Day 4 was another busy day with some great experiences. We got up early (Bob for yoga at 6:30) and me less early. Our hosts had booked a snorkelling guide for us in Lovina, so at 9:00 we were headed on our way.
Riding on the roads here is an adventure, no other word to describe it. Zanzan drove amidst the bikes and other cars expertly but I, at least, saw danger at every turn. People zip by on motorbikes on both sides and weave in and out of traffic. Other vehicles do much the same. Passing lane - no such thing...and any rule which suggests a reasonable distance to leave for passing are studiously ignored. Signs in the road (placed in the already narrow lane) say "hati hati" which means 'watch out' or 'danger ahead'. To me the signs themselves are the biggest danger. Oddly enough I felt quite safe as everyone is driving the same. Having someone who was too timid to pass or be passed would cause more of a problem. There were the occasional traffic jams though as we came upon a ceremony or market or something which had more than just the traffic in the street.
We passed through Singaraja which Zanzan told us is the biggest city in this area of Bali. There was lots of traffic (of course) but also lots of bigger shops, shopping centers and motorcycle repair shops...lots of those!
We arrived at our destination and were taken right to the beach and our boat...it reminded us of the boat on Boracay...except the one in Boracay had a sail.
Of course I was worried about a wet camera, so it stayed safely stowed throughout our snorkelling.
The snorkelling was lots of fun in water our guide said was 2 meters deep but which we felt was deeper than that. Of course the sights have to be remembered...but what sights there were! At first our guide sprinkled some bread in the water and the fish came out of nowhere to grab at it. The bravest ones were little blue striped fish about half the size of my hand. There were many fish about that size and the more often we dove down close to the coral the more we saw. There were tiny neon blue fish, bright orange, bright yellow. I saw a yellow angel fish! I saw a larger blue and orange striped fish, small black and white, black and white and red. So many varieties and so many colours. As in Boracay I was surprised by the saltiness of the water...floating is not an issue at all and when I needed to fix my mask I could use both my hands and just swish my feet a bit. Our hour of snorkelling was over and we were both finished. Even though the water was not more than 3 metres deep I found it hard on my ears to keep going down. Of course my own mask which fit my face would also have helped.
A selfie on the way back
The sand on the beach at Lovina is black, the remnants of a long ago volcano.
We arrived back at the hotel before Zanzan came to pick us up and spent the time talking with a security guard who told us he had worked for the hotel for 26 years. He told us he did not know much English, but kept teaching me new Balinese words. I learned how to say thank you (suk sma) and then dog (anjing) and rooster (ayam). In case you are wondering about this odd choice of nouns, we were telling him about the village where we are staying where there are many dogs and roosters. He consented to having his picture taken with Bob.
Zanzan arrived and got us set up in appropriate clothes for a celebration. A good friend of his from high school was holding a traditional reception for his son and a niece and two nephews who had participated in the "tooth-filing" ceremony that morning. It is a Hindu "rite of passage" ceremony (look it up, it is most interesting) which is very important. Zanzan's friend admitted that families often wait until two or more members wish to complete this ceremony because the expectation is that there will be a big reception (which is expensive). The young people wear "costumes" fashioned on traditional royal costumes. The girl told us that the costume would be worn for this ceremony and her wedding...in fact, I read that this ceremony is sometimes done at the same time as a wedding. Zanzan said that it is up to each person when they wish to have the ceremony.
We had to dress in traditional Balinese sarongs and Bob had to wear a head covering. I had to cover my arms which is why I am wearing a jacket...I packed for a mostly tropical vacation.
Zanzan fixing Bobs head covering.
Don't we look fabulous?
Bob wanted his picture taken with the beautiful girl.
Here I am, the thorn amidst the roses.
One of the interesting foods we ate (and I will say that I was very fussy about my choices...yet I still wound up with a fussy tummy) was snake skin fruit. On the outside it looks and feels like snakeskin !
(Spoon for scale)
On the inside it resembles a garlic clove
Within the bigger sections is a pit/stone. The fruit is kind of like a pear in flavour.
Very interesting to have a new fruit!
We stayed about an hour or so and had a bite to eat, signed the guest book and had our picture taken. Then it was back to Sudaji.
It was getting grey and threatening rain when we got back but we headed out on a trek to the rice fields nonetheless. Fortunately I fell quite heavily while going down the rocky path and pronounced my legs quite unfit for the task. I determined that day 5 was going to be a day of rest and reading to give my sore muscles time to heal. I hadn't counted on being ill.
I am happier to be here and ill than somewhere else...if I have to be ill that is. I've been given some herbal medicine and had very little to eat. Bob spent the day reading, swimming, walking in the village and now looking at the stars. It is our first time south of the equator so there are different stars to see. Tomorrow he will have a night sky app to consult. We have one more day here so I am hoping for restored health. In good spirits and thankful for indoor plumbing :)
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