A Week at the Beach!

 After sometime in Ubud, which is a bustling cultural hub, we were yearning for some place a little more “out-of-the-way”.  We decided to check out East Bali.  The Eastern coast of Bali offers spectacular underwater diving and snorkeling.  The constant offshore breezes are a refreshing change after the heat of Uluwatu and the humidity in Ubud.  We chose a small inn (only 10 bungalows) on Mendira Beach called Amarta Inn.  This Inn was an amazing find!  The standard rooms were pretty basic, but superbly clean with a small porch, an in-room fan, and a semi-open air bathroom with cold water.  Imagine our delight when we were told the rooms were 120,000 rp per night (~ $13.50) including breakfast!  A 1-hour Balinese massage could be purchased for an additional $6.

The beach, though small, was just out the entrance to the inn.  We were told that 30 years ago the whole coast was just one long stretch of one sand beach.  Unfortunately, development went awry.  As tourism to see these beautiful beaches increased, local developers dynamited the reef for building material.  With the reef destroyed, the beaches eroded.  A concrete “reef” and jetties were then constructed to allow the reef to repair and to try and catch sand to repair the beaches.  It is beginning to work.   

These long stretches of white sand beach still do exist, just a little further north where there is less development.  The most popular of these is Pasar Putih (literally “white sand”). 

Since this region is a bit quieter, we decided to try the local method of travel and rented a scooter. It was easier than I thought it would be, and Colby loved it!!  He sat on the scooter (wearing his helmet) whenever he could and made motor noises.  It was pretty darn cute.

I am glad he likes wearing his helmet since a scooter will be our main mode of transportation in Sumba.  With the scooter, we ventured to Pantai Jasri (Jasri Beach) – a black sand beach about 12km north of Mendira.  Pantai Jasri is more of a local haunt and therefore, much more relaxing.  There was no one trying to sell us lunch, a massage, kites, or sarongs!

These adventures cover about half of our stay at Amarta Inn.  At this point, the rest of the week is a blur for me.  I became violently ill and spent the next two days in bed.  Chris and Colby, I am told, had a spectacular time playing with trucks and shovels at the beach.  We returned to Uluwatu (where I composed this post, but couldn't upload it).  I finally started to eat again!  

We are now in the next phase of our trip.  We are calling this part the business phase.  On Monday, we flew to Singapore for 3 days to finalize our research visas.  Indonesia requires that you step out of the country briefly and visit an Indonesian Embassy.  Most ex-pats take care of this annoyance in Singapore.  While in here, we will meet with some collaborators at A-Star Immunology.  I really know nothing about Singapore and am looking forward to exploring a new place for a few days.   

I will post again soon!