EASTERN BULELENG

Buleleng Timor is known for its rustic farming villages and elaborate temples in which every square inch is covered in curves, arabesques, spirals, flames, and floral ornamentation hewn from volcanic rock. The Balinese have a fondness for caricature, masterfully represented in the bas reliefs of Buleleng's temples. Scenes include corpulent Europeans, Dutch steamers under attack by sea monsters, and aircraft falling from the sky. Demon hands and heads emerge from the carving, as if three-dimensional figures were imprisoned in stone. All the main sights of east Buleleng lie fairly close to each other, are well served by public bemo, and make excellent day trips from either Singaraja or Lovina.

SANGSIT

Eight kilometers east of Singaraja (Rp500 by bemo from Penarukan station) lies Sangsit's main attraction, the brilliant Pura Beji, dedicated to the goddess of wet rice and fertility, Dewi Sri. Located about 500 meters down a cactus-lined side road to the sea; look for the small sign on the left side of the road. This extraordinarily lavish subok temple, one of the oldest in north Bali, was built in the 15th-century on the site of a well. Though a bit commercialized, it presents a perfect example of the northern rococo style of temple carving, with a strange off-angle symmetry.
     Built of easily carved soft pink sandstone, the pura swarms with carved demons and stone vegetation. The temple's spellbinding gateway is composed of naga-snakes, imaginary beasts, devils, and leyak guardians overseeing tiny doors. In the temple's spacious inner courtyard you'll see gnarly old kamboja trees, wooden statues, and a throne of the sun-god.
     Near Pura Beji, 400 meters to the northeast, is Sangsit's pura dalem, which contains relief panels illustrating the Balinese philosophy of karma pala. Karma means action or deed, pala result. On the panels you'll see the punishment awaiting a man who has committed adultery, and ghastly tortures meted out on childless women and other miscreants.

Accommodations and Food
The large and elaborate Berdikari Cottages, Sangsit, Buleleng 81171, tel. (0362) 25195, rarely fills its rooms as few traveling the north coast choose to stay in such a remote location. Tariff including breakfast: Rp25,000 for economy rooms with foam mattress, shower, and dressing table; Rp50,000-70,000 for intermediate rooms including spring bed, shower, hot water, and cupboard; and Rp125,000 for luxury rooms containing air conditioning, spring bed, bathtub, shower, and hot water. No room phones, guests charged for local calls. Big parking area. The lush gardens are bird-filled and extensive, 2.3 hectares in all, with mango, bananas, oranges, pineapples, starfruit, and coconut. A restaurant with a skeletal staff; sometimes unable to come up with much on the menu.
     Still, Berdikari has it's advantages. It's perfect for a meditating Buddhist or a reclusive novelist. Good security, clean, quiet, and lots of privacy. Staff celebrates guest birthdays and honeymoons. At the Gunung Cekar Temple, just 500 meters from the hotel, you can catch religious festivals and the rare, once-a-year Bukaka Ceremony. Berdikari's owner, I Made Pasek Sudarsana, will help you rent vehicles. Dive up to 22 meters on Rongke Reef in front of the hotel.

JAGARAGA

Heading east from Singaraja turn right (south) at the end of Sangsit village on the road to Sawan; Jagaraga is four kilometers and Sawan is two kilometers farther. From Singaraja's Penarukan station bemo go direct to Sawan so visit Sawan first then just walk down to Jagaraga. The villages on the steep inland slopes of Buleleng are of ancient origin. Inscriptions dating from the 10th century tell of pirate raids, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. Jagaraga was the stronghold of Gusti Ketut Jelantik and his army, who defied two large and well-armed expeditions in 1846 and 1848 before falling to a superior Dutch infantry and artillery force. This 16 August 1849 battle was known as Puputan Jagaraga; nearly the entire village was wiped out. Today Jagaraga is home to one of north Bali's best legong troupes.
     Jagaraga's architecturally extravagant pura dalem, one km north of the village, is dedicated to Durga. It features carved comic-strip panels of cyclists, Balinese flying kites, dog fighting airplanes, fishermen hooking a whale, a Dutch steamer, long-nosed Dutchmen in a Model-T Ford held up by a bandit with a horse pistol, and mammoth fish swallowing a canoe. Incredibly flamboyant statues of Rangda the witch, and the dazed mother, Pan Brayut, buried under a pile of children. The detail of the vintage cars is wonderful, with mudguards, lamps, carburetors, and doors all portrayed. Stone owls, roosters, bats, tigers, and crabs cling to the walls. Donation Rp1000.
     A number of temples are found on this road, all featuring effusive, cunning, and mischievous carvings; ask the locals. A fantastic ride, with archaic villages surrounded by vegetation not found anywhere else on Bali. Reach by bemo (Rp750, 13 km) from Singaraja's Stasiun Penarukan.

SAWAN

Take a bemo (Rp1000) from Singaraja's Stasiun Penarukan to the turnoff, then from the main road grab another bemo (Rp500) or ojek (Rp500) via Menyali to reach this small village 16 km southeast of Singaraja. Sawan is the proud owner of a fine bamboo gamelan angklung; visit Sawan's pasar malam and the small hilltop temple surrounded by large trees.
     Bronze gongs are made here; say "gong" to any local and you'll be taken down a lane where the gongsmiths (pande gong) cast instruments and carve frames and stands. At Sida Karya 10 workers under the supervision of I Made Widandra create gender, ganggsa, and ceng-ceng daily from 0600 to 1600. Widandra provides a very complete explanation in rapid, intelligible English of the entire process. Check out the photos on the poster in the display room. The slendro-scale klintik (Rp60,000) here are of higher quality than those made in Tenganan. Please leave a donation if you don't buy anything. Widandra's cousin Gede is the other gongmaker of the village.

BUNGKULAN

Two km east of Sangsit and 12 km east of Singaraja (Rp500 by bemo) is Bungkulan, with 10,000 inhabitants and 13 banjar with three temples each. Though unaffected by tourism, there's always an event worth seeing, with 13 odalan and one or more annual celebrations per temple. Bungkulan's very old, worn Pura Sari Pemerajan Agung is perched on the highest hill overlooking the village. Inside are hand-carved statuary and a fine old kulkul with a carved human head on top. The temple's age is uncertain; there are records of a renovation in 1778.
     The village is quite active, with a market held every day. Take an early morning swim in the river and watch children doing washing, men and boys taking the family cow to water, and women diving for sand which they carry up the bank in baskets on their heads.
     Bungkulan is well positioned for day trips to Les Waterfall, Banjar, Lovina, Yeh Sanih, and Gitgit, as well as the temples of Sangsit, Jagaraga, and Kubutambahan. Or walk half an hour to the hot black-sand beach lined with fishing boats.

KUBUTAMBAHAN

Reach this important crossroads town by bemo (Rp1000) 12 km from Singaraja's Penarukan station. Find Kubutambahan where the north coast road intersects the road to the main highway south; from here it is 41 km to Kintamani, five km to Air Sanih, 84 km to Amlapura, 12 km to Singaraja, and 108 km to Denpasar. If coming from Amalapuna, about 5.5 km before the town is Air Sanih with a number of hotels, several restaurants, and a dive site.
     The unusual Pura Meduwe Karang, the "Temple of the Owner of the Land," is about one km beyond the Kintamani turnoff. This important district temple is dedicated to Ibu Pertiwi "Mother Earth," worshipped to ensure successful fertilization of crops grown on dry, unirrigated land such as coconuts, coffee, and corn. One of northern Bali's largest temples, its terraced entrance recalls some of Europe's stately baroque gardens. Steps lead past 34 stone figures from the Ramayana to a big, peaceful, nearly empty courtyard. More steps lead to an inner section containing a huge stone pyramidlike base flanked by two bale reserved for offerings.
     The temple's carvings show ghouls, noblemen, home scenes, soft porn, and a riot of leaves and tendrils. One pedestal shows a horrifying rendition of Durga, another a large figure resembling Christ at the Last Supper. The centerpiece depicts a battle scene from the Ramayana. On the northern wall of the innermost shrine is a famous one-meter-high relief of a Dutch official riding a floral bicycle, a reproduction of a 1904 carving destroyed by an earthquake. The cyclist is W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp, a famous Dutch landscape and portrait artist who rode his bike around Bali in the early 1900s, painting as he went. During restoration the bicycle was born anew with lotus-flower spokes; even Nieuwenkamp's sarung and the bush in the background feature floral patterns. Between his feet and the wheels is a rat and small dog; Nieuwenkamp's initials and moustache, however, are gone. To view this wonderment, ask for the key, then leave your donation in the shop opposite.
     Next to Pura Meduwe Karang is a small warung that sells possibly the best black rice pudding (Rp500) on Bali. Fantastic coffee, too.
     On the corner of the road to Kintamani is Pura Bale Agung; 200 meters away is the pura dalem. In the early days it was common practice to paint temples; Kubutambahan's beautiful Pura Maksan has been painted in just the last few years.

