Snorkeling, Lovina Beach, Bali
Before going to bed I had checked my underwater camera goggles, and they seemed to be working fine. I was so excited about the prospect of trying the camera out in the morning.
My snorkeling was scheduled for 10:00 a.m. I figured I would wake up around my usual time, between 7:30 and 8:00, grab a cup of coffee and some breakfast, and probably have a little time left before the boat came to pick me up.
I settled into bed with my book, read awhile, and fell asleep around 11:30.
Bang! Bang! Bang! I woke up to someone pounding on my hotel door, I jumped out of bed, grabbed my robe, and went to the door to see what was going on.
Two hotel maids were standing there ready to come in and clean my room. “Wow, what time is it? I asked.
“It is 10:15, shall we come back later?”
Oh my gosh, couldn’t believe I had slept in so late!! I told them no, if they would just give me a few minutes, I would be gone, I had an appointment with a boat at 10:00.
To which they replied, “Ah yes, he is down there waiting for you.”
I scrambled to get ready, grabbed my goggles, headed down to the boat, stopping briefly to suck down a cup of coffee before climbing aboard the boat.
The captain was there waiting, and he had brought a cousin with him, which turned out to be very comforting for me. His cousin, Dion, went into the water with me, which made me feel a little better than jumping into the ocean by myself.
They had brought some food for the fish with them, and once we were in the water, he handed me a piece to hold out and hand feed the fish. I tried taking pictures with my goggle camera, and I could hear what sounded like pictures being snapped. Yea!
My mouth piece was not the right size, or I had it in wrong, what ever the problem was I kept getting a mouthful of salty sea water, and would have to surface frequently to spit it out.
The fish were quite beautiful, Dion dove to the bottom and picked up a bright blue starfish and brought it for me to hold. It was fun and interesting, but nothing like the time I had gone snorkeling with my son Sean on the island of Samed in Thailand.
Unfortunately, my underwater camera was not working. I discovered later the sound I had been hearing was the camera shutting off due to low batteries, and every time I hit the button to take a shot it was turning it back on momentarily and then shutting off again. So much for the fantastic underwater shots I was hoping for.
Having lunch I was trying to decide what to do with the rest of my day. Wayon was picking me up at 4:00 to go baby clothes shopping. I considered working on my photos, maybe writing the first blog.
Ketu, another Balinese young man I had met my first night at the hotel came up and started asking me if I was okay, he didn’t see me at breakfast, and he knew I was late for my boat. I laughed, told him I had overslept.
He then started in trying to get me to avail his guide services to go see the local sights, the temples, the rice fields, the hot springs.
When he mentioned the hot springs my interest perked up, and I asked him “”Are these hot springs ones you can actually go in?” In Thailand they have hot springs, but about all you can do at them is stick an egg in the water and watch it boil.
“Oh yes,” he said. “The water is very nice and the waterfalls, you can get a massage from the water and it feels great.”
Once again I was thinking, okay, you are here for an adventure, go for it!
I agreed to meet him at 1:00 for a trip to the hot springs, prefaced by the need to be back by 3:30, for my afternoon excursion with Wayon.
Transportation in Bali is mostly by motorbike. You can get a taxi, or ride the public bus, but the entrepreneurs seeking tourist business have motorbikes.
I jumped on the back of his motorbike and we were off. The ride to the hot springs was wonderful, worth the trip just for that. Gave me a chance to see a little more of Lovina, the part tucked up in the hills.
My snorkeling was scheduled for 10:00 a.m. I figured I would wake up around my usual time, between 7:30 and 8:00, grab a cup of coffee and some breakfast, and probably have a little time left before the boat came to pick me up.
I settled into bed with my book, read awhile, and fell asleep around 11:30.
Bang! Bang! Bang! I woke up to someone pounding on my hotel door, I jumped out of bed, grabbed my robe, and went to the door to see what was going on.
Two hotel maids were standing there ready to come in and clean my room. “Wow, what time is it? I asked.
“It is 10:15, shall we come back later?”
Oh my gosh, couldn’t believe I had slept in so late!! I told them no, if they would just give me a few minutes, I would be gone, I had an appointment with a boat at 10:00.
To which they replied, “Ah yes, he is down there waiting for you.”
