restaurant and settled in while until the rain eased.

Padangbai is a very small town with a hotel and restaurant strip situated along several hundred metres of lovely cove beach front, so our extremely noisy entry into town and along the beach front in search of a couple of hotel rooms drew the gaze of quite a few hotel and restaurants occupants.

 

The following morning it was time for Michael and I to go our separate ways, Michael was firstly heading down the road to find a vehicle repairer to assist him in refitting the Mini's exhaust, then South West to Legian to leave the Mini with friends for a paint job and refurbishment while he returns to Australia for work commitments. I was heading North to the sleepy coastal town of Amed where I thought I might spend Christmas.

 

On the way to Amed the road lead me to the spectacular Water Palace Taman Tirta Gangga, where Amlapura's water loving rajas built the palace of his dreams. Built in 1948 the palace has several swimming pools and ornamental ponds which serve as a fascinating reminder of the days of the Balinese rajas.

 



 

 

Once in Amed I investigated what attractions were on offer before deciding whether to settle in for Christmas, I found most interest centred on diving the reef's just off the coast.

 

 

 



Though and on this particular day when venturing along a rough narrow tarred valley road I managed to find one activity satisfying the local men's interest and need for gambling and that was cock fighting.

 

 

 

After the owners anger the roosters by ruffling neck and tail feathers while each rooster is in a face off with the other rooster, they are let loose to fight it out to the death. It may sound cruel but generally the contest was over very quickly when the razor sharp spur attached to one leg of each rooster severs a vein of the opposing rooster and it bleeds to death. The winner takes the leg with the spur, the looser has Soto Ayam (chicken soup) for dinner.

 

Amed proved a little too sleepy for my liking. It has beautiful coastal views and my hotel of choice was superbly located to take in those views, but I was in need of at least a little human interaction over Christmas and it was not going to happen in Amed.

 

I made the decision to return to Ubud for Christmas. Ubud was a highlight during my 12 day stopover while waiting for my bike to be shipped from Darwin to Dili and I was confident it would be a suitable town to spent Christmas.

 

I packed my bike and plotted a course that would take me along several back roads, providing a picturesque ride through the rice fields and forested areas of Culik, Duda and Sideman before entering Semerapura, turning North and on to Ubud.

 

 



 

 

 

A little internet research before arriving in Ubud enabled me to find my hotel of choice without too much trouble. My accommodation for the next five nights was at Ubud Bungalows, situated centrally within noisy and busy Ubud, yet the long narrow block housing the bungalows provided a quiet retreat away from the hustle and bustle within a lush garden setting. It was a great choice and the young staff were very friendly, helpful and always up for a chat. 

 

Christmas eve was spent bar hopping, following several live music gigs from an acoustic session early in the evening to an in house rock band belting out the tunes till early Christmas morning. Christmas day was subdued, sleeping off a mild hangover.

 

During the days following Christmas I enjoyed conversation with a restaurant waitress and coffee shop barista whom remembered me from my previous visit to Ubud and some good food including an exceptional meal at an Queens Indian restaurant, a visit to Warung Garasi for a meal also proved worthy of a photograph or two for its interesting seating and décor.

 

 

 

I also took in a little Balinese culture, being entertained with The Great Mahabrata Epic and The Best of Classic Dance of Bali at the Ubud Palace.

 





 

 

After a relaxing Christmas period in the familiarity of Ubud it was now time to pack my bike and ride to a destination within Bali to see in the New Year.