YEH SANIH

To reach the quiet beach resort of Yeh Sanih catch a minibus (Rp1000, 17 km) from Singaraja's Penarukan station. This shady seaside spot offers an idyllic black-sand beach—a bit rocky, but the swimming is good. Enjoy wooden bale for sunning.
     Yeh Sanih's main attraction is an enclosed natural swimming pool of clear, fresh, cool water welling up from an underground spring. Known by the locals as a recreation site since the early <\#213>30s, the water is believed to come from Lake Batur in the mountains—the temple near the pool is thus dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Cool sea breezes, tall trees, and the nice panorama over the Bali Strait make for a serene setting. Changing rooms. Entrance Rp500. Open 0700-1900.
     On holidays this retreat could be stampeded by screeching schoolchildren, and it's also subject to groups of package tourists at any time. But on weekdays the place may be virtually empty. It's not a scene like Lovina; there are fewer sellers and hustlers. Many tourists pass through, but few stay.
     Visit the pura on the hill, Pura Taman Manik Mas. In the mornings take a swim in the ocean—more like a lake than a sea. Not a soul on the beach to bother you. Quite passable snorkeling 500 meters out; another good snorkeling spot one km away. The nearest Agen Pos & Telephone is in Kubutambahan five km west. If you want nightlife go to Lovina, but remember the last bemo back to Yeh Sanih from Singaraja's Penarukan terminal leaves at around 1900. There's a small bus station, Tempak Parkir Roda Empat Air Sanih, with drink stands and toilet.

Accommodations and Food
Within Yeh Sanih's gorgeous pool complex is two-story Puri Sanih Bungalows I (tel. 0362-22490). The inflexible owner has recently upped the price to Rp30,000 for units with fans, mosquito nets, fresh flowers, and breakfast. What used to be quaint at Rp20,000 now looks run-down at Rp30,000. The rooms on the other side of the pool are in need of repair. The manager thinks the louder you yell, the better you manage; the employees do what they have to, but with no heart. Their restaurant serves up European and Indonesian food that is expensive and is barely edible. To the east, with the freshwater pool in between, is nicer Puri Sanih Bungalows II, tel. (0362) 22990, overlooking lily ponds and extensive gardens. Comfortable, spotlessly clean bungalows with sliding doors and private baths facing the ocean. Rates Rp20,000 s, Rp35,000 d in low season, Rp25,000 s, Rp40,200 d, in the high season. The row of rooms farthest away from the ocean are Rp20,000, Rp15,000 per day if you pay one month up front. Nice breakfast pavilion; eat lunch and dinner at one of the warung. No disturbances in this parklike setting, just the chirping birds.
     Above the pool, up 33 steep steps, is pleasant Puri Rena Bar & Restaurant. Open 0700-2300, serving Indonesian, Chinese, and Balinese cuisine. You pay for the view, though—gado gado is Rp2500, while a vendor down the road charges Rp500. Puri Rena has four small budget rooms available for around Rp10,000 s (after bargaining). This hotel organizes excursions to local festivities, provides travel information, and is planning a center to give guests an inside look at Balinese culture. The Tara Beach Inn, about 500 meters east, charges Rp10,000 s, Rp15,000 d. Manager Putu Astawa can arrange for snorkeling, diving, fishing, and sailing excursions. He rents pushbikes, motorcycles, boats, canoes, and floats. Enjoy hot and cold drinks in the Tara Pub.
     Those considering longer stays should know that when you sit down at any of the warung here people will approach to ask if you'd like to rent a room—could be anything from a bamboo fisherman's hut on the beach to a space in a private home above the village. Also lots of Rooms for Rent signs on the highway. Ask around; expect to pay about Rp150,000 per month.      Eat inexpensively at warung across the road from the pool. Warung Seger offers good Bali asli nasi campur (Rp1000), nasi goreng (Rp1500), and one of the best sop ayam (Rp1500) around. Try the warung next door for more asli food (nasi campur, Rp1500).

Vicinity of Yeh Sanih
Walk south up the mountain halfway to Kintamani. A good paved road along the northeast coast, sentineled by old, gnarled trees, leads to Amlapura. The road hangs over clifftops passing sandy coves sheltering fishing jukung—one of Bali's most picturesque journeys, with uninterrupted views of the island's highest peak. East of Yeh Sanih 1.5 km toward Amlapura is Antara Bungalows & Refreshment; Rp9000 for room and simple breakfast. Not in good condition; Puri Sanih Bungalows is better.
     For elegant dining—real silverware, gracious service, table linen—head two km east of Yeh Sanih to the superlative Apilan Restaurant in Desa Bukti for wonderful French cuisine including homemade breads and cakes. Lunch is only Rp10,000 per person; a three-course romantic candlelight dinner is Rp15,000. Apilan rents a cottage for Rp25,000 per night s or d. If you're a guest, meals are available any time, otherwise the place is open Fri.-Sun. for lunch and dinner or by special request. No tax or service charge. The whole building is made of coconut palm by products—floor, roof, and walls. One km from Desa Bukti and three km east of Yeh Sanih is Air Sanih Seaside Cottage; Rp5000 s for any of four bungalows. Nice place, very quiet, close to the beach, a good-natured family takes care of you. Price doesn't include breakfast, but coffee and tea are available. Perfect if you want to be alone.
     Seven km east of Yeh Sanih is the ancient temple Pura Pondok Batu ("Pile of Stones") perched on a small rock face and surrounded by hills, valleys, and twisted frangipani trees. It's said the wandering Javanese priest Nirantha sat on one of the temple's stones and composed poetry. Inside the temple is a well-crafted but eroded statue of Durga. Nearby on the beach at low tide is a freshwater springs frequented by locals, the water bubbling up from the sand and running into the sea.

SEMBIRAN

One of Bali's oldest traditional villages, Sembiran lies 30 km east of Singaraja. Like many of Bali's asli villages, Sembiran is located high in the hills off the main coastal road. From Terminal Penarukan take a bemo to Desa Pacung (Rp500), then catch a ride on a motorcycle the rest of the way (Rp1000). The winding four-km-long asphalt road to Sembiran is surfaced but extremely steep. This lovely country road, passes beautiful hills, valleys, and gnarly 20-meter-high sonokeling trees (rosewood). As you approach the village, there's a giant kemit tree, the base said to have been a place where corpses were laid out in ancient times. From the top, look down on the Java Sea.
     With a population of 6,000 people, this is a Bali Aga village, where old traditions are not all forgotten. People speak with a distinct intonation and use a few Balinese words differently (for example, "rude" is considered "refined"). The caste system is not strictly observed. There are toothfiling ceremonies, but they are not as important or elaborate as in the south. Also, many of the typical Balinese time-marker ceremonies are not observed here. The Sembiranese have two Days of Silence (Nyepi) per year instead of the single day observed by the rest of the island. Marriage is by proposal, not elopement, nor are partners arranged by parents. There are 20 pura in Sembiran, 17 containing megalithic artifacts and carved stones.
     Before 1951 Sembiran villagers wrapped their dead in cloth and laid them out on bamboo platforms exposed to the elements. If wild animals did not carry them away, the bodies were dumped onto the rocks. In 1951 they tried to burn their dead like the rest of the Balinese, but since the proper offerings were not carried out, inexplicable sicknesses occurred and many people died. The Sembiranese returned to laying out corpses until 1961, when they again began to burn their dead, this time observing the proper ceremonies. Nothing untowards has happened since.
     This unique village of corrugated iron roofs gets about five or six tourists per week. From here you can take in the whole northern shore, as well as hundreds of hectares of terraced cornfields marching down the valley. Other crops grown include bananas, coffee, jackfruit, and papaya. In the warung near the market share tea and snacks with the friendly villagers, a number of whom speak Indonesian. No organized accommodations, but you can stay in homes. No telephones, but plenty of televisions. No curios shops.
     To leave, take the road out the back way to Tajun on the main north-south road. This is a windy, rocky, only partially paved road through one of Bali's most undeveloped agricultural areas. Traverse rolling hills, profusions of foilage, hidden valleys, poor desa—about as wild as Bali gets.

TEJAKULA AND VICINITY

The fishing and farming village of Tejakula lies seven km east of Yeh Sanih, (Rp1500 by bemo, and 32 km east of the Terminal Penarukan in Singaraja. About 100 meters south of the main road, Tejakula's well-maintained bathing place is an elaborate fortlike structure, with water gushing into separate sections for pria and wanita. It was originally built to wash down horses and cattle—once the largest citrus growing area in Bali, Tejakula horses were used to pull carts filled with harvested oranges—but is now used solely for the human animal.
     Tejakula boasts one of the finest kulkul towers on Bali. Typical of the style found in north Bali villages, it's brilliantly carved with Panji cycle legends and wayang characters. Also in the village is a unique gamelan called Gong Tejakula, a kampung of gold- and silversmiths called Banjar Pande.
     The highest waterfall on Bali is in Desa Les, five km east of Tejakula (34 km east of Singaraja). There's no road to the falls, just a path through rice fields. Ask directions from the villagers in Desa Les; about a half-hour walk. Just one cascade, and the water can be quite frigid. One of the few unisex communal mandi on the island is found in Les. Also near Tejakula, at Bondalem, is a heat-conversion plant where surface seawater is evaporated into a vapor driving a turbine that generates 160 kilowatts of electricity. Nice view of the seacoast farther on at Culik.

