We did manage to head south to the Bukit Peninsula for a beach day. We hit up Geger Pantai and Dreamland. The two were night and day. The beach at Geger was very clean and the water was a beautiful crystal blue color and very calm. It wasn’t very busy at all so it was pretty quiet. It’s the type of beach that is perfect for tanning and sipping a pina colada. The beach at Dreamland however was the exact opposite. It was absolutely crowded with people yelling and screaming and shrieking. It was absolutely filthy too – both the sand and the water were full of garbage and who knows what else. The waves were huge and there were quite a few surfers trying to hang ten. It’s the type of place that is perfect for being obnoxious, filthy and shotgunning a bud. Don’t get me wrong, I had loads of fun at both places but I felt that I had to scrub myself raw with rubbing alcohol after Dreamland.
Something that I’ve noticed is that spas and salons are a huge industry in Bali – every few metres there’s a spa or a salon with people outside asking if you want a “masage”. While there are spas that are very comparable to any North American ones, the majority are dingy, old places with a bed and a few chairs. Ros and I must have walked past at least 30 places before settling on one that was brightly lit and spacious. We’ve been back a couple times now – did I mention that you could get a 1 hour body massage (Balinese style) for the equivalent of $5? Ya, you’d be going a lot too!
Ros and I also signed up to get our PADI certificates. Our first day consisted of theory and practicing in a pool. Our second day consisted of 2 open water dives. I always thought that diving and snorkeling is pretty similiar in terms of breathing habitats but it's not! For whatever reason, I need to concentrate harder during diving to remember to breathe in and out through my mouth. I must say that diving is amazing! What a cool experience to live like a fish for a while.
Pics to come...
