Unspoiled Bali, the far East coast-- Aas, Bali! Villages, black sand beaches, snorkeling and a $6 massage.... by Mary
Rounding out the two weeks Napper and I spent in Bali was a trip to the far East coast of the island. I had wanted to go as I'd heard and read that in was undeveloped, remote, and undiscovered. Rocky and black sand beaches bordering turquoise water full of schools of vibrant, colorful fish and views of the island of Lombok in the distance-- sounded lovely!
Relentless research (rather my passion), led me right back to the woman who ignited millions of women's passion to travel to Bali-- Elizabeth Gilbert, author of the bestseller "Eat Pray Love." I found an article she'd written for Indagare, an upscale online travel "magazine" about her favorite spots on Bali. She gives the Meditasi Bungalows in Aas a ringing endorsement, “For my money—and only $15-$20 a night—the most romantic hotel on earth is a tiny spot called Meditasi Bungalows (Fax: 011-62-363-22166) on quiet rocky Aas Beach about two miles outside the village of Amed. Every time we’ve shown up here, we’ve had our pick of rooms. We always choose number seven (oddly named, since there are only three rooms in the whole hotel), a small bamboo bungalow with a bed outside on the sleeping porch, overlooking the sea. At dawn, we wake to the sound of the fishermen readying their boats for the day, right under the balcony. There’s no telephone, no cell phone signal, no computers, no TV, no swimming pool—just the open bedroom, the sound of the waves and the wind through the palms, and all the nasi goreng you can eat. Bring lots of novels to read and somebody you love. Days disappear here quite easily.” I checked out their simple website and knew I'd found the spot.
Napper and I rented a car, a real piece of crap Suzuki from the early 1980s that we thought might really not get us there. But for $15/day and having the freedom of the open road, we turned down countless offers to be driven there. The drive from Ubud to Aas took around 2 and a half hours including a stop in Sideman to browse the hand woven textiles this town is famous for.
When we did reach the coast, we were met with staggering views of Mount Agung, rice paddies and the Bali Sea. Bumping down a tiny little road along the water, we passed through a handful of seaside villages dodging an occasional chicken or group of small children. This part of Bali is a 180 degree difference from the gentrified parts of Ubud and the West coast!
Arriving at Meditasi, I was thrown off by the driveway and entrance which was all dirt, gravel, trash and construction materials.... uh oh. Things turned around as soon as we entered the gates and met Smiling Buddha, the charming owner. He showed us to Bungalow #3 (#7, #2 and #3 are all beachfront, and #4 is tucked just behind but with unobstructed sea views). The construction materials are a result of Smiling Buddha building two new bungalows on the far end of the property, so soon there will be 6 in total.
The bungalows are all alike-- you walk into an open air courtyard with flowering trees and plants with stone walls and floor, your bathroom. Do note that there is no hot water and you need to brush your teeth with bottled water. The staircase leading up from the courtyard leads to your rustic and romantic bamboo and wood hut outfitted with a mosquito netted bed (although we never saw any mosquitos here) and a retractable door that opens to the most phenomenal and relaxing porch looking down onto a private tropical garden with the black sand beach and sea.... This is why you come here.
We spent most of our time reading, lounging and drinking wine (bring your own, no wine shops here!) and Bintangs out on the porch.
Smiling Buddha has just opened his new restaurant on the property as well! Aptly named, Smiling Buddha restaurant is an open air pavilion serving the most delicious fresh Mahi Mahi and our favorite food discovery, Urab-- chopped spinach, green beans, garlic, chilis, green onions and shaved coconut. Absurdly good!
We also tried a cocktail made from Arak- the local liquor made from palm fronds. Might say it is an acquired taste....
The East coast is all about relaxing and chilling out and it is also about snorkeling and diving. We rented snorkeling equipment for $3 on the beach by the Sunken Japanese Fishing Boat (nothing of the boat to see anymore) and were blown away by the reefs just off the beach. My Dad is passionate about diving and snorkeling so Lucy and I have been in some of the top places in the world... I have to say the teeming sea life here is maybe the best I've ever seen!
After we'd had our fill, we were the only guests for lunch at Sails restaurant-- perched on a cliff with fantastic views. Having the place to ourselves was not unusual during our stay-- there just were not that many people visiting- the numbers swell in July and August. Sails is pretty fancy for the area and reminded us a little of Greece with the white and blue punctuated by hot pink bouganvilla.
The steamed fresh fish in banana leaves was perfect and I even tried a glass of the locally made wine -- I didn't go for the Hatten wine which is the 100% local wine, I opted for the wine made in Bali but with Australian grapes... it was perfectly drinkable.
I also couldn't resist the $6 massage offered at Meditasti. Napper and I greeted our masseuses, two women from the village at our bungalow wondering where the massages would be conducted. On the hard wood floor! Yup, a $6 massages is conducted on an unfurled batik sarong (head on a cushion from the porch chairs) on the floor. It was a first! Aside from that, the massages were absolutely good enough and when we gave them each $10, a $4 tip they were ecstatic. "Tourism" is only about 10 years old on in the area and clearly a massive economic help to the local community.
Our Robinson Crusoe adventure here was such a highlight, we would love to return. It was perfect for a few days to unwind and really sink into the simplicity and beauty of the place... an ideal spot to literally get away from it all and forget what day of the week it is. Puts things in perspective.