I scrambled to get ready, grabbed my goggles, headed down to the boat, stopping briefly to suck down a cup of coffee before climbing aboard the boat.
The captain was there waiting, and he had brought a cousin with him, which turned out to be very comforting for me. His cousin, Dion, went into the water with me, which made me feel a little better than jumping into the ocean by myself.
They had brought some food for the fish with them, and once we were in the water, he handed me a piece to hold out and hand feed the fish. I tried taking pictures with my goggle camera, and I could hear what sounded like pictures being snapped. Yea!
My mouth piece was not the right size, or I had it in wrong, what ever the problem was I kept getting a mouthful of salty sea water, and would have to surface frequently to spit it out.
The fish were quite beautiful, Dion dove to the bottom and picked up a bright blue starfish and brought it for me to hold. It was fun and interesting, but nothing like the time I had gone snorkeling with my son Sean on the island of Samed in Thailand.
Unfortunately, my underwater camera was not working. I discovered later the sound I had been hearing was the camera shutting off due to low batteries, and every time I hit the button to take a shot it was turning it back on momentarily and then shutting off again. So much for the fantastic underwater shots I was hoping for.
Having lunch I was trying to decide what to do with the rest of my day. Wayon was picking me up at 4:00 to go baby clothes shopping. I considered working on my photos, maybe writing the first blog.
Ketu, another Balinese young man I had met my first night at the hotel came up and started asking me if I was okay, he didn’t see me at breakfast, and he knew I was late for my boat. I laughed, told him I had overslept.
He then started in trying to get me to avail his guide services to go see the local sights, the temples, the rice fields, the hot springs.
When he mentioned the hot springs my interest perked up, and I asked him “”Are these hot springs ones you can actually go in?” In Thailand they have hot springs, but about all you can do at them is stick an egg in the water and watch it boil.
“Oh yes,” he said. “The water is very nice and the waterfalls, you can get a massage from the water and it feels great.”
Once again I was thinking, okay, you are here for an adventure, go for it!
I agreed to meet him at 1:00 for a trip to the hot springs, prefaced by the need to be back by 3:30, for my afternoon excursion with Wayon.
Transportation in Bali is mostly by motorbike. You can get a taxi, or ride the public bus, but the entrepreneurs seeking tourist business have motorbikes.
I jumped on the back of his motorbike and we were off. The ride to the hot springs was wonderful, worth the trip just for that. Gave me a chance to see a little more of Lovina, the part tucked up in the hills.
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The Hot Springs were wonderful, very relaxing in a beautiful setting, and indeed one of the pools had water falling down about 15- 20 feet through pipes, that you could get under and maneuver the water on your shoulders, and back, for a jet massage of warm water.
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Beautiful Lovina Hot Springs
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We made it back to the hotel by 3:30, and I went to my room, showered, and got ready for the next leg of my adventure. I wasn’t sure where I was going, just that Wayon knew where to find baby clothes and was going to take me there.
We ended up in the next town over, Singaraja, at a huge marketplace. The baby clothes were in a building, reminded me of a shopping area in Thailand called Worot Market. The interior shopping was comprised of many small booths, open aired three stories high. And indeed there were many vendors selling baby clothes. Outside the area is surrounded by a fresh fruit and vegetable market, again similar in structure to Thailand. |
Singaraja Marketplace
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Balinese treats at market
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One big difference was this one was jam packed, with barely any room to walk through the market. They also had different looking foods than you will find in Thailand.
While we were at the fruit market he called his wife to see if he should pick up any fruit for the celebration. I had heard that on Wednesday there was a big Hindu celebration, one of two they have every month. |
Market place at Singaraja, Bali
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I was planning on being on in Ubud on Wednesday, and wondered if I would see the celebration up there.
After the market, he suggested we go look at the harbor. There was a simple wharf and a harbor with a few moored boats. Next to the harbor was a Chinese temple. |
Wharf at Singaraja
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Singaraja Harbor
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Chinese Temple
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Chinese Dragon Detail
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I was given a guided tour by an elderly Chinese gentleman, who took me through and explained what every thing meant. The main idea I came away with was that the Dharma was Tao, Confucius, and Buddhist. I spotted a dragon in the corner, propped up waiting for the next parade, and he was very encouraging of me to take a photo of it. So I took one to please him. |
