Sunrise With The Dolphins, Lovina, Bali
I woke up moments before my alarm clock went off at 5:30 a.m. Another unusually early morning for me.
I dressed in my shorts and tank top, and was ready to head out and find my way in the dark to the back gate of the Adirama Hotel. The gate leads to the beach where I was told I would be picked up for my Dolphin Watching Sunrise boat ride.
Half way to the door I had woken up enough to realize that maybe wearing shorts and a tank top out on the ocean this early in the morning might not be the best idea. I quickly changed into long pants and my warmest top, and headed out. Turns out I made the right decision on that one. Once I was out on the water I was comfortable, and knew I would have been a bit chilly in my shorts.
While standing there waiting, I pictured being on a boat full of other eager tourists riding on the ocean out to a point where we would park and wait for the Dolphins to come dance around our boat greeting us with their morning antics.
I imagined being able to walk around the boat, to get different shots of the Dolphins swimming and playing in the waters around our boat. As usual, I was quite excited about the photo opportunity.
It is funny how you picture something in your mind, and the reality turns out to be something completely different!
Our boat pulled up, and I climbed aboard a three passenger catamaran with one other couple, and we headed out to sea. I knew immediately my photo opportuinities were going to be more limited than I had fantasized.
I dressed in my shorts and tank top, and was ready to head out and find my way in the dark to the back gate of the Adirama Hotel. The gate leads to the beach where I was told I would be picked up for my Dolphin Watching Sunrise boat ride.
Half way to the door I had woken up enough to realize that maybe wearing shorts and a tank top out on the ocean this early in the morning might not be the best idea. I quickly changed into long pants and my warmest top, and headed out. Turns out I made the right decision on that one. Once I was out on the water I was comfortable, and knew I would have been a bit chilly in my shorts.
While standing there waiting, I pictured being on a boat full of other eager tourists riding on the ocean out to a point where we would park and wait for the Dolphins to come dance around our boat greeting us with their morning antics.
I imagined being able to walk around the boat, to get different shots of the Dolphins swimming and playing in the waters around our boat. As usual, I was quite excited about the photo opportunity.
It is funny how you picture something in your mind, and the reality turns out to be something completely different!
Our boat pulled up, and I climbed aboard a three passenger catamaran with one other couple, and we headed out to sea. I knew immediately my photo opportuinities were going to be more limited than I had fantasized.
Bali Sunrise
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The sunrise was beautiful, and being out on the ocean at that time of day was quite invigorating and exciting just by itself.
We were soon joined by a fleet of other catamarans, some carrying 8-10 passengers, other smaller ones like us, with only a few passengers aboard. |
Sunrise Dolphin Watching Boat
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Together we all headed towards an unknown destination, searching for the Dolphins. Our captain yelled out “There!” while pointing towards the ocean on our left. A school of Dolphins were swimming, and diving, through the waters.
We never sat still, we were in constant motion, watching for the Dolphins. Each time a school was spotted, the boats would all converge on the spot where they had been seen. I always enjoy seeing wildlife up close, this was my first time for Dolphins. While I did enjoy that aspect of it, I began to get a sense of disruption, and did not feel comfortable with chasing the Dolphins. |
Dolphins off the coast of Bali
I did manage to get one shot of the Dolphins.
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On our way back to shore, we stopped at a point where the water was clear and we could look into the depths of the water and see the corral beneath us.
Our captain dropped some food into the water, and suddenly the ocean was alive with many brightly colored fish, darting about grabbing the bits of food as it drifted down through the water. We were each given a packet of food to drop in for the fish, and it really was quite exciting and beautiful to watch.
I had planned on two things while visiting Lovina, the Dolphin Sunrise boat trip, and snorkeling.
I had snorkeled once before while visiting the island of Samed in Thailand with my son, and I had loved the experience. Seeing the fish from the boat really whet my desire to try snorkeling again.
When disembarking from the boat, I made arrangements for the following day to go out snorkeling off the catamaran at 10:00 am. I had brought with me my underwater camera face mask, but that was it. The captain assured me he would have any other equipment I would need.
In the afternoon I decided to take a walk towards the center of town to check out the area.
Transportation is not a problem in Bali, as soon as you set foot to the sidewalk you are bombarded with offers for a ride. I wanted to walk though to be able to see the town up close and personal at my own pace.
