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This morning we left Ubud for a couple of days on the coast, courtesy of my old friend Alison who was driving to Candidasa with a friend for a couple of nights and kindly offered to drop us off at Padangbai on the way. I’ve not been back here since 2003. It was a place I used to know well so I was curious to see how much it’s changed. The entire trip was a voyage of discovery for Dawn as it’s her first trip to the island.

The first thing I noticed en-route was just how many more vehicles are on the road nowadays. What makes it worse is they’ve all grown in size – even the scooters have been taking steriods. As for the SUVs – God help us. None of the bloody things are capable of navigating the narrow, winding roads, especially when they’re driven by tourists. Traffic is becoming a real problem on the island and public transport seems to have ceased to exist. The old Bemos and local buses I used in my youth were conspicuous by their absence.

Still, Alison’s been living over here for many years and is a relaxed driver. Giving way isn’t an issue even if the language from behind the wheel can be a bit fruity at times! Thanks to her co-pilot we found the place Dawn had booked without a problem. Villa Aryani is just outside the town towards the coast. It’s a new building commissioned by a Dane and his Balinese wife – and it’s gorgeous (as you can see from the link). It’s a 10 minute walk from the town and not far from the best beach in the area (more of that tomorrow). If you don’t fancy the beach there’s a fantastic swimming pool at the villa. Oh, and we made a friend. Here’s Hugo, their 12 week old puppy saying hello…

I’ve a sneaking suspicion that he was just tasting me…

Having checked in and met our hosts we wandered into Padangbai itself. It’s changed a lot since I was last here. Now the town beach is rather dirty as the bay isn’t just a terminal for ferries to Lombok. Instead, there’s dozens of fast boats that will take you straight to the Gili Islands. They’ve started crowding out the local fishing boats, many of which have become truncated in order to fit into the space available. Plastic litters the place which is really sad as you know most of it will end up in the sea. But then, plastic has become an endemic problem in so many places I’ve travelled to over the past 40 odd years.

Despite that, there’s still some of the old Padangbai left. We called in for a bite to eat at the Ozone cafe, a place I’ve fond memories from back in the 1990s. It’s changed a bit, but the food’s still good – including the Balinese yellow curry.

Padangbai’s always been great for fresh fish and today was no exception. The old Warungs that I remember lining the back of the beach are long gone so we took a punt on a place at the back of the ferry terminal. We ended up in the Warung Bu Jero which had a selection of fresh fish on display outside. I opted for the Barracuda whilst Dawn went for the Red Snapper.

Freshly grilled barracuda with garlic and lemon, served with a fiery local sambal and a mixture of onions, tomatoes and herbs.

We weren’t disappointed as both were delicious. What was nice about the place was the mix of westerners and locals who frequented the place – plus the people running it – who were a delight. I’m not a fan of Karaoke (at all) but the staff had a little competition between themselves and the woman who was minding the cash had an excellent voice.

I always remember Padangbai for live music (oh, the old stories I could tell and pictures I could post if I had the time) so it was lovely to see such melange of nationalities enjoying themselves and smiling and laughing together.

Walking back to the hotel was so different to built up Ubud, instead of streets lined with shops and restaurants we were soon in the country with just the odd local warung. We could see stars aplenty whilst watching the lighting behind us heralding the arrival of the next rainstorm. Tomorrow the plan is to have some beach time. In the meantime, here’s a few pictures from today.

As you can see, we’re really slumming it here in Padangbai. This is our 1st floor room (one of only 4). Outside is a large common area with seating and a massive TV with a balcony to the left. Wait until you see the communal kitchen…
The port beach with the ferry terminal with one of the Lombok – Bali ferries docked. Sadly, this beach is getting crowded and polluted. I’ll add comparison pictures from the early 1990s to tomorrow’s blog.
Engine overkill. This is why the fast boats are fast. Quite how this is economic (never mind environmental) is a very good question…
Some things never change. Whilst we were out we passed this group of local people on their way to one of the local temples for a ceremony.

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