7.31.2011

Journal Entry 3 May 9, 2004 Puri Bambu, Jimbaran, Bali, Indonesia

Carefully following the narrowing road on our little, red motorbike to the end of
Bukit Peninsula we gasped at the view at the end.  Hundreds of meters
down in the blue ocean were tiny dots of surfers riding gigantic swells.
The waves are world famous here and for only the most daring of surfers.  We soon
discovered one reason why as a Balinese woman set her basket of goods down to lead
us to the bottom.  Hiking down narrow make-shift steps passing seven or so
switchbacks of surfer lounge-and-live hang-outs we reached the tiny beach which is inside a great thundering cave of pounding waves, echoing as they pummel the rocky entrance from the ocean.  It was very exciting, and we were both a little nervous.  A few old-timer surfers were waiting for just the right break to navigate the dangerous exit of white-water and rock into the ocean.  Some locals followed us down to in hopes of selling us some of there goods.  Instead we relaxed and felt the energy of this great ocean power, not wishing to leave the grounding power of this cave.



















Later, after climbing out we rode
a few tight curvy and steep
kilometers down the peninsula to another famous paradise surfers beach Pdang Pdang.  This one only had a cave we had to walk through to get to the beach.  Only a few people were here again as this is another very tricky surfers wave, coming in onto harsh coral.  We got our first look at the adorable little gray monkeys that were hanging out at the lagoon behind hoping for a banana from a tourist.




Looking beyond and above was a large cement bridge that had an ancient
look surrounded by jungle vines and plants one would need a bush-whacking
knife to get through.  We watched the tide go slowly out while the coral
surfaced, the surfers riding the waves in only to leave.


A man appeared at the top on the road dressed in an old parking attendants shirt claiming we owed him a fee for parking, hmmm…on the edge of the road?  “How much?” I asked, surprised.  He said 3000 Rupiah.  It shocked me at first but with a quick calculation I was not about to argue in another country for a mere 40 cents.


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