Final Days in Bali – Amed area

And the last stop on our week in Bali was the Amed area. If you are looking for nightlife like in Kuta, you will die here of boredom. If you roll out of bed early just to see a sunrise, you will have quite a reward in color as the sun momentarily makes Lombok appear on the horizon. The colors are more suited to oil painting than photography. The local fishermen have their colorful sails up and you can see them from Bali all the way to the horizon dancing on the glittering sea. This is the place to chill and get away from it all.

It’s not completely without activity of course. The snorkeling here is great as is the diving, plus you can rent a motorbike and ride the coastline for some dazzling scenery, real local color, and a few attractions such as the water palaces.

We stayed at Eka Purnama, a collection of four little cottages perched on a point overlooking the sea. No a/c, just ceiling fan and sea breezes keep it nice at night. Nothing super fancy but by no means junky either. Bed was comfortable, bathroom clean, and the front porch offered a great view and comfortable chairs or hammock perches. The owners are an American ex-pat and his wife. George and Elua are friendly and honest and good company. The food at the restaurant is affordable and the seafood is quite nice.

During the day, you can head down the hill to the cobblestones of the beach where all the fishing boats are pulled up on shore, and snorkel right offshore for amazing coral and a small Japanese shipwreck just beneath the surface. There is an eel garden in the sand flat before the wreck. Watch for it with patience.

Motorbikes rent for anywhere from about 35,000 per day (rare) to 50,000 (fair) to 80,000 (if you didn’t haggle) and the road is quite scenic as it curls along the shore and up and over the hills. Watch for dogs, chickens crossing the road (who knows why?) and pedestrians, not to mention sudden traffic, sandy patches and potholes. Helmet advised. Insurance as well.

There is no cell service near the hotel. Internet around Amed is costly at 1000 per minute but look around for 500. It is sl ooooo wwww w.

My last day in Bali I spent two hours hovering over the coral below the hotel. The currents change quickly so even when the sea is up and causing some visibility problems, a wait of 30 minutes might be enough for it to clear up. Gorgeous colors, plenty of fish, and if you’re patient, you are sure to see a few surprises here and there.