While walking I passed a young Balinese girl around 12 years old, and she greeted me with the brightest smile and said “Hello!”. I smiled back and returned her hello and stopped for a moment. She asked me my name, and then I asked her for her name. She told me her name was “Nyoman, means third”.
Having read Elizabeth Gilbert’s book Eat, Pray Love I understood what she meant. Balinese, according to Gilbert, name their children in the order that they are born. I understood that she was the third child of the family.
I met many Wayan’s on my trip, which means “firstborn” .
When she asked me where I was going, I knew she was not being nosy, but that in her culture it helps give a point of reference, a very common question, one I was asked frequently by people I met on the streets.
I knew this question may come up, but I really hadn’t prepared an answer or given it much thought. I didn’t want to tell her I was roaming aimlessly with no destination in mind, so I told her I was headed to the market.
She smiled at me, seemingly happy with my answer, we said goodbye, and I continued on my way.
At one point a nice looking young Balinese gentleman pulled up beside me and offered a ride on his motorbike. I smiled but declined and continued my walk, admiring the architecture and enjoying the fields of crops in between the cluster of buildings.
Our captain dropped some food into the water, and suddenly the ocean was alive with many brightly colored fish, darting about grabbing the bits of food as it drifted down through the water. We were each given a packet of food to drop in for the fish, and it really was quite exciting and beautiful to watch.
I had planned on two things while visiting Lovina, the Dolphin Sunrise boat trip, and snorkeling.
I had snorkeled once before while visiting the island of Samed in Thailand with my son, and I had loved the experience. Seeing the fish from the boat really whet my desire to try snorkeling again.
When disembarking from the boat, I made arrangements for the following day to go out snorkeling off the catamaran at 10:00 am. I had brought with me my underwater camera face mask, but that was it. The captain assured me he would have any other equipment I would need.
In the afternoon I decided to take a walk towards the center of town to check out the area.
Transportation is not a problem in Bali, as soon as you set foot to the sidewalk you are bombarded with offers for a ride. I wanted to walk though to be able to see the town up close and personal at my own pace.
While walking I passed a young Balinese girl around 12 years old, and she greeted me with the brightest smile and said “Hello!”. I smiled back and returned her hello and stopped for a moment. She asked me my name, and then I asked her for her name. She told me her name was “Nyoman, means third”.
Having read Elizabeth Gilbert’s book Eat, Pray Love I understood what she meant. Balinese, according to Gilbert, name their children in the order that they are born. I understood that she was the third child of the family.
I met many Wayan’s on my trip, which means “firstborn” .
When she asked me where I was going, I knew she was not being nosy, but that in her culture it helps give a point of reference, a very common question, one I was asked frequently by people I met on the streets.
I knew this question may come up, but I really hadn’t prepared an answer or given it much thought. I didn’t want to tell her I was roaming aimlessly with no destination in mind, so I told her I was headed to the market.
She smiled at me, seemingly happy with my answer, we said goodbye, and I continued on my way.
At one point a nice looking young Balinese gentleman pulled up beside me and offered a ride on his motorbike. I smiled but declined and continued my walk, admiring the architecture and enjoying the fields of crops in between the cluster of buildings.
Bali Architecture Detail
I actually did end up at a market, and strolled through looking at the different foods and items they offered.
Lovina Local Market
Back at my hotel I caught another beautiful sunset, enjoyed another wonderful dinner at the hotel restaurant (how convenient is that?), and headed to bed early, still trying to catch up from my past two mornings of early rising. |
Lovina Tobacco Fields
Lovina Crop Fields
At this point I had been out for several hours, and was ready to head back to the hotel. Once again I was approached by the nice looking young man on a motor bike, and this time I accepted a ride back to my hotel. We chatted on the way, his name was Wayon, he had a wife and three children, all boys.
He offered his service for transportation if I wanted to see any of the local sights, and I decided to take him up on it for the following day. I told him I was interested in finding baby clothes, and he said he knew just the place to take me. We made arrangements for him to pick me up the following day. Since I had snorkeling scheduled for the morning, he suggested 4:00, after it had cooled down in the day. This struck me funny, as I never did feel hot in Bali, the temperature was always perfectly comfortable, day and night. But I agreed to 4:00. 
Lovina Sunset
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