havecarryonwilltravel

We booked the Mangroove Bay Boutique Hostel thinking it was in Pemuteran. It is not really in Pemuteran but in Sumberkima. It is not a popular as Pemuteran but it is close to the dock where we can be picked up for diving. The hostel has 2 “wooden houses” and they are our rooms for 5 nights. We are here to dive the reef that surrounds Menjangan Island.

I went for a long walk yesterday. Sumberkima is a bit upscale from say Sorong. I think it gets its fair share of tourists, at least in July and August. Part of the reason for walking was to scout out possible places to eat. The search was not very successful. There is one place close to the Mangroove that had possibilities, the Krecak Bar and Grill. It is adjacent to the Bangsel Harbour. Boats for divers, snorkelers and other tourists leave from the jetty so the Krecak is easy to get to. We eventually ate there and would recommend it. It is a small place, the food is all cooked when ordered so it is safe for the tourist’s tender stomachs. It is far more affordable than the restaurants attached to the hotels. The owners/workers are very personable. We were engaged in conversation for a ½ hour after our dinner. Always good to chat with local people.

The highway is very busy and not really a pleasant place to walk. It is however lined with all of the businesses in town. If you are in need of car or scooter repair, a hair cut, maybe a new tee shirt or a bottle of Coca-Cola you will need to venture out to the highway. Although the drivers are quite used to pedestrians my advice is to stick to the gravel fringe off the side of the asphalt.

One step away from the highway and you are in a residential area. The house are constructed very well and for the most part are well maintained. The yards are either dirt or hard surface, not landscaped like yards in Europe or North America. High block fences and gates define each property. I am not sure why, Indonesia seems to be a relatively safe place. It must be a legacy hangover from the days of warring kingdoms.

Like anywhere in Bali, scooters rule the road (highway) in Sumberkima. They are much less expensive than a car. The weather is conducive to an open-air vehicle all year round and a family of four can be transported with a little cuddling up. You can transport anything, full height ladders, several bunches of bananas, 10 or 12 full sizes watermelons, crates with live chickens, whatever ½ ton truck drivers can fit in the box of their truck can be carried on scooter. They get you to where you are going faster than a car. When car traffic stops for whatever reason scooters squeeze by on either side, slide between the stopped vehicles to switch from the curb side to the centerline and then drive into oncoming traffic. By the time a car or truck reaches what was the cause of the traffic jam the scooter is so far down the road it will not be seen again. Helmets are a legal requirement in Bali when on a scooter and in Denpasar the vast majority of scooter people wear a helmet. In the hinterland however I don’t think the rule is very tightly enforced. I am not sure I saw even one helmet in 2+hours of walking along the highway.

Gas stations come in a few sizes and types. There are your everyday variety. Pertamina is the brand name and they are pretty much like any station anywhere in the world. Then there is the old fashioned pumps that take over ½ of the storefront of the corner store. The budding entrepreneur can set up a stand on the side of the road and decant gas from a jerry can into 1 litre plastic water bottles then sell gas to passing scooter drivers a litre at a time. Convenience is the name of the game here.

The people are so friendly. Almost everyone I passed adult or child had a hello or salamat siang, and all with a wide smile. Smile back and a connection is made.

Even though Bali is predominantly Hindu, Indonesia is a Muslim country. And there are a fair number of Muslims in the Sumberkima area. That being the case there is a 5am alarm every morning. Muslim or not you are welcomed to the new day with the call to prayer. The hotel is in the midst of several different Mosques and each Muezzin has a different idea as to when 5am is. The more call is supposed to be at sunrise but my experience in other countries is 5am is standard. Because each Mosque call the faithful at a different time we are serenaded from close to 5am to about 6.30am. Just in case you missed the first call. The word chanted are basically God is good and there is only one god which is God but in the morning there is often a line “Prayer is better than sleep.” A bit of humour to break the early morning groggies.

All in all an OK place to hang for a couple of days especially since the diving is so good.