Tag 84 - misunderstood

23.07.19

Day of departure. Today we are heading to the east coast of Bali, to Padang Bai. The place is mainly visited to take a ferry to Lombok or the Gilis. However, we have planned to spend three days in this small port town.

We pack, have breakfast, and check out around noon. We wait on the street for the bus, which we ordered two days ago. After ten minutes, a larger transporter/van stops in front of us, the driver takes our tickets, stores our luggage, and we join the other passengers - at that time, there are only two seats left in the bus, but a few minutes later, two young ladies take those seats - the minibus is full (11/11).

The drive is unspectacular. Everyone listens to music. Suddenly, the vehicle stops and the driver, who was on the phone for a while, gets out. He opens the side door and asks who ONLY wants to go to Padang Bai and not continue to the Gilis. I raise my hand and give him my name. He passes the name on the phone, closes the door, goes back to the front, and continues the journey. I am completely unsure, and the other passengers give me questioning and sympathetic looks. Nothing happens for the rest of the drive, and we arrive in Padang Bai fairly quickly. While all the other passengers are guided to the ferry, we take our stuff and march to our accommodation. On the way, we are approached by another bus driver - apparently, we were in the wrong shuttle, but it doesn't seem to be a big deal now.

Since we left relatively early, as often happens, we arrive at our accommodation early. However, we are still greeted kindly, offered coffee, and allowed to wait in a cozy seating area until the room is cleaned. Once we have settled into our room, we go to a very nearby bay to cool off in the water. Unfortunately, it is very crowded, and there are hardly any shaded spots (Reminder: I'm not a big fan of intense sunlight). Nevertheless, we make do with the available options and relax there for two to three hours.

On the way back, we take a walk through the town, withdraw money, and then return to the accommodation to play a round of Scrabble (We've been carrying the game since the beginning of the trip, and now is the first time we play it).

When we get hungry, we walk through the streets again and stop at a warung. We already like the tranquility of Padang Bai and the fact that you can easily walk everywhere. A place that is worth visiting not only for transit.