SEMBIRENTENG

East of Tejakula in the village of Geratek, on Bali's northeastern coast, is a highly recommended dive facility, Alam Anda ("Your Nature"), perhaps the best dive/snorkel base on Bali. Dive on a dreamy reef, stretching along 135 meters of the coastline and lying 15-35 meters from your front door. Beyond is even deeper—a very sharp shelf. No waves, no undercurrent, the locale extremely safe for children and beginners.
     Soft tourism at its best; the German owner, Uwe Siegriedsen, works to conserve the natural surroundings. Everything is built of natural materials—palm trunks, wood, bamboo. Uwe doesn't like to bargain and he doesn't like to do business with travel agents. The village regards hotel guests as theirs; travelers receive lots of invitations to homes and events and are generally integrated into the daily life of the village. Daily excursions offered to those who want to see the sights.
     The nine bungalows of Alam Anda are family-style units, each accommodating up to five people. No air conditioning or hot water. Cost Rp60,000 d, Rp10,000 for each extra person. The veranda comes with a double bed which can be rigged with a mosquito net. Inside are bamboo furniture and double beds with nets. The Chinese/Indonesian food is very good—no Western food.
     The dive shop offers the finest in equipment, very clean and well-maintained. Reasonable prices—perhaps the cheapest diving on Bali. Lunch, soft drinks, transportation, and guide are extra, government tax included. For dives to Amed and Menjangan a boat is included in the price. If you bring your own tanks, you receive a 10% discount. Most excursions require a minimum of two people. The Balinese dive master Kadek is outstanding and speaks good English. Since the entire area is under protection, the stock of fish has increased enormously in recent years and the condition of the coral is pristine.
     For the Alam Anda reef, 15 meters to the front, Rp50,000 for one dive, Rp70,000 for two dives, Rp90,000 three. For the Tulamben wreck, (25 km distant), Rp65,000 one dive, Rp85,000 for two; for Ahmed, Rp70,000 for one dive, Rp90,000 for two. Menjangan Island, Rp85,000 for one dive, Rp110,000 for two (four people minimum). The CMAS Certificate—as good as PADI—involves seven dives, including Tulamben for Rp540,000.
     Take the northern coastal road to Tejakula, then head east 15 km to Sembirenteng. After two more kilometers, you arrive in Geretek, home to Alam Anda. For reservations, contact Piketravel, c/o Nyumpene, Jl. Legian Tengah 436 N, Legian, tel./fax (0361) 752296. In Germany, the address is Piketravel, Ostersielzug 8, 25840 Friedrichstadt, fax 0049-4881-1200.

LOVINA BEACH

This area has a lot to offer, not the least of which is its distance from the southern honeypots. The beach is better than Candidasa's and the uphill areas inland are some of the prettiest on Bali. To get there, flag down a bemo (Rp500) from Singaraja anywhere on Jl. Jen. A. Yani, which turns into Jl. Seririt heading west out of town.
     Actually, Lovina Beach was the first seaside resort to appear in the mid-<\#213>70s, taking its name from a restaurant that operated from 1953 to 1960 where Permata Cottages is today. Anak Agung Panji Tisna, the ruler of northern Bali, named this stretch of coast after the English word "love" in 1953. He is buried today not far from the first hotel he founded, Tasik Madu, "Sea of Honey." The few losmen that existed in the sleepy early 1970s were demolished in a 1976 earthquake.
     The resort began anew and during the 1980s, new losmen and beach inns appeared. Lovina has since become the generic term for a whole line of six small villages and palm-fringed beaches that it has, touristically speaking, devoured. From east to west, these include: Pemaron, Tukadmungga, Anturan, Kalibuk strip, Kaliasem, and Temukus. The strip starts at about the six km mark west of Singaraja to about five km past Kaliasem. Kalibukbuk has the highest concentration while the fishing villages of Anturan and Temukus are less densely packed with restaurants and accommodations and thus are quieter.
     Generally, the restaurants, stores, and services are on the inland side of the road, with accommodations to the north. Most are only a short walk from the beach or main road. Services include myriad moneychangers, convenience stores, used bookshops, bank, postal agent, Perumtel office, and vehicle rentals.
     Though not as scenic as the southern coastline, Lovina attracts refugees fleeing the ripoffs, frenetic pace, and drunken Aussies of Kuta. It's about as far away (100 km) and as completely opposite Kuta and Sanur as you'll find—no flash menus, no surfies, few motorbikes, little music, few dogs, comparatively cheap. True, there is some prostitution, the north shore is not immune to thieves, and assertive, long-haired gigolos prey on female travelers.
     Just a few years ago, you could easily live on about Rp12,000 a day. Today, the tourist economy makes accommodations and food less than the super-bargains they once were. Lovina keeps growing and changing, with prices rising and falling as demand changes.
     In Lovina, enjoying beautiful sunsets involves simply walking out on your veranda. You can dive and swim safely in glass-clear water off the eight-kilometer-long unbroken black-sand beaches, find good trekking paths, temples, and hot sulphur pools in the hills, and use centrally located Lovina as a base for day trips to Tulamben Barat National Park, Pulau Menjangan, Yeh Sanih, and the lakes and volcanoes of the central mountain range. Bring anti-mosquito weapons (nets and repellent) as the beasties can get pretty bad in the rainy season.
     If you time your visit for Independence Day (17 August) you can see Sapi Gerumbunjan (kerbau races) on a track near Kaliasem. The only other place this hair-raising event is held is in Negara in Jembrana District.

Vendor Overkill
Granted, the Lovina Beach strip is still not as overrun with tourists as the southern beaches. But, like Kuta, it's no longer Bali. In recent years, local entrepreneurs competing for tourist money have appeared en masse. Vendors will run from all directions the minute you alight from a bemo or park your car, asking if you'd like to rent a room, attend a buffet, see the dolphins, go snorkeling. Children beg, or ask to practice their English. On the beach, pushy hawkers offer dance tickets, massages, fruit, sarung, cigarettes, coconuts, magic mushrooms. Lovina sellers are more familiar and more likely to joke than Kuta's all-business vendors, but they're just as persistent and will hassle you even when you're lying on the beach with your eyes closed.
     What to do? Deal with a limited number of the pests. Buy a few batik from X, go snorkeling with Y, buy a pineapple from Z—someone else approaches you, say you already have your own supplies. Other vendors usually accept this and will leave you alone.
     Women need to be especially wary of Lovina's underhanded beach boys. There are dreadful tales of the scams used to part Western women from massive amounts of money. Women—or anyone for that matter—who wish to totally avoid vendors and beach boys should hang out at the lovely pools at Angsoka Cottages. Here, sellers are not allowed on the grounds.

Entertainment
Kuta-like nightlife spots on the north coast include the Malibu Bar, Restaurant & Disco in Kalibukbuk next to the New Srikandi, a meeting place for singles and travelers. Eat dinner while watching a big-screen movie (starts at 1910), followed by live singers or Balinese reggae music—the same tunes night after night. The disco serves every kind of drink imaginable, and the menu consists of Western tourist dishes. Malibu will pick you up if you call (tel. 0362-41671); stays open til the wee hours. The other "downtown" nightclub, the open-air Wina Restaurant on the northwest corner of Jl. Seririt and the road to Nirwana, also features big screen movies, bar, pool table, and live music until midnight, but has really expensive, lousy Chinese-style food. Made's Warung is a favorite gathering spot with an interesting but slightly expensive menu. Toto Pub in Lovina, run by Jro Sriasih, is another popular hangout so close to the water it's in danger of being swallowed by the sea.

