Dolphin waters off Bali’s north coast, near Seririt.

Sorry for the lack of posts. Partly it’s because not much has happened this week, but also because I get a burst of being quite busy, too busy to write. Today was full on.

The highlight was dolphin watching this morning. It cost ~$10 per person, three of us on a jukung, which I used to call a prahu, but a prahu is bigger and has a sail. These are dual outrigger narrow boats for fishing or sightseeing.

Parked over clear waters with lotsa fishies.

We set off from the shore at about 7.50am and it took a long time, about 30 mins, to get to an area where there was any sign of dolphins. But once we started seeing them, they were all around us. A big launch sped by and although we were shaking our fists at them for the wake they caused, the dolphins seemed attracted, and from then on we saw dozens.

Fishies loving their morning bread.

I’m sure the dolphins got their thrills from seeing all these humans with arms and legs lookin’ at them. We hung around for half an hour or so, then slowly headed back to Lovina along the coast, stopping to feed bread to the fish in clear, shallow, coral waters shown above. It was beautiful. We got wet from spray, and I’ve probably got some sunburn, but it was a magic morning. I shot mostly video, but I can’t upload it as Vimeo is blocked in Indonesia. There’s a way around it, and I’ll add it asap.

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See the kitten, just to the right of the box, under the flap.

While we were waiting, unfortunately we saw a less attractive side of human nature. Someone had dumped a box of unwanted kittens on this pile of wood. The poor kittens were wandering around mewing and looking cute. There were still four in the box that couldn’t get out, so I lifted them out. At least they’d stand some chance. They were gone when we came back, thank goodness.

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Then in the afternoon (after I caught up on some missed sleep from the night before), it was off to a locality called Bengkel to find a balian, a guru, for some spiritual or otherwise healing. It was a long drive, narrow twisting roads, incredibly dangerous driving by local motorcyclists, broken edges, massively loud trucks and stupid speeding pickup trucks. How we avoid accidents I don’t know. The bike riders are just suicidal. They just ride out onto the road without looking. They often ride on the wrong side of the road so they are coming toward you in your lane. They pass at incredible speed, then suddenly brake and pull into your gap from the car in front, then swerve left and pass the car in front on the left, in a single lane road!

Anyway, luckily we had a local lady with us to translate and ask directions. We found the place, but the guru wasn’t there. No matter, not wasted, we got what we wanted and headed home again. Heavy traffic! Saturday evening, in Ramadan?

So, after dinner on the Lovina beach front, it’s home, ready for our next excursion tomorrow to Tejakulah. Four blissful days.

Dinner at a beachfront restaurant (?) where the menu said this:

Two Island Wrestling wine, yes? Maybe it knocks you out. I think they mean riesling, but I could be wrong.

But for now, sleep is beckoning.