Oct 4, 2013
Postcards: Masceti and Candidasa (ID)
Our ultimate destination in East Bali was Amed, the name of a village but synonymously used to refer to a number of other villages within the same coastal stretch. Normally a solid three hours drive away from Kuta, we broke the journey down a little by making a few short stops along the way. We made it to Masceti Beach and Candidasa in the morning, before tracking down Bali Asli for lunch and the subsequent visit to Tirta Gangga.
As previously mentioned, Pura Masceti is deemed cursed for couples in relationship. I’m not sure how much fate F and I had tempted that day by going to the Masceti Beach and only peeked at the temple from the outside. Remnants from recent ceremony were stranded by the beach, while an industrious group of locals were busy sorting through the pebbles for those of higher quality that can be sold as materials used in interiors construction.
Candidasa was a short drive away. A seaside town that had seen better days, no thanks to uncontrolled offshore coral mining which led to erosion of the beaches coveted in tourism, it makes a scenic stop and a good base for exploring East Bali. From the coast, we could clearly see three uninhabited small islands nearby – Gili Biaha, Gili Kambing and Gili Mimpang – and further out in the sea, the faint outlines of two other larger islands – Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan. There are plenty of jukungs for hire that would take visitors out to the islands for snorkelling, and F was tempted but alas thwarted by a lack of time. Afterall, lunch awaited ;)
All posts in this series:
Bali: First impression
Bali: Postcards: Tirta Gangga
Bali: A feast at Bali Asli
Bali: Postcards: Masceti and Candidasa
Bali: Pura Lempuyang
Bali: Postcards: Amed and Tulamben
Bali: Pura Besakih
Bali: Pura Tirta Empul
Bali: Postcards: Inlands of Bali
Black sand beach eh…interesting :)
Volcanic sand, that’s why :)