Recreation
Laze on the beach and watch the sky turn red, yellow, and orange as the sun sinks behind the towering volcanoes of Java, which appear on the horizon rising purple from the ocean. At night fishing fleets head out in their jukung, luring fish into nets with kerosene pressure lanterns swaying and glowing yellow all along the water front. For Rp5000 you can join them for a two- or three-hour late afternoon trip. Or hire a freelancer and go out on a sailing excursion, with sailor, for Rp15,000.
     The bay is great for swimming: Lovina's warm sea laps lazily at the gray-sand shore during the dry season, quite tame compared to the volatile southern coasts. Although a little dirty, the wide expanses of sand are good for sunning (especially at Kalibukbuk), and beach masseurs are available for Rp5000.
     For a reef so close to the beach, the snorkeling, diving, and boat fishing are above average. The docile sea and the shallow lagoon make this coast ideal for beginners and young divers to safely explore the specialized marine communities of plant and animals which live in the intertidal zone. The Palmas Hotel has a nice pool where nonguests may swim for Rp5000.
     You don't need to venture far for good snorkeling, but the best spots are two to three km from shore where the sea is shallow. The best dive sites lie closer to Singaraja, where the reef juts farther out from the beach. Rent a motorless outrigger (Rp5000 low season, Rp8000 high season) to take you out; you can see fascinating reef life right from the boat just by sticking your head underwater.
     When snorkeling you'll feel as if you're swimming inside an aquarium with moray eels, tropical fish, and pastel corals. As the offshore water is over your head, use the boat as your island. Wear sneakers, and watch out for the sharp coral, sea urchins, and catfishlike fish with poisonous spines. Get used to wearing your mask in shallow water before venturing out deeper waters. Start early before the water gets cloudy: the sand is so dark it can be difficult to see the bottom. In Feburary or March no snorkeling or dolphin trips are offered due to heavy rain and dirty water.
     The skippers wait on the beach for customers; they may provide snorkeling gear. Count on Rp15,000 for a two-hour snorkeling trip. You can rent prahu from the hotels, or simply swim out to the reef. Snorkeling gear rents for Rp5000 for two or three hours.
     An experience with mixed reviews is "Breakfast with the Dolphins." It's easy to buy a ticket the day before from boys on the beach; the average price is Rp10,000 per person, the length of the tour varying from 2.5 to three hours, depending on season, boat, captain, and luck. Determine in advance how many hours you're going to spend snorkeling versus hours spent dolphin-chasing. If you don't, you may end up having to bargain on the boat, paying an additional Rp5000 to see dolphins. When you buy your ticket, give the vendor your room number and someone will wake you with a knock on your door 15 minutes before the predawn departure for the 30- to 60-minute trip to dolphin territory (one to two km).
     Dolphin-watching is very competitive, with dozens of boats going out at dawn. Most of the motorized boats can fit four to six people; big wooden outriggers can carry up to seven people and are less likely to pitch and roll than smaller craft. If you're lucky (about 75% of the time) for a few miraculous moments your boat will be surrounded by hundreds of leaping, flipping, blowing dolphins. Sometimes you find yourself in the midst of 500 or even 1000 dolphins. Watch for different species, particularly the large, slow swimmers that can weigh up to a ton. In any event you'll get a boat ride, tea and pisang goreng breakfast, and snorkeling on the return trip. Don't let the boatman go in before the agreed upon time.
     A good place to obtain diving information and arrange trips is Spice Dive (tel./fax 0362-23305) which has an office in Arya's restaurant in Kalibukbuk. Staff is conscientious, honest, experienced, and properly qualified. See the photo albums of various dive locations (Lovina reef, Tulamben, Menjangan). Scuba (PADI) certification courses, at all levels, are also offered. Baruna (tel. 0362-23775), on the main road in Kalibukbuk, rents snorkeling gear by the hour (Rp1500), offers surf canoes (Rp2500), and sponsors cruises to see dolphins (Rp8000 per person), snorkeling trips (Rp5000 per person), and Sunset Cruises (Rp4000 per person), but no courses. Make reservations at your hotel. Perama Tourist Service, tel. (0362) 21161, in Anturan, also organizes marine excursions.
     Permai Dive Sports, tel. (0362) 23471, Permai Hotel, Tukadmungga, offers a dive trip to Pulau Menjangan to the west, one of the best dive and snorkeling spots in Indonesia. In the off-season Permai may offer a dive to Menjangan for Rp125,000 per person plus one night's free accommodation. The beginner's course includes two dives, all equipment, guide, transport, food, and drink, for Rp160,000. Also check out Barrakuda (tel. 0362-22385) in the Bali Lovina Beach Cottages for CMAS courses.
     Made Utama Jaya of Khi Khi's, tel. (0362) 21548, offers high-priced, quality half-day snorkeling and dolphin-viewing tours (includes transport, equipment, breakfast, lunch) for Rp30,000 per person. Using big jukung with outboard motors and sails, he sets out at 0530 from Banjar. Usually around 0900 you sight pods of dolphin, and by noon Pak Made is cooking the day's catch on the beach. After a native-style nap under a tree, caressed by sea breezes, you return to Lovina at 1300. The Cadillac of dolphin-watching outings. Khi Khi's also offers deep sea fishing tours (Rp40,000) and tuna fishing tours (Rp100,000).

Shopping and Services
Women, with stacks of sarung and blankets on their heads, sell their wares cheaper than in Lovina's shops, but you have to work on them. The Air Brush T-Shirt Shop sells some really unique garments and some funny postcards. Beach people offer magic mushrooms (Rp5000) but you hear of a lot of bad trips.
     A little east of Arya's, across the road, is the Tip Top Shop, selling bus and shuttle bus tickets at good prices, snack foods, drinks, sundries, English newspapers, guidebooks, maps, medicine, waterproof cameras, cheap water, and clothes. Best prices in Lovina; it also has a telephone and a postal service (stamps, postcards). Open until 2300. Another useful retailer is the Penny Shop, opposite the street to Angsoka cottages. Extensive used book library, Fujichrome at Rp11,000 per roll, and one-day film processing. Also a cheap laundry service including ironing. A concentration of used bookstores is along J1. Ketapang in Kalibukbuk. The best and cheapest supermarket is Tiara Dewata, Jl. Jen. A. Yani 192 A, Singaraja, tel. (0362) 23492. One km from the center of Singaraja and five km from Kalibukbuk (if heading into Singaraja). Extremely well-stocked groceries and dry goods. Open 0900-2200.
     There's a very helpful tourist office on the beach side of the main Singaraja-Seririt road in Kalibukbuk; open Mon.-Thurs. 0700-1730, Friday 0700-1300, Saturday 0700-1730. A clinic lies south of the Lovina Beach Hotel in Kaliasem. The tourist office can recomment doctors. The police share the same builidng as the tourist office. Make international credit card telephone calls from the front desk of the big ritzy Palmas Hotel. Lovina has its share of moneychangers, several right on the main road. There's fax service and postal agents where you can send letters and parcels for the same prices charged by the post office. The postal agent (tel. 0362-41392) on the main drag is open 0800-1800. The only poste restante office is at the Perama office in Anturan (c/o Kantor Pos, Perama, Anturan, Lovina 81151, Singaraja, Bali. The Wartel (daily 0900-2300) is west of J1. Bina Ria in Kalibukbuk. The moneychanger at the Wartel is open 0800-1700; The moneychangers here offer rates about 10-15 rupiah lower than Denpasar's or Kuta's. The Perumtel office (tel. 0362-41101) on the beach side of the road in Temukus is open 0900-2300. Lovina's telephone code is 0362.

Accommodations
From the road, it appears Lovina hasn't changed much over the years. A great number of new accommodations, however, have crept in on lanes out of sight of the roadside hotels. In the low season, expect to pay Rp15,000 d for basic beachfront accommodations and around Rp80,000 for four-star luxury. You'll also be offered rooms for Rp6000-9000 including breakfast, but these will be rather old digs without a nice view of the sea or garden, usually facing the wall of the next bungalow.
     There are two types of resort accommodations: the upstart, splash "beach inns" or resort hotels, which have sprouted up along the eastern beaches, and the venerable resorts of Kalibukbuk and Kaliasem that've been around for a while. Well-established, older places like the Rambutan and the Banyualit are more picturesque, offer more shade, and have more character than the newer hotels. Since these hotels are small, with but 10-15 rooms, they're able to provide friendly, personal service. A basic breakfast of toast, butter, jam, fruit salad, and coffee or tea is almost always included in the room rate.
     The small street leading to the Banyualit is lined with seafood restaurants, garment and convenience shops, and different classes of hotels. It's less congested than most of Lovina, yet all you really need can be found on this street. If you stay in a hotel too near the main highway, mornings and at nights could be noisy. Closer to the beach is quieter; some units of the Kalibukbuk Beach Inn nearly touch the water. Mid-range accommodations—upscale but not four-star international—offer the most value for the dollar. For Rp45,000-90,000, they offer relative security, beautiful bungalows, nice gardens, full services (laundry, postal, safe-deposit boxes, free storage), phones and faxes, rooms cleaned daily, attractive restaurants with decent sound systems, free breakfast, stone and tile pools, cheap marine tours and snorkel gear rental—they even take plastic.
     Reservations for the most popular accommodations are critical during the high season (July and August) and over the Christmas holidays, when rates rise Rp5000-10,000. Ask for a discount in the off-season, or if you're staying more than three days.

Food
In Lovina most social events involve food--which leans heavily to the mediocre side--and many accommodations woo the traveler with on-site, low-price restaurants, snack bars, cafes, or pubs. It's easy to find restaurants serving whole grilled tuna steak for around Rp4000. Magic mushrooms are served everywhere. Lovina's least expensive eateries are the beachside warung where the menu is limited but you can enjoy lontong with sate for Rp1000, fruit juices for Rp600, omelettes for Rp750-1000, soda for Rp700, and pancakes for Rp750-1000. In the high season you'll want to start out for dinner early, as the best restaurants are swamped and orders can take a while.
     Competing restaurants try to outdo each other with huge buffets. Tables groan with curries, grilled meats, salads, noodle dishes, fruit. After dinner most eateries sweeten the deal with rather amateurish regog or legong. These buffets can be good deals, but pay attention to the menus—soy sauce and krupuk do not constitute an entree. Both the food and the performance cost Rp5000-9000, which must be one of the all-time bargains of Asia. The open-air Rambutan Restaurant in Kalibukbuk presents a legong and Balinese Banquet at 1930 every Sunday and Wednesday night featuring professional dancers performing traditional dances for only Rp6000. Also look for fliers advertising all-you-can-eats at the Puri Garden in Temukus and the Semina in Kalibukbuk. For more details on the eating scene, see the "Food" sections under the name of the villages below.

