Amed

I took a Gokek to Cheryl’s home to meet Jen on the Tuesday morning.  I was able to catch up with Cheryl, Mariati and Apli who had arrived home last night from their conference in Lombok.  Cheryl will be off again on the 5^th of June which was why Jen and I were heading off for a look around Bali.  I sat and chatted while the girls were getting ready as we were getting a lift with them on the back of their bikes as far as Candidasa. Where we stopped.  The girls had a late breakfast which they bought with them, while I drank my ice coffee; then I looked for a toilet.  The girls then took off to minister further in land. Jen and I went for a walk to explore the beach. The waves were crashing against a stone wall. We then found a large lake just near the beach which we walked around spotting a huge iguana in the water hunting for fish amongst the pink lilies.

We walked along the main road hoping to get past all the taxi drivers all calling out to get our business.  Just out of town we tried calling a car on our phone app.  Unfortunately the guy who accepted Jen’s request then contacted her privately on WhatsApp asking for more money.  During this negotiation another driver pulled up to ask if we wanted to hire him.  At first we were torn between loyalty to the one we ordered and also his arrogance and rudeness contacting Jen on a personal number.  In the end we cancelled him and reported him to the company, he even had the nerve to ask someone else to call us. Jen blocked both callers.

The guy who had pulled up was very grateful for the work as he had four children he was putting through school and was often under-priced by the other companies, similar to what Uber first did to the taxis in Australia. He was a really nice man, very polite and friendly not hassling us.  When he dropped us on the road where Jen had booked a homestay, we asked for his card just in case we needed a ride back to Gayle’s, which he had offered for the same price as for a private car to Sanur.

Finding our homestay we had to wake the guy to give us a key before dumping our things and going for a quick swim.  We then went for a walk to get to know the place a bit. It was so hot we were dripping with sweat every time we left the room.  We found a local supermarket and bought some milk and yogurt and stopped at a fruit stall for fresh bananas and checked out some of the prices for massage and pedicure.  We also bought some local fried goodies which really were a bit too oily for my gut. There were lots of places with tourist activities but they didn’t interest us.  We just wanted to relax, swim and walk.

We went out again late afternoon along the beach to try the beachfront café/restaurants. There were so many to choose from but most had western style food which we were not interested in.  Most of the prices were higher than local prices.  The one we chose had a mixture of both.  Jen and I chose local food with lots of vegies.  It’s great both Jen and I like to eat the same things except for durian.

Praise the Lord our room is air conditioned, with a shower which we are frequently using to cool down and wash the sweat off.  We’ve also needed to wash our clothes at least twice a day. Praise the Lord they dry quickly.  Fortunately, Jen also doesn’t like the air conditioning too cold. There was a bit of adapting to get it just right though.  I don’t usually leave it on all night but Jen does even if it’s only 25⁰ C.  We had to swap beds as hers was beside the west facing wall which was very hot to touch in the afternoon which I didn’t mind and Jen didn’t mind the air conditioning blowing on her.

I slept fairly well that night even though I woke at midnight for an hour.  It was so quiet except for the constant crashing of the waves.  Both Jen and I were up by 6am as we wanted to go for a morning walk before it got too hot to check out where we might catch a bus into Denpasar.  However, there wasn’t a depot, just a bus stop.  We needed a shower by the time we got home.  I wasn’t feeling hungry after yesterday’s fried food so had a late breakfast of my usual oats, nuts and seeds which I bring with me and eat with some fresh fruit and yogurt.  I didn’t bother going for a swim, the water isn’t as clean as I hoped plus it’s warm.  Not really my thing but Jen loves it.  I needed to work on the Coastal Community Garden newsletter which goes out on the first of June.  Jen helped with the proof reading on my computer which sped up the process. I wasn’t feeling 100% as I had a dull headache all day and stayed most of the time in the air conditioning except for the walks with Jen.  She would do some research for local places scanning the reviews before we went out.  This time we walked west looking for local eateries.  Some were open, others closed.  We found one with great reviews serving satay, gado gado and plecing which is cubed rice with vegetables and a sauce.  We shared everything so we could try it all, it was delicious.  The best food we have had since traveling together.  There was a tourist there eating a BBQ fish dish which also looked good which we thought we might try the following day. We also met a lady who does massage and manicure, her salon was highly recommended for both so we booked for 10am the next day.

Back in the room we discussed how we were getting back to Gayle’s on the Friday and decided to pay the extra to get the same driver who brought us up here.  He was willing to stop en route for us to have a look at the Water Palace and lunch with all prices included.  This would make things so much easier.

We were up early the next day, Thursday and relaxed down by the foreshore under the awning of the guesthouse which was also under trees with very large leaves that seem to grow all along the coastline. The heat of the day hadn’t arrived and the breeze was still cool; it was delightful.  I refilled all our water containers as the guest house provided drinking water from a large container which had run dry the previous night.  Had I known there was a filter in it which could be filled up from the tap, I would have done it myself.  I had thought it was a 5 litre bottle like at Gayle’s house.  This filter took a while to filter the water so there was a bit of a wait before we could fill our containers.

