Many years ago I was a Learn to Swim summer holiday instructor in South Australia. My ex and I had been studying, running two jobs plus renovating a horrible, filthy house; six months of go go go go, take another deep breath, go go go. The holiday job sounded like heaven; only four hours a day for two weeks, in a pool alongside the beach in the tiny port of Edithburgh. We got there on Friday to sign 100 or so kids into the next week’s classes, then, nothing to do till Monday, walked to the end of the long jetty to eat lunch. We dangled our legs and watched, through the crystal clear water and waving seaweed, as many schools of fish swam by and crayfish crawled on the sandy bottom below. And after lunch, I looked at him and said, “Right, what other relaxing thing can we do now?” Then paused in horror. Then laughed aloud. I had forgotten how to stop! We could just stay here for another few hours, dill!
If you live in Bali, maybe you’ve forgotten too. The tourists who come here have already worked out, most of them, that they need a break. But what about those who live here? Your schedule is probably full; work, social events, coffee with friends, more work. Dealing with red tape, more work. I’m sure it’s not just me. How long since you’ve seen a new part of this magic island Taken a deep breath and remembered why you came here.
Here’s my tip. Find three or four days, even just a weekend, and take off.
Sit on a cliff, a long way from the tourist bustle and your own complex lives, and watch the surf. Eat your lunch, take a deep breath, and sit another hour or so, watching the surfers and those glorious waves.
I’m pointing you towards the west coast of Bali, which I’ve recently discovered has a spirit all of its own. Maybe in 20 years it will have all the bustle of the southern tourist centres. For now, it’s just lovely tranquil stretches of coastline, a few tourists, some surfers – but no night life to keep the crazed ones interested – and a lot of peace and quiet.
There are spectacular surf beaches, an excellent yoga centre, lovely resorts and a range of simpler accommodation, and some excellent tourist attractions. Plus an absolutely delightful – and very accessible – national park at the far west.
The coast road is good, but busy with commercial traffic as the main road connecting Padang Bai on the east coast, through Denpasar, to the ferry to Java at Gilimanuk. There are many trucks, but they scoot along at a good driving pace; we had no trouble and enjoyed the road, watching coastal scenery on one side and mountains on the other. There are many bridges over glorious rivers tumbling into the ocean from those mountains.
And it’s not a long way. Tabanan – a bustling commercial centre – is at the beginning of the West Coast, and only two hours reasonable driving from the end of the West Bali National Park, at the westernmost edge of the island. If you live on the north coast, follow the coast road to the national park and do the trip “in reverse”. From Ubud you’d take an hour on pretty back roads via Mambal and Mengwi to Tabanan; if you’re coming from the east coast, Kuta, Denpasar or Sanur, just follow the big green signs to Tabanan.
I’d recommend taking three nights at least. First stop at least one day to either watch or take part in the great surfing – it’s a great spectator sport and there are so many good spots to sit with lunch or a beer.
We stayed at Gajah Mina Beach Resort in Lalanglinggah (also known as Balian Beach) which is no more than an hour and a half from Denpasar.
Gajah Mina was wonderful, with a handful of lovely, private 3 star villas, spread out over beautiful gardens and sloping away, via the 27 meter pool, to the cliff and the surfing beach in one direction, and rice fields in the other. Their Naga restaurant serves a very reasonable French inspired menu, with a wide variety of fresh local fish served with delicious Indonesian, Thai and French sauces.
Owner Dominique has built a massage and spa bale, perched right out on the cliff with a glorious view, and also provided great little sheltered spots along the cliff, to sit and watch the surfers in one direction, and the rolling waves crashing onto the cliffs in the other. If you need help to slow down, this is the spot.
Balian Beach also has excellent budget homestays and bungalows, and a couple of swanky villas with private pools. Tiny open warungs dotted along the coast offer lunch or simple snacks and drinks, and places to admire both sunrise to sunset.