Getting There
On arriving from Kuta, the shuttle bus lets passengers off at Perama Tourist Service in Anturan, where passengers are taken to their hotels free of charge. The Perama shuttle leaves Kuta for Lovina at 0830 and 1600) (Rp13,500, 4.5 hours via Ubud). Public bemo from Denpasar's Ubung Terminal arrive at the Banyuasri station; from there hop on a bemo (Rp500) to Lovina. Tell the driver where you're staying and he'll drop you off as close as possible to it. If coming from Amlapura, the Isuzu bus arrives at Terminal Penarukan to the east of Singaraja; from there get a bemo through Singaraja (Rp500) to Banyuasri Station on the western edge of the city. From dawn to dusk bemo travel regularly from this station to Lovina (Rp800) on a road lined with huge trees and emerald-green rice paddies. If coming from Surabaya on a long-distance bus, ask the driver to let you off along the highway at either Lovina or Kalibubuk.

Shuttles and Rentals
Shuttles run to Ubud, Denpasar's Ubung Station, Sanur, Kuta, or the airport for Rp12,000-15,000. Shuttles leave for Kuta at 0700 and 1300 (2.5 hours). For four or five passengers, drivers offer service direct to Candidasa or Padangbai via the east coast for Rp20,000 per person. Or catch the shuttle to Kuta where you transfer to another shuttle heading for Candidasa for another Rp20,000 per person. Kuta is the transit point for shuttles to Senggigi or Mataram, Rp30,000 per person. Most hotels and homestays can arrange tickets and provide pickup service. Ask about Perama's "Stopover Service" offering southbound travelers up to two nights in scenic Bedugul at no charge. For guests, most Lovina hotels organize minibus tours of culture-rich Gianyar Regency; some rent cars. Jeeps rent for Rp35,000-40,000 per day, not including insurance; car rental is Rp60,000-190,000 per day. Motorcycles cost Rp12,000-15,000 for 12 hours, though good machines are hard to find. Scooters with automatic clutch cost around Rp10,000 per day, bicycles about Rp5000 for 12 hours, and mountain bikes Rp10,000 and up for 12 hours. Rent from virtually any homestay, hotel, or travel/tour agency.

Getting Away
Buses to Singaraja (Rp800) stop in front of Arya's. To Gilimanuk or Bedugul take a bemo; there's no shuttle service. If you're heading to western Bali or East Java, you don't have to go into Singaraja to catch a bus—buy tickets at Arya's or wherever buses to Surabaya stop to pick up passengers. Three travel services can be found in Anturan on the Singaraja side of the bridge. Perama, tel. (0362) 21161, sells direct bus tickets to Jakarta for Rp48,000. A dangerous ride of pure hell broken only by three meal stops. The bus leaves at 0630, arriving 28 hours later at 1000. The air conditioning usually doesn't work. Fares to: Probolinggo or Surabaya, Rp20,000; Yogyakarta, Rp38,000. Night buses leave for Java at 1900; you get into Probolinggo around 0300 and Surabaya about an hour later. Order air tickets from Perama, too, brought back within 48 hours by shuttle from Denpasar. To reach Mt. Bromo in East Java take the public van-bus to Gilimanuk (Rp1750), a great scenic ride, then pay Rp300 for a bemo to the ferry, and Rp600 for the ferry to Java. From Ketapang it's only Rp3000 to to the Bromo turnoff, then Rp2500 to Cemoro Lawang on the outer crater rim.

PEMARON

Heading west from Singaraja, at about the 6.5 km mark, the first village you reach is Pemaron. This is a quiet section of coast with no shops or amenities but you can walk one kilometer down the beach to Anturan. Kalibukbuk is about two kilometers away by road. For sheer comfort, rest, and relaxation, the Baruna Beach Cottages, Box 149, Lovina Beach, Pemaron, tel. (0362) 23745 or 23746, fax 22252, set amidst landscaped gardens, can't be beat. Rooms in a two-story building or bungalows with Western toilets run from Rp40,000 to Rp110,000. Add 15.5% government tax and service. Try to make a reservation at least two weeks in advance. No phones or room service; wake-up calls come with a knock on the door—a nice touch, strictly person to person. Try to make a reservation at least two weeks in advance. Bats in the room, no extra charge. Ask to sleep in Mick Jagger's room. Few peddlers; American, Indonesian, or continental breakfast, lunch, or dinner Rp8800-23,000
     To reach Baruna, take a bemo (Rp500) from Singaraja. A self-contained resort right on the beach, Baruna offers parking, a pool very near the beach, bar, boutique, cultural shows, sauna and massage services, sailing, windsurfing (Rp12,000/hour), diving, snorkeling (Rp3000), sunrise dolphin trips (Rp7000 per person), motorbike rental (Rp10,000 per day), and bicycle rental. Negotiate your return trip to Sanur for Rp55,000 plus driver's lunch and many stops.

TUKADMUNGGA

Accommodations offered in Tukadmungga are resortish, quiet, and attract fewer hawkers than the more congested beaches farther west. Though rooms may be spare, they're set back from the road and often surrounded by rice paddies. Upon entering Tukadmungga, the village just west of Pemaron about eight km west of Singaraja, head toward the sea and you'll come to Permai Beach Cottages on Happy Beach, tel. (0362) 23471, catering to water sport and dolphin enthusiasts. Rooms are Rp15,000 s, Rp35,000 d with air conditioning, fan, hot water, good ventilation, and shower. Also rooms for Rp50,000, breakfast included. The dive service to Lovina, Pulau Menjangan, Tulamben may include one night's free accommodation. Friendly people.
     There are three restaurants and four accommodations at the end of the road to Happy Beach. From here, Lovina is four km. Happy Beach Inn is reasonably priced at Rp8000 s, Rp10,000 d for rooms with fans; cheaper rooms are Rp5000. Open-air mandi. The two bamboo rooms in the back of Happy's are the best, only Rp10,000. Ibu Ayu is a great cook; try her fish wrapped in banana leaves. She also serves black rice pudding with ginger and offers a big suckling pig and nasi campur with calamari (Rp2000)—real cheap, native cooking. This small cluster of accommodations makes a good base for snorkeling tours, and there's an amazing reef just off shore. Close by is the Jati Reef Bungalows, tel. (0362) 21952, with large four-room cottages among the rice paddies on the beach, smaller rooms in a two-story building, and a basic restaurant. Room prices are average, around Rp15,000. Facilities include private baths, safety deposit boxes, fans, laundry service, bar, motorbikes and bicycles for rent, and airport transfers. The owner of Suci Jati also owns Yuda, Box 151, tel. (0362) 41183, to the west. For Rp33,000-44,000, Yuda's rents 12 small, clean, raised cottages with thick mattresses, no hot water, no breakfast, hole-in-the-floor toilet, bamboo walls, and tiled roofs. Rooms are grouped around a restaurant pavilion with the waves only five meters away. Pay extra for private mandi. To the rear of Yuda's palm-filled compound is a view over kerbau working rice fields. Although the staff is friendly and the service good, beware of bugs, noisy children, loud TV, and conditions of general disrepair.
     Farther west and close to the highway is the Bali Taman Beach Hotel, offering double rooms with air-conditioning, ceiling fan, bath in private garden, shower, TV, fridge, pool, and a Rp110,000-135,000 price tag. Nice restaurant overlooking the sea; good food; little shade.
     Between Jati Reef and Yuda, down a narrow lane through rice fields, is basic 14-room Sri Homestay. Reservations are advised in July and August. Rates Rp13,000 for standard rooms, Rp20,000 for bungalows; breakfast included. No taxes or additional charges, though in August the rates may rise. Sri offers tours and vehicle, motorbike, or bicycle rental.
     A very useful service is offered by Perama Tourist Service and Agen Pos, tel. (0362) 21161. The manager, Made Suartana, sells bus tickets and stamps. Toward Singaraja is a health center.

