Hi Gram,
Today was an exciting day. I slept alright last night, but not great. The Iguanas are loud and this bed isn’t the most comfortable. The resort is very nice, though. The wall next to my bed is a panel of glass windows and sliding glass doors looking out onto rice fields, so I wake up to the sun rising over rice fields with a mountain in the background. Pretty cool. I got up this morning just before my alarm, then sprang into action getting my morning routine taken care of and packing my day bag before breakfast.

Mark and I rented scooters yesterday and a car and a driver was scheduled to arrive at 8:30 to carry Leelama and Shaun on our outings today. With my bag packed and dressed for driving, I walked upstairs to breakfast with Mark and Shaun. The breakfast was delicious and filling – omelette, fruit, tea, juice, sausage, bacon, and avocado toast. We ironed out the last details of our plans once Leelama arrived, then met the car and got our scooters ready. The van got started while Mark and I stopped to fuel up our piglets (full sized motorcycles are called hogs, so I decided that our scooters would be piglets). It felt good to drive out of town on the winding roads, the sun shining on our faces. With very little traffic and nicely paved roads, we made short work of the trip smiling the whole way.

Almost to our first destination, the road gave way to cobblestone pavers leading to an archway with steps. Unsure if the GPS had misled us, we realized that there was a dirt trail around the arch. Following that path, pavers gave way to stones and gravel and dirt until we came to a tollbooth/ ticket counter where we paid admission. The temple was neat, but I think we’ve all seen so many temples, we were each a little judgy. After snapping some pics, we mounted our rides again and headed on towards the next temple.

Back out along the bumpy rocky road, onto the pavement and eastbound down a nicely paved road to some fun hairpin turns as the road followed switchbacks up and down the mountain. When we got into town and were getting close to our destination, a tour bus got antsy and passed us. We’re a couple of motorbikes on a narrow, congested road and for some reason a monstrosity of a bus decided he needed to be in front of us. Then stopped suddenly half a mile later to turn left into a parking lot. It turns out that’s where we needed to turn too, but didn’t see the sign past the bus, so we had to whip a U-turn and retrace the last hundred feet. We pulled in, paid the parking fee, and looked for the entrance.

That’s when we realized that we were in the bus parking lot, not the cars and motorbikes lot. No big deal, we just walked out to the road and down half a block to the correct spot, where we met up with Shaun and Leelama. This is when I established my new rule about tourist destinations – if it has bus parking, the magic isn’t there anymore and it’s just another carnival. We were headed to see this tiny temple built out on the water that was supposed to have great views and some good photo opportunities. What we found was the aforementioned bus parking lot, a giant car and motor scooter parking lot, a ticket booth, an information desk, and a ticket collector all before we got inside. Once inside, there were shops lining the sidewalk selling souvenirs, ice cream, and novelties plus a full sized coffee shop, a collection of newer buildings to hold tour groups, a park with dinosaur, bird, and other statues including one you cold walk through with a cactus display. Oh, and that tiny temple that everyone comes to see, complete with a line to take your turn getting your picture taken in front of.

We wandered with the crowd, getting pictures of our own, stopping in the coffee shop for some drinks and desserts, and talking about the eclectic collection of statues. It was actually a fun stop but in the way that you go to see your little cousin’s little league game and spend the day enjoying the theme park next door. After we’d had our fill of that spot, we went down the road a short distance to an iconic temple gate where everyone wants their photo taken. Except it’s actually the entrance to a golf course, and since everyone knows about it, there’s separate parking and tickets so you can walk to the gate and stand in line for your picture. We decided not to waste our time and money, and as we were leaving I wondered what the golfers do. Certainly they don’t park outside, wait in line, then walk past the gate so they can go play a round. I left there knowing I may never find out the answer.

Our final stop on this scheduled day of fun was a bit further away, at the north end of the island. We were headed to Lovina Beach, a black sand beach with a nice sunset view. The black sand is formed from lava and pumice, which are ground smoother by the ocean but still courser than the white sand that we’re used to. I think it took us about 30-45 minutes to get there, through more hairpin turns, up and down hills, down smooth roads sometimes, bumpy at others, and through villages full of friendly people with waving children. Mark and I pulled up near the beach and paid our foreigner parking fee, then found a small dive bar on the beach while we waited for Shaun and Leelama to arrive. We walked up just as a little rain started, which made the decision to eat inside a whole lot easier. The other two got there a few minutes later, and we spent a little time admiring the artwork on the walls, signs hanging here and there, and the odd drinks on the menu before ordering.

I got fried chicken sushi, which was a first for me, while the others got some of the seafood options since we were right on the water. It was all very tasty as we watched the rain fall outside, then clear up, then the sunshine come through. We had clear skies and sunshine by the time we were done eating and paid our bills, so we meandered down the beach as we watched the people go about their days and dipped our toes in the water. I failed to get a picture of the famous dolphin statue, marking this as a tourist destination for dolphin spotting, but did manage to get a couple of shots and also be present with my people and surroundings.

After some time galavanting along the beach, we washed our feet, put our shoes back on, and got back in the saddle for the final trip back to the villas. The roads home were pretty spicy, with more of the switchbacks but downhill and along roads that were the width of a jogging path, with a car, pedestrian, or scooter at any point along your path. Pumping with adrenaline, we finally pulled into the villas and parked our piglets. The rental company came to pick the bikes up while I showered, then we all gathered for dinner at the onsite restaurant. It was great sitting around with everyone, reliving our fun days over delicious food, and planning our next adventure.