Between Balian and Mediwi, the next major surfing spot, are vast stretches of white sandy beach – one is more than 20 kilometers long – and not a soul in sight. Curiously, every time the road goes over a bridge, the beach sand turns black at the river mouth, from the pure black volcanic sand brought down from the mountains.
Mediwi – a third of the way along the west coast - doesn’t have Balian’s clifftops, but again places to perch and relax, and fabulous surf breaks to left and right. The surf draws riders of all ages – one British chap I spoke to was 63 – for those long, long waves. Again, yummy little warungs, a couple of good cafes and some excellent accommodation, from 150,000rp a night to more than $US250.
If you are a yoga fan, treat yourself to a night at Mediwi’s Shankari’s Bali Retreat, which includes the Balian Yoga Center. This retreat has 14 bungalows and three swimming pools in the middle of a lush, tropical setting. You may not know the trend to combine surfing and yoga. Don’t be surprised to see those bronzed bodies stretching out their kinks in a yoga class, or soaking up the spiritual ambiance.
By now, you may have renewed energy. So check out some interesting tourist spots. Take a short drive into the hills behind Mediwi, to Asah Duren, the centre of Bali’s clove exports. And just past Mediwi on the coast is the delightful Rambut Siwi Temple, built on a cliff top overlooking a panorama of paddy fields and black sand beach. Two caves overlook the sea, each with a view of the fisherman’s boats and seabirds hovering above.
Many little roads turn off to the south, perhaps ending in a tiny village or by a collection of colourful fishing boats. The next major town, slightly away from the coast, is Negara, famous for its buffalo races, a “mixture of sport and circus” where competing teams of jockeys ride their buffalo and carts in a fiercely contested local carnival.
Then ten kilometers southwest of Negara, within view of the nearby coast of Java, is Bali’s most important fishing port Pengambengan, with large canneries on the beach and a small but expanding prawn-breeding industry. Local fishermen catch large quantities of sardines in the triangular area of Indian Ocean between Bali and Java.
Last stop before the national park is Blimbing Sari, boasting the biggest Christian church in Bali. The village has been 100% Christian since 1939, when their persecuted ancestors were given the land as a safe haven by the Dutch government. The locals here are very proud of their village’s reputation; it has been elected as Bali’s best village economically, and is known as a place free from drugs and gambling, and with a zero percent crime rate.
Then on the western tip of the island, as if to reward you for getting this far, is one of Bali’s treasures, West Bali National Park. This small, special place covers 50,000 hectares of lush forest, crystal clear streams and dense mangrove swamp, and another 7,000 hectares of coral reef and coastal water, providing excellent trekking, bird watching and diving. Great places to stay too.
There are giant water monitors, deer, antelope, Ebony langurs, scaly anteaters, long tail macaques and clouded leopard, along with a rich assortment of marine life. I’m definitely not the expert here, but I spoke to many who were staggered by the quantity of wildlife. You can cover most of the park via a good dirt road, with bike or car, and on foot on steep but relatively easy walking footpaths. The Bali Starling Rehabilitation Center is well protected and worth a visit.
A friend stayed two nights in a little bungalow within the park’s mangrove area, and says it was something neither she nor her two young children will ever forget. The small guesthouse has three glass walls and one wooden wall, with a large deck stretching out over the water, so the visitors feel as if they are truly living in the jungle itself. The park’s restaurant provides free night time transport to make sure you arrive safely, with a memorable view of the park on the way. Once there, you climb five flights of stairs and are rewarded by a magnificent view of the whole park, the coastline and the neighbouring island of Java, as you eat your delicious meal.
Java and Bali were once joined - the strait is less than three kilometers at is widest point and in some places only 60 metres – but local legend says a Javanese priest of great powers once got very angry at his badly behaved son and banished him to Bali, drawing a finger across the connection sands and cutting Bali off from the “mainland” of Java.
Now, there’s a 30 minute ferry, but if you don’t have time for Java, relaxed and restored again in your faith in the wonder of this beautiful island, turn your car for home. Or perhaps another night or six somewhere else, on the way back.