ANTURAN

In Anturan is Homestay Agung, a popular place for tired and hungry travelers. With bamboo-decorated rooms for only Rp8000 s, Rp15,000 d, Agung's is nearly always booked. Ask for the old mute Indonesian masseuse who gives unforgettable 45-minute massages for Rp5000. Walk down the beach at night for dinner.
     Right on the water is Lila Cita Beach Inn, with plain second-floor rooms for Rp15,000 s, Rp20,000 d. Rooms with private outdoor mandi and flush toilets run Rp20,000 s, Rp25,000 d. Breakfast consists of any kind of pancake, toast, and fruit salad. Helpful staff, friendly atmosphere, quiet, superb snorkeling, and always the sound of the sea. In the evenings dine in the wide, second-story balcony which serves as the hotel lounge. In this area are several other homestays with basic bungalows but excellent locations: check out Gede's and Mari's.
     On the same road as the Lila Cita and the Mandhara is peaceful, good value Celuk Agung, Box 191, Singaraja 81101, tel. (0362) 23039, fax 23379. Here are 16 comfortable Bali-style bungalows in three different classes, most with private bath, shower, hot water, IDD, satellite TV, and fridges. Prices range from Rp45,000 s, Rp57,000 d for standard (no air-conditioning), to Rp80,000 s, Rp90,000 d for medium and Rp110,000 s, Rp120,000 d for the five suites. Add 15% tax and service. Most of the hotel's grounds are devoted to gardens. Facilities include bar, reasonably priced restaurant, pool, tennis and badminton courts, laundry, safe-deposit boxes, and transport service. Nice views of rice fields and the sea.

BANYUALIT

If heading toward Singaraja, after the RRI Tower and Siwa Bungalows turn left on the small road leading to the beach. At the beach end of the road, on the right, is well-known Janur's Dive Inn, tel. (0362) 41056, offering nice double rooms for Rp8000 s, Rp10,000 d. Extravagant bathrooms, cheap good restaurant—pretty good value. The quiet Banyualit Beach Inn, Box 116, Singaraja 81101, tel. (0362) 41789, fax 41563, just up from Janur Dive Inn gets high marks for its concrete and traditional bungalows with clean and tidy rooms, mandi with plants, Western toilets, and bedside phones. One of the great bargains of Bali, room rates are Rp15,000 s, Rp55,000 d in three different classes, air-conditioned cottages also available. Extra bed: Rp15,000. Nice surroundings for strolling; an immaculate 1.24 hectare garden is filled with orchids and bougainvillea. Also a top-rated restaurant dispensing excellent food and chilled glasses of Bintang. Good security, accommodating staff; the receptionists are very efficient in organizing tours, transport, snorkeling, scuba, fishing, sailing, and dolphin watching. The beach is only a few meters away. All rates include service charge and government tax. Recently introduced is a cooking class, "Learn the Secrets of Balinese Cooking."
     Down the same lane on the right toward the Banyualit is the family-oriented Rambutan Beach Cottages, Box 195, Kalibukbuk, tel. (0362) 23388, run by an English husband and Balinese wife team. Rates are Rp25,000 for budget rooms, Rp35,000 for rooms with ceiling fan, Rp40,000 for upstairs rooms with ceiling fan, and Rp50,000 for hot-water upstairs rooms with ceiling fan. Breakfast not included. Well-furnished upstairs rooms are spacious (five meters by five meters), cool, and soundproof, with veranda, balcony, decent lightbulbs, and electric mosquito coils. All rooms feature private bath with towels, soap, and toilet paper. English language newspapers delivered daily, many table and board games, children's playground. Big restaurant (open 0700-2000) and chlorinated free-form freshwater pool. Near all the main restaurants and the beach and surrounded by a very large tropical garden of rambutan, coconut, and banana trees, this is an excellent place to stay. Try the Sanary Chinese and seafood restaurant across from the Rambutan. The swankiest hotel in this area is the Padula Beach, tel. (0362) 23775, fax 23659, with all the amenities you'd expect in this price range (Rp110,000-215,000)

KALIBUKBUK

Accommodations
The highest density of hotels and restaurants is found down Kalibukbuk's two roads to the sea, J1. Bina Ric and the smaller J1. Ketapang (starts opposite Khi-Khi Restaurant). The beach is widest along this strip. Look around before deciding on a place. The places close to the road are cheap but noisy. One of the cheapest (Rp8000 s, Rp10,000 d with breakfast) is the Indra Pura Inn, tel. (0362) 61560, near the Banyualit Beach Inn on J1. Ketapang. Another very reasonable losmen, down a small lane just before the Nirvana, is Susila—only Rp6000 s, Rp8000 d including breakfast. On the main road right in the main thicket of Lovina, only five minutes to the beach, is the remarkable Chono's, tel. (0362) 23569, which rents clean, spacious rooms with good beds, large baths for Rp15,000-20,000. Fan rooms with shower and private toilet, Rp25,000 if towels provided. Simple breakfast included in price. Transport, car rental, sightseeing and snorkeling tours, and laundry and baggage storage service. See the helpful manager, Mrs. Peni Darmadi, the one with the big smile. Located just five minutes from beach. Can be a bit noisy because it's next door to Malibu Bar & Restaurant. Nice restaurant upstairs with buffets and dances.
     Just south of Angsoka Cottages is popular Padang Lovina Seaside Cottages (tel. 0362-23302) on Jl. Binaria, only two minutes walk from the beach. Thirteen clean double rooms for Rp20,000 s, Rp30,000 d, all with tile floors, private baths, showers, ceiling fans, mosquito netting, and breakfast. Second-story rooms are cooler and breezier. One air-conditioned suite room for Rp25,000 s, Rp35,000 d. Large parking area and beautiful gardens. Also recommended is secure, quiet, well-kept Rini Hotel & Restaurant, tel. (0362) 23386, in the center of Kalibukbuk. Rates Rp20,000-25,000 for economy rooms, Rp30,000 for standard, Rp50,000 for superior (add five percent tax). Room number two in the highest demand. Bungalows are fully equipped with big beds, fan, mosquito net, shower, and veranda. Friendly service, good food, large garden. Located one minute from the beach, three minutes from the main road.
     Spiffy and relaxing Angsoka Cottages, (tel. 0362-22841, fax 23023), but two minutes from the beach, offers a variety of rooms, ranging from cozy rice-barn units from Rp15,000 d to detached bungalows with a/c, inside mandi, hot water, and nice veranda for Rp60,000. Restaurant and bar, discreet and helpful staff, laundry service, IDD telephones, pleasant gardens, ample parking. Centrally located in the heart of Kalibukbuk. Appeals to the younger set; guests seem to particularly enjoy the attractive pool (open 0730-2000) with sunken bar surrounded by bamboo and angsoka flowers. The front desk books for shuttle service, marine excursions, and dolphin watching tours. Luxury accommodations at a budget price. Next to Angsoka's, just around the corner from the bus stop, is Ray Beach Inn; Rp10,000 for a double with clean mandi. Though meager breakast and leaky showers, it is a good value.
     An established, friendly place 300 meters from the water is Ayodya Accommodations (tel. 0362-23803), within its own enclosed, restful, flower-filled compound. Rp8000 s, Rp10,000 d for traditional, clean nipa and bamboo huts. Rate includes breakfast. Each room is cool and spacious with a private reading-cum-dining area. Efficient food service, ample laundry facilities, good security. About 500 meters north of Ayodya is Astina's, Box 42, Singaraja 81151. Although the rooms tend to be a bit dark, the charge is only Rp7000 s, Rp8000 d for rooms with outside mandi, Rp12,000 s, Rp15,000 d for larger Bali-style bungalows with inside mandi, sink, shower, carved furniture, fan, and breakfast. Rates even cheaper in the off-season. Quiet, peaceful location with lush gardens under coconut palms—away from everything but only a short walk to anything.
     Expect little English at the Kalibukbuk Hotel. Right on the beach, very clean and lovely; Rp12,500 d with private bath and breakfast. The food is overpriced and you receive teeny portions; just walk into town and eat well for Rp3000-4000.
     The latest high-end Lovina accommodation is Mas Lovina Beach Cottages, a charming seaside resort of 10 maisonette type cottages (Rp230,000 and up), each with two twin upper floor air conditioned bedrooms and private bathrooms with hot and cold running water. On the ground floor find a living room with audio visual equipment and a dining room complete with fully equipped kitchen, refrigerator, and tableware. Tennis court and putting green, snorkeling, diving, and dolphin watching trips. Contact the manager, Mas Lovina Beach Cottages, Jl. Raya Kalibukbuk, Singaraja, Bali 81151, tel. (0362) 23237, fax 23236.