At 10am we had booked a full body massage which was a 10min walk up the road. By then we were seeking out the shade to avoid the sun’s scorching rays. Om Shanti welcomed us in then called her sister who had thought it was only for one person so hadn’t come.  Shanti worked on Jen and Katuk worked on me.  We both agreed Balinese massage is more of a stretch than the deep tissue massages we were used to but still it was very pleasant.  I then had a pedicure and Jen a manicure which was well done.  We walked back past the satay place and put in an order for fried fish for 3pm then walked back to The Meeting Place for a drink and a sit down in the air conditioning where we posted a review.

It was a hot walk back to our air conditioned room for another rest during which time I posted the Community Garden Newsletter ready for the email which provided a link to the page.   Then a message from Priska to request payment for my visa extension.  My lovely friend Priska from church had done all the work putting it all through for me as she works in Peak Solutions which also did my visa extension last year.  This year it’s all done online and I don’t even have to go in to the immigration office.  There was a bit of a glitch with the payment but with a second try it all went through.  I could then relax and enjoy our 3pm lunch/dinner.  Praise the Lord Jen also eats late although she likes to have small snacks throughout the day.  The food was amazing.  A lovely spicy BBQ grilled fish with rice and more pork satay and a plate of veg.  It was then off for a walk along the beach to find the Ice Cream Taco shop.  It was quite a bit of a walk along water’s edge to the shop.  The beaches here are strewn with various sizes of black lava stones and pebbles all smoothed by the waves.  The water is tepid but cooler than the hot black sands.  We washed our feet when we arrived at the ice cream shop where we were served iced water in a reusable glass bottle and glasses.  Some places are very conscious of not using plastics which is encouraging.  Jen ordered a papaya ice cream and I ordered a dragon fruit one.  They were all home-made and very delicious.  A stroll back along the main streets for Jen to get some cash out of the ATM before returning to our accommodation to prepare for the night.

We were up early the next morning preparing for our departure.  Our driver called an hour early to say he had already arrived which suited us as we too were ready.  It didn’t take us long to get to Tirta Gangga Water gardens where we stopped for a look around.  As it was still quite early there weren’t many tourists, but it soon became busy.  There were lots of Indians as this was also the site of a Hindu temple.  From here we headed straight back to Gayle’s, arriving just after midday.  We dumped our things before heading back out the door with Gayle for lunch with some of her friends.  One of her friends kindly loaded Jen’s bus card for her.  We were then dropped off at a bus stop heading to Tiara Gatzu. Unfortunately the cards weren’t loaded up as we had hoped. Praise God Jen still had three trips left on one of the cards which got us to the shops and back.  By this time we were both exhausted and glad to be home.  I got my things ready for our second trip, washed a few clothes and restocked my breakfast supplies.  Then spent the rest of the evening relaxing.

In my last blog I made an error in regards to Joshua’s exams.  I think when I was asking Gayle I wasn’t asking the right questions and neither of us knew we were talking about something entirely different.  Firstly I thought Joshua was coming home to do his citizenship exam when in fact he was coming home to do his National Indonesian school exams.  Although Joshua has finished his Australian schooling, it is not recognised by the Indonesian universities so he needs to finish the Indonesian equivalent.  What he came home to do was the primary school certificate which he needed to do before he can apply to do the high school certificate which will enable him to apply for Theological University here.  The exam results he will know in a few weeks so I will be able to keep you informed.

Photos:  1. Passionfruit flower    2. Jen with the girls    3. Sunset Amed    4. Morning walk along the beach    5. Jen enjoying the BBQ fish    6. Tirta Gangga Water gardens    7. My Taco Ice cream    8. Climbing the coconut palm

Prayer & Praise Points:

Praise the Lord for Jen and my time in Amed.  We enjoyed our exploring and each other’s company.

Please pray for Gayle as she is needing major eye surgery and praying that she will be able to get this on her next visit to Australia later this year.

Please continue to pray for Jen and my travels as we head north this time.  Praise the Lord our time together thus far has been very positive, pray for our continual good health and safety as we navigate the traffic.

Please continue to pray that I accomplish His will while I’m here.

Pray for Elsie and Ross Winchester as they continue their cancer treatment. Please also pray for my good friend Anthony Higgs who is needing a shoulder operation. Believe with me for the Lord’s intervention and total healing for them all.

Continue to pray with me for world peace both in the Middle East, Ukraine and Russia.  Pray for all those caught up in the suffering that both these wars have caused.  Pray that God’s peace may be known by all people especially for those who live in despair, that they will find hope in Christ Jesus.

Please keep my sisters, Tricia, Jen and Kat, in your prayers.  Pray that they will come to know the love of Jesus.