The North of Bali - Lovina

So here I am finally in the north. The bus ride wasn't as bad as I had imagined. It was a smaller and older bus with about 12 seats, and the route was quite adventurous, but I survived :)

On the bus, I met Moya. She is also from Germany and traveling in Asia for 3 months. We got along well and exchanged numbers.

When the bus arrived in Lovina, I was picked up by Rolf. He and his wife own the Ima Guest House. I was warmly welcomed and even got to choose a bigger room. They greeted me with a cup of coffee, which always gets me ;) I can even drink as much coffee as I want all day, just like in Ubud. I hope the Balinese have thought this through well, offering me free coffee on every corner. I wouldn't want to run out of coffee soon.

In the evening, I ordered some food from a small snack bar nearby. Since I still don't fully trust Indonesian cuisine, I had a hamburger with fries. Then I sat comfortably in the pool area and enjoyed my dinner. Suddenly, I was joined by Ketut, a local fisherman. We started talking, and he proudly showed off his German skills. He asked if I would be interested in a dolphin tour the next morning. That would have been my only chance to go on such a tour, as he explained that he couldn't do it for individual persons like me. Luckily, a Dutch couple had already signed up for a dolphin and snorkeling trip the next morning. So I could join them, and Ketut even gave me a discounted price (maybe it was also a pity price because I am alone here). So I went to bed early because the tour started at 5:45 am.

Having an alarm clock ringing on vacation is a bit annoying, but it was worth it. We were driven to the beach on scooters, and Ketut prepared his boat. Then we sailed out to sea and watched the sun rise over the mountains. It may sound cheesy, but it was beautiful. Of course, we weren't the only boat on the water. Tourists are brought there in droves. About 20-25 boats were sailing around, waiting for the dolphins. When the first dolphins appeared, the chase began. I felt a bit uncomfortable watching all the boats rushing to the same spot and crowding each other. But I think the dolphins are free and can decide whether to show themselves or not. I must say, some of the animals were really camera-friendly. I've selected the best photos.

After the dolphin tour, we went to a snorkeling spot and lured the fish from the boat with bread. The whole boat was surrounded by small colorful fish. Then we got into the water, and it was a truly amazing experience. I've only snorkeled in Croatia so far, but here it's a completely different experience. I regretted not having an underwater camera. By the way, I found Nemo ;)

Since I had gotten up very early, I treated myself to a nap by the pool after breakfast. That's what you do on vacation, right?

In the afternoon, I met up with Moya in town. It looked like it was going to rain at the time, so I waited to see if it would pour down. I could have easily walked into town during the time I waited for it to rain for 20 minutes. But no, as soon as I finally gathered the courage to walk, it started pouring within 2 minutes. Luckily, there are shelters at every corner, and a nice chat with the locals is always included. When I finally reached the snack bar where I had arranged to meet Moya, the weather got a little better and we considered going to the Gitgit Waterfalls. The owner of the snack bar overheard us and advised against it as it would be flooded due to the rain. She suggested that we go to the 'Hot Springs' instead. These are hot, sacred springs where you can bathe. Since Moya is such a great businesswoman, she even negotiated a great price for us. The owner, by the way, is named Putu and she immediately called her brother. And so we set off. I rode with Putu on her scooter, and Moya rode with her brother. Of course, it started pouring down again during the ride, and we arrived soaking wet. But it was worth it. We got there and saw a few people swimming in this murky broth. Putu and her brother had waited for us and watched over our things. I was a bit uneasy about leaving my belongings with strangers, but sometimes you just have to trust.

YOU DON'T ALWAYS NEED A PLAN. SOMETIMES YOU JUST NEED TO BREATHE, TRUST, LET GO, AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS.

My mom is probably freaking out and scolding me for riding on a scooter with strangers. Mom, calm down :) The people here are extremely friendly, and in most cases, they don't mean any harm. We just don't experience such friendliness in Germany.

Moya and I jumped into the murky broth, and it was wonderful. So warm and relaxing. I don't want to know what bacteria were swimming in the pool, but I ignored that and relaxed. We should all do that more often. Don't think, just do.

Today was truly a great day, and I had to share it with all of you right away. I've taken a lot more photos that I'll gladly show you all when I get back, if you're interested :)

Now I'm enjoying dinner here and maybe having a little chat with Ketut :)

Nicky