Food
Warung on the beach serve good food. As for restaurants, one of the best deals going is friendly Superman. You can frequent the place every night, trying different dishes each time, and all will be fantastic and abundant. Also provides useful information for travelers—how to reach destinations, bemo prices, and the like. Record your own experiences and recommendations, and review the comments of others. A little more expensive, but definitely worth it, is Rumah Rumah Tamah (tel. 0362-41149); very well-prepared vegetarian food with traditional Balinese dishes.
     Surya Bar & Restaurant is cozy and attractive, with inexpensive, delicious food, particularly the fresh charcoal-grilled fish and chicken sate. Probably the best value in Lovina, with the finest gado-gado. The Grace Restaurant, across from Arya's, serves excellent Javanese-Indonesian style food and the view of the sunset from their open upstairs attracts many. Fresh seafood is their specialty. Khi Khi's, tel. (0362) 21548, serves fresh lobster or crab with choice of seven sauces, grilled fish steak (Rp7500), sweet-and-sour snapper (Rp4000), and special Thai soup (Rp4000). Most main dishes run around Rp6000. Ask first if the fish is frozen; it will take over an hour to cook if it is. Otherwise, fast service. A 30-minute dance in the evening is free and includes a complimentary dessert of rice cakes. The owner, Made, is quite a character. Try his home-brewed arak flavored with vanilla—it'll blow your mind. Open 0800. Made rents some Rp12,500-15,000 rooms in the back.
     Open-air Banyualit Restaurant specializes in seafood, Indonesian dishes with a Chinese accent, and curries. One of the best restaurants in Lovina—even the bupati eats here. Complete menu, Western prices; eat beautifully for around Rp15,000 per person. Quieter than Khi Khi's, with no dust, no traffic. For excellent Balinese fish, head for Spunky's Cafe in Banyualit.

KALIASEM (LOVINA BEACH)

Accommodations
Susila Beach Inn has opened a branch on the beach next to the Angsoka called—you guessed it—Susila Beach Inn II; offering cozy bungalows with verandas, showers, toilets, and a fruit salad breakfast. Rates Rp9000 s, Rp10,000 d. Lovina's largest and oldest accommodation, Nirwana Cottages, tel. (0362) 22288, fax 21090, is 500 meters past the 11 km marker. The brick, bamboo, and thatch structures feature flush toilets, showers, and enclosed outdoor patios, but are not very well cared for. Five classes ranging from Rp15,000 for fan rooms to Rp50,000 d for two-story bungalows nos. 34-39. The best are back from the beach so no peddlers bother you, facing the hotel's spacious grounds, long walkways, and attractive lawns and gardens. Also cheaper double rooms for Rp20,000. Meager breakfast of fruit salad, and tea or coffee; restaurant service painfully slow; staff doesn't speak English; no swimming pool. No room phones, though there's a phone in the front office. Credit cards not accepted.
     On the beach, very central, good restaurants within walking distance. Family-run, no-frills Arjuna Homestay is a good, small, budget hotel. Tucked away only 50 meters from the beach, the rooms cost Rp8000 d, including breakfast. Though very central (the Bali Ayu is north and Tasik Madu west), it is little known. A former homestay, the Manggala Holiday Inn, tel. (0362) 41371, just west of the Purnama, is the oldest losmen in town. Room prices only Rp10,000-20,000. Nearby "John's House," is only Rp12,500 for a double room with mandi right on the beach. Be warned the breakfast here is horrible.
     Thirty-room Bali Lovina Beach Cottages, tel./fax (0362) 41385, between Arjuna and Lovina Beach Hotel is pure luxury living: immaculate Bali-style cottages with bath, shower, and hot water for Rp100,000 s, Rp110,000 d superior rooms, Rp90,000 s, Rp100,00 d standard rooms, Rp70,000 s, Rp80,000 d fan rooms. All rates subject to 15.5% tax and service. Includes hearty breakfast. Restaurant, beautiful pool, poolside bar, beach access, very few beach hawkers. Water sports offered include sailing, snorkeling, fishing, canoeing, windsurfing, and dolphin-watching tours. Plastic accepted. Outside peak season bargain for half the rate. Lovina's most imposing, largest, and most expensive hotel is the Palma Beach Hotel, Jl. Raya Lovina, tel. (0362) 62362, 61775, or 61658, fax 61659, a quiet, luxury marine resort catering primarily to Swiss and German package tourists. Nineteen standard rooms go for Rp135,000 d; superior class rooms are more spacious, with open-air bathrooms, fridge, TV, and garden for Rp170,000 d. Live music (karaoke) weekly, coffee shop, restaurant serving Indian dishes, pizza and pasta. All prices subject to 15.5% tax and service fee. Recreation facilities include tennis court, large pool, open-air fitness center. Make reservations at the Denpasar office, Jl. Raya Puputan 17 X, tel. (0362) 25256, fax 25231. Watch for Palma business cards offering a 20% discount.
     Quiet, family-run Lovina Beach Hotel, tel. (0362) 23473, was built on the site of Lovina's original hotel, founded by the late raja in 1953. Owner Anak Agung Ngurah Sentanu is the raja's grandson. The Lovina Beach offers convenience, friendly 24-hour service, good security, laundry and mailing service, and safe-deposit boxes. Rates for the three different classes of rooms are Rp60,000 for spacious a/c beachfront cottages, with large bathrooms, hot water, and verandas; Rp35,000 for beachfront cottages with ceiling fan; and Rp23,000 for rooms with garden view, shower, and fan. All prices include breakfast, tax, service. An excellent place for children; the restaurant right on the sea is a nice touch. Motorcycles rent for Rp12,000 per day, bicycles for Rp4000 per day. At Hotel Puri Tasik Madu ("Sea of Honey"), tel. (0362) 23376, prices start at Rp15,000; three a/c beachfront bungalows with inside mandi Rp35,000. The best value are the cheapest rooms. Good location on the beach side of the main road. Quiet and friendly staff; some of them are dynamite chess players.
     West of the Tasik Madu is friendly 52-room Aditya Bungalows, Box 134, Singaraja 81101, tel. (0362) 41059, literally seven meters from the beach. Rp90,000 for very nice air conditioned deluxe rooms with hot water, private terrace, color TV, fridge, and sea view; Rp70,000 for air conditioned rooms with garden view; Rp50,000 for fan rooms with hot water; Rp40,000 for fan rooms with mandi. Rates include continental breakfast, add 15% government tax and service. The Aditya also runs a very efficient travel service. Older but well-kept (the sweeping never stops!) Parma Beach Hotel, tel. (0362) 23955, offers nice rooms looking out on gardens running down to the black-sand beach. Rates Rp15,000-25,000 in the low season, Rp18,000 s, Rp30,000 d in the high. Four different classes of rooms. Fine, reasonably priced kitchen, friendly staff. Breakfast of juice, banana pancake, fruit salad, toast, and coffee or tea included. Good security: bars on the windows and two penjaga posted beachside to keep out the riffraff.
     The quiet Bayu Kartika Beach Bungalows, tel. (0362) 41055, is right on the beach, with comfortable beds, large ceiling fans, functional plumbing, and a decent place to eat. All rooms are clean with lovely garden bathrooms, hot water, and garden views. In the off-season try to negotiate a Rp20,000 per person rate. Billibo Beach Cottages, tel. (0362) 23498, the last place west in Lovina, has six clean cottages (Rp25,000) with screens on the windows, and reading lamps by the bed and on the veranda. Large, outdoor fenced-in area where people can't harass you. Great views of the ocean; not even a wall separates you from the private beach. People wait days for a cottage at Billibo's.

Food
The Lovina Beach Hotel's Permata Restaurant, serving Balinese, Indonesian, Chinese, and Western dishes, is right on the beach, flanked by a garden and fishpond. Specialties include betutu bebek (stuffed steamed duck), babi guling, sate ayam, nasi goreng spesial, and gado-gado. The pride of Permata is nasi tumpeng, true Balinese cuisine served on a duleng table, consisting of a mountain of rice encircled by sate, vegetables, curries, and betutu. Sit in the beachfront gazebo and watch the sunset.
     Made's Warung, on the north side of the main road, offers a set menu with choice of starter, main meal, and great dessert for Rp10,000. No other restaurant serves salads as good. Prices are very competitive, live music every night and a happy hour. Made's does have its off-days, when the guacamole has no flavor, the chocolate mousse is flat, the music lousy, and the salads lack dressing.
     Of the four restaurants on the south side of the main road, the hands-down favorite is Arya's, tel. (0362) 23797, where you'll find imaginative pasta dishes, grilled tuna fish dinner (Rp4000), a selection of vegetarian meals, and the best homemade desserts in Lovina including lemon meringue pie. Bills itself as the health food restaurant of Lovina. The service is so-so; the awful mixed green salad (Rp1500) comes with but one piece of lettuce, a slice of tomato, and tons of oil; and the avocado/shrimp cocktail is at best ordinary. Arya's strength is its breakfast with multigrain bread baked on the premises, homemade jams, muesli, and porridge. Free transport offered within a 10-km radius of Lovina.
     Next to Aryas is the Flower Garden Restaurant offering items from a set menu for Rp7500-9500 in intimate surroundings. Some dishes are good, but portions are sometimes skimpy. If Made is cooking, count on a superb meal—dishes like guacamole and potato skins, cream of prawn soup, tuna wrapped in bamboo leaf. Try Made's Bali wine at your peril—not exactly vintage bordeaux. Balinese dancing starts at around 2000.
     Three nights a week Chono's hosts an extravagant rijstaffel buffet. The meal—15 tasty dishes including rice wine, chocolate milk, peanuts, and fried tempe—is followed by Balinese dancing—all for Rp6000. Chono's also serves fresh seafood at very reasonable prices: fried calamari with garlic butter (Rp3000), grilled tuna (Rp3000), or snapper with choice of sauce (Rp3500). Relax in the comfortable, leafy restaurant and play chess, backgammon, scrabble, cards.
     Manggala Holiday Inn, tel. (0362) 41371, serves a better than average fish in ginger and oyster sauce for Rp3000. The best breakfast buffet is put on by Bali Apik hidden away off J1. Bina Ria; open 0700-1100.

