Weekend in North Bali



About three hours from where we are staying, up over the mountains dotted with lakes, coffee plantations and cooler temperatures, and down again to the coast, is a less touristed part of Bali. We took the weekend at a quiet resort called Taman Sari, which has a beautiful beachfront where fresh fish catches are brought in by local small boats, and a reef reconstruction project is taking place.


The snorkeling was easy, a 30 second walk from our room to the beach, though everyone looked like clowns walking along in their flippers. The beach is in a long cove and faces east, so sunrise was glorious. The sunburns on the back, however, were not so pretty following a few hours in the water watching the fish. I stayed out of the water and opted for a long walk on the beach, hot even at 8 AM, thus the parasol action…


As is happening worldwide, reefs are being destroyed by over-harvesting of coral, cyanide fishing, bombing for fish, dredging and other destructive practices. Reef destruction was responsible for a much greater level of damage in the big tsunami than could have happened—without reefs, there is nothing to break the force of water rushing onto the land. Taman Sari is the first site in Bali where the reconstruction is going on, using a method of using electrified wire mesh to create a calcified environment that live coral can attach itself to, as well as other bio-creatures.



By agreement with the local village, the resort makes a contribution to the village in return for having about a mile of beach left alone by the hawkers that are an annoyance on all the busier beaches in Bali, where the sellers wade out holding up sculptures, offers of massages, hair braiding, manicures, poison blowguns, and “love.” We got a small taste of this (the hawkers, not the 'love.') at a market along the way, where two of the group bought “Rolex” watches for $2.50 each, with “plastic bag gratis.”