Squille. Lovina Beach, Bali. July 2008.

First bubbles in Lovina

  Indonesia: Bali - July 2008

Dear English-speaking readers, this page is an automatic translation made from a post originally written in French. My apologies for any strange sentences and funny mistakes that may have been generated during the process. If you are reading French, click on the French flag below to access the original and correct text: 

I am reconciled with Lovina Beach ! Thanks to two nice little dives, a traditional ceremony in front of the sea and a splendid sunset.

Diving with Spice Divers

The Lovina reef is certainly not spectacular. It has suffered from dynamite fishing and from the heating of the water. But to dip your fins after a few months without diving, it is perfect.

-

It is a gently sloping reef, covered with coral clusters and some barrel sponges, which goes down to a sandy bottom. In addition to the usual tropical fauna (angelfish, butterflies, parrots, etc.) and numerous lion-fishes, there are many interesting animals. Including a turtle, which crossed our path from a bit far, during the first dive!

- I did the outings with Spice Miscellaneous, big center installed on the quiet part of the beach, close to my hotel, the Lovina Beach Hotel (not a very original name!), west of Kalibukbuk.

My divemaster guide, a young Balinese from Lovina who calls himself Luxman, finds me two ghost-pipe fishesI saw a lot of seahorses, these species of seahorses with spikes, rather shy, and some nudibranchs. I have plenty of time to flash around and adjust my buoyancy, as I am the only customer!

We will make the second trip with a Dutch instructor, Johan, who has even more eye for it: he will find us in the stride a beautiful green and fleshy Javanese moray, a squilla (Manta-shrimp), kind of big green shrimp with globular eyes at once scared and curious. We meet a school of razor fish swimming down the head, another of small catfish grazing the sand.

Squille. Lovina Beach, Bali. July 2008.

On the way back, when the boat docks, I see from far away people gathered on the beach, in front of the dolphin monument. Some of them seem to be walking in the water. It is a ceremony, as there are many in Bali.

Traditional ceremony on the beach

Quickly, I jump out of the boat and head towards them, with my camera still in its case, without even taking off my suit, because already people are going up towards the big tree that borders the dolphin place. I arrive at the very end.

-

I point my camera at the people sitting there wearing sarongs. Everyone stares at me with round eyes, then nods and smiles. I must look funny, in my still soaked black suit. I realize that I still have my mask around my neck!

The men wear the traditional turban. The women wear embroidered openwork tunics. A guy in white officiates in the middle of the group and the baskets of offerings. He seems to be saying prayers, shaking a bell.

-

A teenager explains to me in broken English that it is a ceremony for the dead, so that their souls can join the Gods... At the end of the prayer, the guys pose with their sarongs and musical instruments, delighted that I am taking their portrait!

Sunset on the beach

I end this very pleasant day sipping a banana lassie on the terrace of Sea Breeze Cafefacing a splendid sunset. In the shadow, an old lady, with a sarong around her waist and bare breasts, is washing in the sea, in the old way. It is the small black silhouette that we see on the right on the photo.

-

That's how good I am tonight: I even made friends with a sarong seller, who apologized very nicely for constantly coming to the charge with her junk to sell and promised not to come and bother me anymore.

Three busloads of Javanese, probably Indonesians from Jakarta, arrived for the sunset. Muslim women in headscarves are not good customers, they don't buy sarongs, only food, complained my new girlfriend, shaking her head with a sorry look. These tourists do very organized tours. We drop them off on the beach for half an hour, and once the sun goes down, they leave again. The girls with arms full of necklaces rushed anyway, to try their luck. "Sunset price! » launches again a seller of souvenir notebooks ... I'm tired.

Tomorrow, I'm going even further west, to Pemuteran, with Spice Miscellaneous, to dive around the island of Menjangan, of which I was told many wonders. I plan to stay there for a few days. The underwater world is said to be among the most beautiful in Bali!

