Entries about beaches

Gear strapped on and ready to hit the road! Don't forget Heather!

We were nervous while driving our rented Royal Enfield through Goa’s back country and into Karnataka. The bike is unfamiliar to Eric, the gears and breaks are on opposite sides from the western syle motorbike, and the kick start sometimes gives us trouble. The locals in Goa advised us against the trip as it is illegal for a tourist to drive a rented motorcycle between provinces. The tourist motorbikes have special yellow plates and it is impossible to get across the border with them. We did our research and found a local who was willing to rent his personal bike to us and allow us to take it across the border. If we were to get caught it could be mean big trouble… or 200 Rupees ($4) of baksheesh (bribery). The adventure seemed worth the risk. So far we have been without any trouble from the police and are enjoying the ride.

sunset on Palolem Beach

Eric with the cows on Palolem Beach

dolphin spotting from Palolem Beach

a quick trip to the nearby beaches of Palolem

We started in Anjuna, Goa, drove south to Palolem for a few days of beach time, then further south into the province of Karnataka. The further south we drive the more traditional Indian lungies and dusty red rock landscape appear. It’s amazing how the culture can differ so much from one province to the next. Lack of development on the unspoiled beaches of Karnataka make for a pristine coastline and attract a unique vibe. The stars sparkle bright, like galaxies of diamonds in the sky. The amount of hippies here has doubled since Goa, it almost seems as though the hippies who use to dwell in Goa have manifested a different scene in Kuddle Beach, Gokarna. The foreign hippies all gather at night to juggle fire, play instruments and meditate on the beach. For many people this is a captivating scene and some people tend to stay longer then intended. I once made the mistake of asking a local hippie for directions, they wanted nothing to do with me. Perhaps it’s because I don’t smell of patchouli or have dreadlocks.

Kuddle Beach, Gokarna, Karnataka

When we arrived in Gokarna we headed straight for Om Beach where supposedly the network of guesthouses was situated. We were disappointed with the quality of rooms and decided to look elsewhere. After driving down some rough dirt roads for what seemed like forever, we found a resort that was currently under construction. They had a few rooms that were fairly upscale and we managed to stay in one of them for $20! The next morning Eric and I stumbled upon a rustic Yoga Retreat in Kuddle Beach and decided to take advantage. We stayed here for the next four nights. We started our mornings with Yoga and a beautiful homemade breakfast. Of course even a quiet beach like Kuddle wouldn’t be complete without a volleyball net. After spending the afternoons playing volleyball while watching the sun set over the Indian Ocean, we would head to our favorite restaurant on the beach Little Paradise Inn. We befriended the locals at the restaurant and had the cooks teach us how to make a killer Indian meal. This for me has been one of the highlights; being in a real Indian kitchen and watching them effortlessly whip up 3 of my favourite dishes. MMM tasty.

If you are in Kuddle and are looking for some killer food call Suresh Traloki and visit Little Paradise Inn.

The cooks at Little Paradise Inn hard at work.

Boy at Gokarna market selling spices

We somehow managed to stay in Kuddle for 3 days longer than anticipated. That is the great thing about having no rules or strict timeline; you can let time stand still when it wants to. Our parting point was watching a young Indian man drown on the beach. This was the second death we had seen in the past week. The tragedy makes such a beautiful thing seam so retched and evil, for me it was time to leave Kuddle and the horrific scene behind. We packed our bags and were on the road at 7am this morning in search of a holy town in the mountains called
Hampi.

We arrived in Lombok by boat from Gili Trawangan. As we drove to Singiggi the scenery was magnificent. The windy roads carved through mountains with stunning views of the coastal beaches below. We rented a proper motor bike and used Singiggi as our travel hub. We made way from there to other attractions around the island.

This is the most impressive waterfall we have seen in Asia. It was so powerful that even when standing 20 meters away we were soaking wet.

We packed a small bag and drove to the small, quiet village of Kuta. Kuta is very geographically diverse and is probably one of the most beautiful places I have been.

Kuta is a surfers paradise and attracts a small amount of tourists. Unfortunately for the tourists, there are about ten local touts to every one tourist. The beaches were empty because as soon as a tourist set foot on them, they would be bombarded. Although it was difficult to have a peaceful moment on the beach, we made the best of it and got to know some of the locals.

3 pretty ladies selling sarongs -smiles are free

From Lombok we traveled back to Gili Trawangan for a couple days before heading back to Bali. Busy Bali is full of thrills as we wind down the last week of our trip. Bali blog to be posted shortly.