TEMUKUS

Temukus is the last village to the west, on the wings of Lovina. A convenient base for touring the Banjar area—just a short ride down the road. Pondok Wisata Ayu's Restaurant, tel. (0362) 21338, has five rather exposed, shadeless rooms for Rp15,000 s/d plus 10% tax and service. Not worth it—too hot. Across the road is Agus Homestay, nice rooms with fans, close to the sea for Rp10,000 s, Rp15,000 d (a drawback: close to the highway). Ten-room Samudra Beach Cottages & Restaurant, in an out-of-the-way setting one-half km west of Aditya on the road to Gilimanuk, charges Rp25,000-30,000 for a/c rooms with hot water just 10 meters from the beach. Continental breakfast in the breezy restaurant included in the price. A certain dreariness about the place, however. On the Kalibukbuk border is Purnama, a homestay on the beach side of the road. Rents rooms with partially outside bath for Rp10,000 s or d; less in the off-season. Breakfast included; only 100 meters from the beach.
     Best of the lot is Krisna Beach Inn, tel. (0362) 24941, on Jl. Seririt about 13 km west of Singaraja. Eight plain but clean rooms for Rp10,000 s, Rp18,000 d in a U-shaped compound facing the ocean. The upper rooms receive breezes. Price includes simple breakfast; the open-air restaurant serves fresh seafood 0700-2200. Laundry service, swimming out front on a nice private beach, few sellers. Offshore there's a splendid coral reef. Quiet; just fishermen along here.

VICINITY OF LOVINA BEACH

From Lovina, walk to Singaraja along the beach in a couple of hours, crossing about six small rivers. A number of outstanding walks lead into the high country behind Lovina. From Kalibukbuk take the sealed road opposite Ayodya's Kayuputih, from here you can take the road west back down to the coast. Another loop starts at Banjar—take the steep road to Banyuseri, on a high plateau, five km from the coast. Continue five km through rice paddies east (left) along the ridge, to Banjar Tega, where you can get a lift on the back of a motorcycle to Banjar. You can also make this loop from the other direction.
     From Seririt to Mayong (seven km) are many scenic rice fields and fields of cultivated grapevines. From Mayong, head east toward Kayuputih, Gobleg, and Munduk (known all over Bali for its durians and its mangosteens). The small, paved road from Mayong to the lakes climbs high into the mountains through a number of small villages. From Kayuputih walk to Banjar or continue on to Munduk; from there a track skirts the crater rim with superb views over lakes Tamblingan, Buyan, and Bratan. On a clear day you can see the Batukau range and sometimes all the way to the coast. This road gets a lot worse before it finally joins the Singaraja-Denpasar route north of the Bali Handara Country Club approximately 10 km north of Lake Bratan.

Waterfalls
From Lovina take a bemo (Rp500, one km) west to Temukus, or walk in 30 minutes from the bridge in Kaliasem. At the 14.5 km mark turn up the dirt road and you'll see a sign for Air Terjun Singsing ("Daybreak Waterfalls"). It's about a 500-meter walk with good eating stalls along the way. Boys will show you the way to the 12-meter-high falls, but will want Rp1000 once there. At the falls, swim in the pool below while cool, fresh water cascades over you. The falls only run in the wet; at other times farmers may block them off because they need the water. There's a bigger, better, more isolated waterfall known as Singsing Dua on a path to the east; swim here too.
     To reach a third waterfall go back on the road to Singaraja to Anturan, then turn right up a steep side road. Ojek drivers sit at the start of the road and ask Rp1000 to deliver you to the falls. If driving yourself, park and follow the trail down to the river, then boulder-hop along the riverbed for about one kilometer. A beautiful falls and a nice place to swim.

Banjar
The starting point for sightseeing in the area. In the Banjar area are two villages, one a Muslim community called Banjar, the other is an authentic fishing village called Dencarik on the sea eight km to the west of Lovina; turn north at the intersection of Jl. Seririt and the road to Dencarik. No tourists, no hotels, no sellers—like Malaysia's Batu Ferringhi 20 years ago. Ask to share some fishermen's food with the villagers. Along this coast there are no plastic bottles in the water, which makes for superior snorkeling.

Buddhist Monastery
Go first to Dencarik village, about 18 km west of Singaraja on the highway to Seririt. From the highway where the bemo lets you off, walk two km; then, at the intersection just before the Banjar Tega market, turn left up the paved road. Climb another two km (40 minutes) to the hilltop monastery. Or take a honda ojek (Rp2000) all the way up the steep hill from the Banjar turnoff. Wear long pants or a sarung as you must be respectfully dressed. Sarung rent for Rp500. Entering the vihara, sign the guestbook and give a donation.
     This storybook monastery, also known as Brahma Vihara Asrama, has a gleaming orange tile roof, Sukothai-style gold leaf Buddha images, raksasa door guardians, brightly painted stupa with Buddha eyes, and exuberant woodcarvings—a dazzling mix of Balinese Hindu and Buddhist components. Opened in 1970, it's the only Buddhist monastery on Bali. Tibet's Dalai Lama paid a visit in 1982, and Bali's Chinese make regular pilgrimages to this peaceful hillside ashram. Severely damaged in the July 1976 earthquake, it has since been completely restored.
     The Theravadic vipashana breathing technique is practiced here, the aim to produce clear comprehension and mindfulness. The resident bhikku (Buddhist teacher) will guide you to equanimity. The bhikku is only here May-June, Aug.-Sept., and Dec.-January. Instruction in English only in September and April. All are welcome, but anyone visiting overnight is encouraged to write first. Several times a year students "speech fast," and no writing, reading, or talking is allowed. Quite comfortable, with plenty of good vegetarian food. If you eat, pay.
     Note the panels depicting Buddha fables, a temple bell from Thailand, and a specimen of the bo tree of enlightenment. A number of books on Buddhism are for sale. The hall at the bottom is for prayer, the top building for meditation. Unsurpassed views over the north coast. At night, stars reflect in the rice paddies and fireflies fill the air.
     The road continues past the monastery and up the mountain to the village of Pedawa. Walk from the monastery to the air panas on a small path in just 10 minutes, or drive by going back down the hill and taking the first left, then another left after the market. Drive 120 meters, then make another left and drive two kilometers.

Air Panas
A hot spring only a 10-minute walk from the monastery, if you take the shortcut. Or drive six km east of Lovina on Jl. Seririt, take a left and travel two km to the Banjar Tega market, then a further two km uphill. Motorcycle ojek drivers or dokar wait at this turnoff to Banjar to give you a lift, Rp1500. Fifty meters on the left after the market look for the Air Panas 1 KM sign and follow the forested road to the end. After cycling up the hill, the hot water will be a great relief. Arriving, it costs Rp500 to park and Rp1050 entrance (Rp500 child) but you can swim all day.
     Surrounded by jungle and luxurious gardens, this is the perfect setting for a day's loafing. There are three pools of varying temperatures. Lay back in one big lovingly warm pool or another smaller pool of soft, green-yellow sulphur water, both filled by water pouring out of naga-shaped pipes from the hill and pool above. Wash and soap in the lowest. If it gets too hot, take a dip in the river. Neat and clean toilets, showers, and changing rooms available.
     Stay at the moderately priced, nice-looking Pondok Wisata Grya Sati Hotel and Restaurant near the entrance. Overlooking the pool is the fairly reasonably priced Komala Tirta Restaurant with a full Indonesian/Western menu—sop ayam Rp2000, beef sate Rp4000, gado-gado Rp1500. Good, average food and a cool, relaxing place to sit, read, or write. Two warung makan serve up nasi campur (Rp500), snacks, fruit, cakes, and es campur. About 10 souvenir shops with very aggressive, hungry sellers selling Kuta-style garments lurk up the road. Buy your bathing suit here.
     Open from 0800 to 1600, the complex is tidy and well maintained. No nude bathing, shampoo and soap permissible in a third pool off to the side. The pools could be peaceful, or crowded with a busload of tourists or screaming schoolkids. One-hundred meters upstream is another, smaller air panas.

Pedawa
From the Buddhist monastery in Banjar Tega it's a seven-km hike north to Pedawa, about 10 km inland from Banjar Tega. This is a big grape-growing area and you'll see vineyards stretching away from both sides of the road. Pedawa is a quiet, friendly town. Strike up a conversation with one of the shopowners. At the T-junction, turn west, go past the public mandi, and stay on this sealed road for four km to Banyuseri through a country of peanuts, corn, and fruit gardens. From Banyuseri walk down to Banjar on the coast. In all, it's 13 km from Pedawa to Banjar on this route. If heading east from Pedawa, the good road ends here.