We're up at about 5:15am for the dolphin trip. We go down to the beach in search of a boat. A motorbike passes us and the driver talks to Putu and gets himself some passengers for IDR200,000 (US$22). The boat is the same small fishing boat we had to Gili Selang only with the benefit of planks across the width for soft bottomed tourists.
We headed out into the bay at 6 alongside several other tourist boats peering into the lightening grey for signs of dolphins. Our man headed out west initially, pausing initially[?] near a small fishing fleet 
then on a little further 
. We saw a couple of flying fish which pop up the flap just above the surface for 5-10m then disappear. You wonder what you've just seen. After a while we headed back east to join the ranks of other boats 
who between the score of them had seen one dolphin. We went further east to another fishing fleet but the dolphins weren't showing. 
A pleasant enough trip but not very interesting.
At the hotel we were presented with a breakfast menu again before the inclusive breakfast appeared. We then took off on the final leg of our tour through the middle of the island and to Sanur, near Kuta. We toiled up the steep winding road to a great viewpoint over one of the "twin lakes" (there are three). Given how hot it was on the coast it was refreshing and cool with a hint of the Alpine to it. It appeared to be a gathering point for some of the local bikers, complete with scooters.
A stop at the side of the road for some of the local monkey population being mostly photogenic. Then to a temple at the side of one of the twin lakes which was quite picturesque and very peaceful (barring the jet skier on the lake) but did suffer from two animal shows where amongst other better kept animals there were several snakes in a box. The largest of which (a python and quite large) was alive but it was very hard to tell about the other two. All had had their fangs ripped out and looked somewhat under the weather.
Rolling down the hill to the main plain of the island we passed a half complete enormous (for Bali) building. Apparently to be a hotel/conference centre but owned by one of the politicians in a previous corrupt government it hasn't progressed to far recently. It seems those generous public funds have dried up. Then to a quite impressive hotel overlooking paddy fields. So steep, I think I would have skipped breakfast had I been in a lower room. Nice to be xylophoned in by the man on the door. I'm not sure if he wanted money as he didn't stop while we took photographs of the view.
Heading into the plain we were on the lookout for oxen pulling ploughs but Helen and I dozed off and I think it was the wrong time of day anyway. Cows get a bit uppity, it seems, after lunch. We rolled through Denpasar, the capital and easily the most commercial town. It's on a grander scale too with wide boulevards and bigger buildings.
Then to Sanur and the rounds of a few hotels before we found the Swastika Bungalows who accepted that I was only going to pay US$30 for a room. A moment or two of difficulty then arose as Putu wanted paying, in cash. Having just spent five days with us and knowing that we didn't have any I'm not sure what he was expecting. He didn't want travellers cheques at any rate. Several ATMs later I extracted IDR900,000 in two transactions (you're limited to IDR600,000 in one transaction) and handed most of it to Putu before he made his escape. I think he was a bit tired, he was up at 5 driving us around.
We took to the pool and met a Dutch couple (Oscar and Anna) who were in their last couple of weeks of a four month trip, mostly spent in South America, before heading home. Plenty of stories all round, involving a lot of redundancy stories, kept us going through dinner and several beers afterwards.
Swastika Bungalows, Sanur S8.69421
E115.26258 Elev. 71m!
Copyright 2003 Ian Fitchet. All rights reserved.