The Gili Islands are a group of island about 2 hours NE of Bali (6 hours by slow boat). Gili T is the biggest of 3 islands and is where we decided to stay. The island is beautiful with coral speckled white sand beaches stretching around it. Although the main beaches were busy, it was not hard to find a secluded beach somewhere along the coast. This is what I liked most about Gili T. Before I discovered the beauty of the untouched coast I thought Gili T would be far too busy for me. Lucky for me, serenity was but a walk away. Another nice touch is that there are no motorized vehicles on the island. Everything is transported by bicycle or horse and carriage.

We rented bicycles and explored the island. We discovered acres and acres of beautiful lush land. Unfortunately the land is bound to be developed in coming years. Extravagant resorts seam to pop out of the wood work all over the island. Construction is booming and dirt cheap land is readily available.

The sun was unbearably hot at times. We were never able to stay on the beach for long (tough life I know!). Most of our time was spent hanging out on the balcony and going to our evening Yoga classes. It payed to have a good room and escape the heat of the day.

We took a short boat ride to the main island of Lombok. Here we will spend some time exploring another beautiful island before heading back to Bali.

Perhentian Islands

We arrived on Pulau Perhentian Kecil by boat and set our eyes on Longbeach, the most vibrantly beautiful beach I have ever seen! The tide was out and the very fine sand bar stretched for over 50 meters with a small layer of crystal clear water on the surface. The water faded from sandy white into a vibrant majestic turquoise color. It almost seamed surreal.

View from our balcony

I had been eyeing these bananas and one day the branch just fell!

Within a couple of days the waves and current picked up and brought with it plenty of rubbish. The beach was never the same after that. The waves were so strong they carried away many people, 2 of whom lost their lives trying to save someone. The man they were trying to save was found later that night clinging to some rocks for his life.

Longbeach

The Island is small and there wasn't much to occupy our days. Although we enjoyed the beauty of Longbeach, the party scene was a bit too much for us. We spent most of our time on the other side of the island at Coral Bay. Coral Bay seamed to have more like minded people and better food selection. We met some fellow Canadians and made friends with the locals Malaysians. We did some wicked diving and snorkeling with the newly opened Ombok Divers and had the pleasure of swimming with a Turtle that was close to the same size as me!

A day trip to the big Island of Pulau Perhenitan Besar provided some beautiful untouched beaches to frolic around on. The atmosphere on Besar was more resort like but if you walk a few hundred meters you can find yourself in sublime seclusion.

Beach on Pulau Besar

After spending two weeks in the Perhentians we were well out of things to do. We hopped a cheap Air Asia flight and headed back to KL on route to Bali! We will spend the tail end of our trip touring around Bali, Gili, and Lombok before heading to KL and shortly after heading back to Canada.

It's amazing how fast 3 weeks can go by like no time at all. This seams to happen every time we go to Koh Phangan. When we look back and ask ourselves 'what did we do'? The answer is always the same, not much at all. Our days were spent visiting with friends on the Islands many beaches and laughing the time away. Koh Phangan is truly a timeless paradise.

This is my favorite beach, the location is TOP SECRET!

Eric and I dedicated this time as our 'social time' considering we had spent the majority of the last few months with only each other. We arrived in Koh Phangan with our friends from home Richard and Michelle. We were soon joined, for a short time, by Jim and Kate (friends we met while traveling in Nepal). The first week in Koh Phangan was a bit hecktic with full moon party goers ruling the island. A week later once the chaos diminished, a good friend from home Karatron also joined the crew and brought with her the serenity we had been waiting for. Its amazing how quickly the day goes by, after a few games of cards and some laughs on the beach the day is over. Often at the end of the day, we would find ourselves at Pooh's Vegetarian Kitchen. A devout Buddist who makes the best Papaya Salad; you can taste the love. We eventually found a good Yoga teacher and were able to stretch our lazy muscles out.

Koh Phangan sunsets

Our Yoga teacher Paula and her boyfriend Pascal knew the ins and outs of the island and were kind enough to take us to a hidden river bank in the jungle. We spent the day wading in the river and playing cards as Paula and Pascal cooked an amazing meal on the BBQ for everyone.

Not the best photograph I know but after traveling all day through the muddy mountain off roads with scooters, we were just happy to arrive in one piece. A feeling of triumph at Bottle Beach.

I try not to think much about the past or the future but for some reason I cannot get this dog out of my head. She was truly a loyal companion during our stay in Koh Phangan. I miss her dearly and think every day about how I can bring her home.

We are now in Sumatra experiencing the natural and historic island. The lush greenery and lake front cottages are very relaxing... if you can handle the rain. Remind me again why I sent my rain jacket home?