Shifting gears to the east side of Bali, the main destination of this part of the trip was Amed. Just as before, we stopped at another famous site first.

Tirta Gangga Palace

“Tirta Gangga,” which means “water from the Ganges,” was built in 1948 and belongs to the last Raja (king) of Karangasem, Anak Agung Anglurah Ketut Karangasem. Situated on a rice field near a natural spring, this royal palace is largely themed around water, with numerous pools (and some sculptures and gardens). The water that comes from one of the natural springs is considered holy, and the water here is often still used for ceremonies.

As you might imagine, this place is busy with tourists. The Mahabharata Pond attracts many tourists eager to hop along its stepping-stone path. There, you can also see the many koi fish swimming about. There are plenty of other things to see around the grounds, including trees, views of the surrounding rice fields, pools, and statues. It was originally built as a relaxing getaway for the royal family, and without all the tourists, one can imagine it being a lovely place to unwind.

On the way to my hotel in Amed, the road conditions seemed to be some of the worst and most difficult to get through. This was mainly due to how slow we had to go due to traffic, as well as the narrow, curving road. On the bright side, as we got closer, I could see how close the ocean was.

On arrival, after settling in, I decided I needed food and a drink (yet another glass of fresh fruit juice). I was a bit disappointed to see that my bungalow didn’t face the ocean (clearly I didn’t pay close enough attention to the listing), but it was still decent. I could also hear the ocean somewhat at night. The mostly outdoor bathroom was the most comfortable part, as it was often the coolest area. There was an outdoor bed on the porch in front of the door. I didn’t sleep on it but I did rest there a few times.

The sunsets (and sunrises) were wonderful here. I felt the need to spend a bit of time near the water and just take in the scenery.

I also made an attempt (the keyword here is “attempt”) to swim. Earlier, I had seen one of the guests further out trying to snorkel. I was told low tide is not a good time to swim. I’m so glad that I brought my water shoes, or I wouldn’t have been able to bear the rocks. At one point I fell over and injured my other shin, not because I lost my balance and fell during low tide, but because I simply wanted both shins to match. I finally decided to just squat in the water for a bit before I got tired of it.

Although this place was quite lovely and tranquil, the next day there was a celebration for a new temple that had just opened. The celebration started at about 1:00 pm and lasted until about 8:00 pm! This included someone speaking into a microphone on and off for a few hours with speakers loud enough to hear all of it from the hotel. Then they played music, and this lasted even longer. When the sun started to go down and I could still hear it, I wondered if I might be a bit insane. This was a great example of the tranquil image sold to tourists mixed in with the reality of local daily life.

Snorkeling

The main reason I chose to come here was to partake in more snorkeling. This would be the last of my snorkeling/diving adventures in Bali. My recent diving performance still fresh on mind, I was happy to just be snorkeling. I was also happy to have a private session with just me, the instructor, and the boat driver. I had tried to schedule a pickup on Grab, but it showed the closest driver being 12 km away! This worried me as I didn’t realize how isolated it was out this way.

I mentioned this to the instructor, and he offered to pick me up since I was close. I was quite grateful for this. It actually wasn’t that far away, but I was supposed to show up at 8:00 am, and with the dipping hills and fear that I would arrive late and too hot, I just preferred to be picked up.

There were more hiccups at the start, once again involving how the mask fit (although the instructor’s father did have a mask with a prescription). It took much adjusting at first, and I started to feel a bit frustrated again.

Later on the boat, I tried another mask (without a prescription), but that one fit even worse, so eventually I went back to the first mask. Something else that bothered me was how he kept staying close to my side rather than going slightly ahead. I understand the need to stay close to a swimmer, but the mask made it so that I couldn’t see out the side, so I couldn’t actually see him when he was next to me. Despite him showing me the general direction with his arm, I still didn’t know exactly where we were supposed to end up.

After I had some time to get more used to the breathing (and ejecting salt water from my mouth and nose numerous times), I finally started to get the hang of it.

During the ride I asked the instructor if the mountain we saw was Mount Agung, and he said yes. It’s an active volcano and the highest point in Bali. It was active between 2017 and 2019. It even erupted once and caused more than 100,000 to have to evacuate, as well as shutting down the airport from the ash clouds.

He then took out a cigarette and asked if I wanted one, to which I politely declined (although that didn’t stop me from getting some second-hand smoke).

I saw more colorful fish and coral, so that helped my mood. The main things to see here are the coral gardens, the remains of a small Japanese shipwreck, and a small temple. A very, very small temple. I didn’t have an underwater camera, but I found images online for context.

Both of these were surprisingly close to the shore, so dealing with deep water really wasn’t an issue. He also took me to an area that is known for sea turtles. After I saw only one, he admitted that there only seem to be one or two of them here.

When it was over, we returned to the shore area where his family also lives. I was told to just sit in the boat and wait. The instructor and the driver then hauled it (with me still in it) out of the water. I was rather impressed. I hung out for a bit to rinse myself off and dry before returning to my hotel. On the way over, he mentioned that perhaps I might want to have lunch at his father’s restaurant after snorkeling. On the way back, however, he did not mention it again. So, when we arrived, I thought I should give him a tip for the rides. He appreciated this, and it made me feel a bit better since I spend money at his father’s restaurant.

Sunrise

The last thing I was determined to see was an inspiring sunrise. I prefer sunsets due to the warm tones late in the day, but since Amed is on the eastern coast, I decided I should see the sunrise. Walking from my bungalow over to the shore was far more convenient than having to get up extremely early to drive several hours away to see a sunrise, such as at Mount Batur. This sunrise also provided lovely warm tones.

After breakfast, I finished packing up, paid for my meals, and headed off down to Sanur to rest for one night before moving on the final destination, Nusa Penida.

While enduring yet another long drive, I noticed that the closer we got to Sanur, the better the roads became. They turned into wider, proper roads that had two lanes. I was rather amazed by this since up until then I hadn’t seen this anywhere else. Once we did get into Sanur, the traffic became unbearably slow again, the worst being the last half hour that it took just to go 6 km.

While checking in (and while out to dinner), I remember hearing a lot of Australian tourists, and I wasn’t sure why there were so many compared to others. Then I remembered that this is Australia’s wintertime, and then it clicked.

Ready for Nusa Penida (Penida Island)? Stay tuned.