The big bike ride to “Out of the unknown”

As we had agreed, Claire was to sunbathe all day today whilst I tried to find my way up the east coast to see what I could find. I set off about 10am after we had used the wi-fi whilst having breakfast at our new favourite place the Wicked Parrot. The road is busy and few signs around and it doesn’t help that I don’t know any of the places they are referring to when there is one. Anyway, I managed to find the coast road and I was away. I stopped at a sign just to get my bearings when a local pulled up beside me to ask if I was ok. I said yes, I know what I’m doing now and he asked me where I was from. When I said England, he said that his headmaster was from England and he invited me back to his school to meet him. When I asked where his school was he said Denpasar. “I’m on holiday”, I said, “we are leaving soon, but nice to meet you”. I stopped off at two beaches on the way to have a look and both had very black sand that looked volcanic and glistened like little diamonds; I don’t think you can see it in the photos.

I had decided to either go to Semarapura and drive towards Sideman like it said in the guide book, or drive to the port at the end called Padangbai but as I missed the sign to Semarapura I carried onto the port. When I got there, there was a big no entry sign on the main road ahead and the only other way was to go into the port where they charge you for your ticket. I sat there for a minute and saw another bike go up the little track to the right so followed it. It was narrow, windy and steep with plenty of pot holes and gravel. It soon got smaller and more rural with nobody or nothing around. I had a few decisions to make with the turns but felt that I could get back. Another decision ahead where the road split into two but the right hand route had a sign that I couldn’t understand so I went that way. That came to a dead end with a barrier and no entry and it looked quite official so I turned back and took the other route. That also came to a dead end but, at last I could see the sea through the trees. Again I turned back and thought that I would head back down the way I had come again but to my surprise, that too came to a dead end with a house at the end; it looked like a small holding. I thought I was going mad how did I get there with all three roads coming to a dead end?

I must have made a mistake so decided to try each of them again systematically and making sure that none of them had any turning from them. Once I had been down all three routes 3 times each I got scared; it was like something from “Out of the unknown”. My petrol was really low by now and I was getting worried so I decided to drive the house route and ask there. I headed down the road with the house and when I got there, the road went around the side of it which wasn’t in view a little further back; phew!

I managed to get back down to the port and again spotted a bike going down a little lane by the side of the port entrance so followed it and managed to get some pictures of the sea and ferry at last. Time to head back getting petrol on the way just in time to meet Claire at 1pm to have lunch in the wicked Parrot. Claire had the rib eye steak while I tried another local dish called Ayam Bumbu rujak which is chicken in a sweet and spicy lemongrass and tamarind sauce with rice. Yummy, finally I made the better choice.

In the evening we, once again popped into the Wicked Parrot to watch the delights of some local musicians playing Irish music; this time by request. Claire ordered the dish that I had at lunch time while I requested “Fairytale of New York” by the Pogues. I have never heard of anything like it, although they played the right notes (ish) I don’t think they had heard it before. I’m so glad we came down, we had a great laugh. They made a much better job of Claire’s request for “Dirty Old Town”, also by the Pogues and had everyone joining in. We were the closest thing to Irish in the place.

Sitting a couple of tables away was a guy that was the splitting image of “Donk” from Crocodile Dundee, but I hadn’t the nerve to get a photo of him, for obvious reasons. I’m hoping to persuade Claire to come with me tomorrow as I wanted to drive south around that knobbly peninsula.