Sunday, January 11, 2015

Lovina Beach, Bali - Mixed Feelings

We started this trip in Bali, Indonesia for aesthetic reasons as we want to keep a general north/west direction through Java, Indonesia, Singapore, Peninsular Malaysia, and Thailand.  We liked Bali pretty much when we came here in 2006 and spent our time in Ubud and Amed.  This trip we will visit Lovina before heading west to the ferry for Java.

Coming here after the holidays is definitely a good thing,  The Lovina Beach is not a popular destination in Bali to start with. At our modest hotel there are more people working than guests. My concerns for coming in the rainy season seem unnecessary. We have been here for more than 48 hours and it has yet to rain at all.  Given the day time high 88F, real feel 103F, I am thankful for the overcast sky.  When we first got off the airplane, it felt like one of the worst summer days in Raleigh, not exactly enviable even when it's 11 degrees (F) back home. I am acclimatizing.

Not an adherent of the beach cult, I am a little particular about where to go; that is, no party beaches, no mega resorts, no flying, no ferrying; although at the same I don't want to forego a beach-view, electricity, AC, Wi-Fi, not to mention plethora of restaurants.  I totally sound like a hypocrite to myself.

So we end up at Lovina.  While I have everything I was looking for, our morning walk along the beach was a sobering reminder. The beach front is interspersed with vacation accommodations of varying resplendence and village shacks of varying dilapidation. The disparity always bothers me, not to mention the trash and sewage from the inlets. Am I a part of the solution or the problem?

On the way from Denpasar to Lovina.
On the way to Lovina Beach - Bali, Indonesia

Lovina Beach - Bali, Indonesia

John cooling off on the veranda.
Lovina Beach - Bali, Indonesia

The landmark Lovina Beach Dolphin Statue. Check out the selfie stick.
Lovina Beach, Bali, Indonesia

Watchin' the Sunset.
Lovina Beach - Bali, Indonesia

Sun-Ling enjoyed a bit of shelling on the black sandy beach.
Lovina Beach, Bali, Indonesia

Lovina Beach, Bali, Indonesia

Lovina Beach, Bali, Indonesia

More beach scenes.
Lovina Beach, Bali, Indonesia

Lovina Beach, Bali, Indonesia

Admiring the jackfruit next to the pool.
Lovina Beach - Bali, Indonesia

Tasty vegetarian dinner at Warung Jegeg: deep fried potato fritters, spicy greens, best tempeh ever, with rice.
Warung Jegeg - Lovina Beach, Bali, Indonesia

5 comments:

Kathy said...

Ouch, that temp is high! I have pretty much given up on beaches, have seen plenty of tropical ones, but those shells are pretty. Like the look of your hotel.

Sun-Ling said...

I don't know whether we'll be going to more beaches on this trip. I liked the hotel though. Frangipani trees were flowering everywhere. Starfruits fell next to my chaise lounge, good thing not the jackfruits. Our room was furnished mostly in bamboo. Each day more guests showed up. By the time we left they were more than half full. No wonder they were not more flexible on the price.

Crash Eddy said...

"Am I a part of the solution or the problem?"

TBT, we jointly are the problem, always have been. Easy to fell helpless in the face of these intractable problems. What to do? I guess the only thing we've done is contribute $$ to organizations that attempt to solve problems, such as National Resources Defense Council.

Crash Eddy said...

What are these boats that show in Lovina Beach http://goo.gl/891IU9 ? They appear to be catamarans but I can't be sure.

john said...

Ed, Those are sailing canoes with outriggers. See my video from our 2006 trip to Bali: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tau7x9OsJIE#t=115
-john

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