  Indonesia: Bali - July 2008

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Quelle chance,tu as encore laissé des photos et un commentaire,ci fait que entre deux pliages 2 t-shirt,un essayage de mon maillot de l’année dernière(pour voir si il tient toujours la route….ou,si moi je tiens la route par rapport à lui!!!)je peux donc prendre de tes nouvelles!!!
    Je ne me lasse pas de regarder tes photos sous marine,avec toutes ces petites bestioles colorées.C’est super,car vu mes derniers exploits en simple palmes et tuba,je doute que je persévère jusqu’à la bouteille et combinaison…..Et puis,à quoi bon s’acharner vu que je suis aussi bien au sec,à plonger avec toi par l’intermédiaire de tes photos!!!!
    Thank you!!!
    Glad you finally enjoy Lovina beach, sometimes you have to go a little further than his first impressions ....
    De mon côté,je me réjouis de partir demain,avoir la chaleur et le soleil mais,avec l’air du large,l’odeur de la mer,le paysage et la plage;car,ici à Genève,on étouffe!!!Il fait super chaud,lourd,il n’y a pas d’air et le lac ne remplace quand même pas la mer…..(Même si je suis bien contente qu’il soit là quand je suis à Genève)
    Finally here, tomorrow I left !!!!
    I kiss you very hard, alas, I doubt to be able to connect regularly to follow you ... ..
    See you soon!!!

  2. Me voilà moi aussi réconciliée avec Lovina Beach! après cette passionnante lecture et les belles photos qui l’accompagnent, bravo! 🙂

  3. @ Helene and Lydie:

    Un petit mot rapide pour vous dire que j’ai trouve bien mieux que Lovina: Pemuteran! Je reviens vous en parler demain… La faut que j’aille vite manger, parce que les restos ferment tot, dans le patelin.

    See you soon !!!

    8)

  4. Thank you Marie-Julie!

    I'm going to put my Balinese underwater pictures online on my other website shortly (time to re-enter the time zone and sort photos):

    http://titbulle.fr

    Mais maintenant que je suis rentrée et que j’ai retrouvé mon ordi chéri, je vais pouvoir venir te faire un petit coucou directement sur Taxi-Brousse. À bientôt!

  5. Good evening,

    Quelles sont tes recommandations pour des débutants en plongée? Je n’en ai jamais fait et pour mon 1er voyage à Bali, j’aimerais essayer.
    Pour info, nous allons à Kuta quelques jours, Ubud et Gili Trawangan. Comme nous restons à Bali deux semaines, nous pourrons faire d’autres villes.
    For beginners, what do you recommend? Do you have dive schools to recommend?

    Thank you for your advice.

    Lili
    from Yaya & Lili

  6. @ Yaya & Lili: There are so many dive centers in Bali, and so many turnovers, that I would be hard pressed to recommend a particular address. Look for reputable ones (in a travel guide or on the website Plongeur.com, par exemple) et une fois sur place, allez prendre contact. Si l’ambiance vous plaît, commencez par faire un baptême, et si vous êtes convaincus, inscrivez-vous au cours pour le premier niveau de certification. Optez pour un centre avec des formateurs francophones, si vous n’êtes pas trop à l’aise en anglais.
    À ma connaissance, on ne plonge pas à Kuta, qui est plutôt un coin à surfeurs. Pour les plongées, allez plutôt du côté d’Amed-Tulamben, là où il y a la très belle épave du Liberty, accessible à tous niveaux et pas mal d’autres sites sympathiques. En plus, c’est une superbe région, pour le côté “terrestre”.
    Pour les débutants, il y a de très chouettes plongées, et de beaux coins à snorkeling aux Gili (Trawangan, Air, Meno), où il est facile d’observer des tortues. La plupart des guides de voyage donnent les adresses des centres de plongée et vous en trouverez sur place plein d’autres par vous-même.
    Good preparations!
    8)

Share
Tweet
Share