Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Budakeling & Krotok
Budakeling, home to several Buddhist com-
munities, is on the back road to Bebandem,
a few kilometres southeast of Tirta Gangga.
It's a short drive, or a pleasant three-hour
walk through rice fields, via Krotok, home of
traditional blacksmiths and silversmiths.
Orientation
As noted, this entire 10km stretch of coast
is often called 'Amed' by both tourists and
marketing-minded locals. Most development
at first was around two bays, Jemeluk, which
has cafés and a few shops, and Lipah, which has
warung, shops and a few services. 'Progress'
has marched onwards through Lehan, Selang
and Aas. To really appreciate the coast, stop at
the viewpoint at Jemeluk; besides the sweep of
land, you can see fishing boats lined up like
polychromatic sardines on the beach.
AMED & THE FAR EAST COAST
0
2 km
0
1 mile
To
(16km)
A
B
C
D
Tulamben
B A L I
1
S E A
22
13
Amed
18
25
Teluk Jemeluk
Tanah Aron
This imposing monument to the post-WWII
Dutch resistance is gloriously situated on the
southeastern slopes of Gunung Agung. The
road is quite good, or you can walk up and
back in about six hours from Tirta Gangga.
AMED & THE FAR EAST COAST
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0363
This popular region has grown immeasurably
since the 1990s. Stretching from Amed to
Bali's far eastern tip, this once-remote stretch
of coast draws visitors to a succession of small
scalloped black-sand beaches, relaxed atmos-
phere and excellent diving and snorkelling.
Often called simply 'Amed', this is a mis-
nomer as the coast here is a series of seaside
dusun
(small villages) that start with the actual
Amed in the north and then run southeast
to Aas. If you're looking to get away from
crowds, this is the place to come. Everything
is very spread out, so you never feel like you're
in the middle anything much except maybe
one of the small fishing villages.
Traditionally, this area has been quite poor,
with thin soils, low rainfall and very limited
infrastructure. Salt production is still carried
out on the beach at Amed; see Working in the
Salt Brine. Villages further east rely on fishing,
and colourful
jukung
line up on every available
piece of beach. Inland, the steep hillsides are
generally too dry for rice - corn, peanuts and
vegetables are the main crops.
17
3
16
4
2
6
10
9
Biaslantang
19
Jemeluk
21
12
11
1
Culik
5
24
Bunutan
23
20
Information
There's no tourist office or post office, but you
may be charged a tourist tax. Enforcement
of a 5000Rp per person fee at a tollbooth
on the outskirts of Amed is sporadic. When
collected, the funds go in part to develop the
infrastructure at the beaches.
Telephone services have not kept pace with
development and land lines have been strung
only a little past Lipah.
Aurora Internet & Wartel
(
Lipah
7
2
14
Lehan
INFORMATION
Hotel Uyah Amed.....................
13
B1
(592m)
8
Aurora Internet & Wartel...........
1
C2
Life in Amed............................
14
D2
Selang
Pondok Kebun Wayan...........(see 16)
Meditasi..................................
15
D3
Pondok Kebun Wayan..............
16
B1
SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES
(836m)
Santai.......................................
17
C1
Eco-Dive.....................................
2
B1
Three Brothers Bungalows........
18
B1
Aas
Euro Dive....................................
3
B1
Waeni's Sunset View
Bungalows & Restaurant......
19
C2
15
Tista
SLEEPING
Wawa-Wewe I Bungalows......
Bangli
20
C2
Aiona Garden of Health.............
4
C1
Wawa-Wewe II.......................
21
C2
Anda Amed...............................
5
C2
Apa Kabar..................................
6
C1
EATING
8am-9pm)
has dial-up internet
service as does Apa Kabar in Jemeluk. Both
charge 500Rp per minute.
Pondok Kebun Wayan
(
3
23519; Lipah;
%
h
Bayu Cottages............................
7
C2
Amed Cafe...............................
22
B1
Blue Moon Villas........................
8
D2
Cafe Garam...........................(see 13)
(870m)
Abang
Deddy's Bungalows & Warung...
9
B1
Cafe Ketut...............................
23
C2
Galang Kangin Bungalows........
10
B1
Cafe Senang............................(see 3)
23473; east of Amed)
changes US dollar travellers cheques and has
a small market with groceries and sundries.
There are moneychangers in Lipah but there
are no ATMs or banks.
Hidden Paradise Cottages........
11
C2
Restaurant Gede......................
G Seraya
24
C2
%
To Tirta
(1175m)
To Lighthouse (1km);
Gangga
Hotel Prema Liong...................
12
C2
Sama Sama Cafe.......................
25
B1
Ujung (32km)
(11km)
Almost every hotel rents snorkelling equip-
ment for about 20,000Rp per day.
Scuba diving
is also excellent, with dive sites
off Jemeluk, Lipah and Selang featuring coral
slopes and drop-offs with soft and hard corals,
and abundant fish. Some are accessible from
the beach, while others require a short boat
ride. The
Liberty
wreck at Tulamben is only
a 20-minute drive away.
Two good dive operators have shown a real
commitment to the communities by organis-
ing regular beach clean-ups and educating
locals on the need for conservation. Both
have similar prices for a long list of offerings
(eg local dives from about US$50, open-water
dive course about US$350).
Eco-dive
(
is sparsely vegetated and most trails are well
defined, so you won't need a guide for shorter
walks - if you get lost, just follow a ridge top
back down to the coast road. Allow a good
three hours to get to the top of Seraya, starting
from the rocky ridge just east of Jemeluk Bay,
near Prem Liong Art Bungalows. To reach
the top for sunrise you'll need to start in the
dark, so a guide is probably a good idea - ask
at your hotel.
Activities
DIVING & SNORKELLING
Snorkelling
is excellent at several places along
the coast. Jemeluk is a protected area where
you can admire live coral and plentiful fish
within 100m of the beach. There's a
wreck
of a
Japanese fishing boat near Aas - just offshore
from Eka Purnama bungalows - and coral
gardens and colourful marine life at Selang.
Sleeping
The entire area is very spread out, so take this
into consideration when choosing accommo-
dation. If you want to venture to restaurants
beyond your hotel's own, for example, you'll
have to either walk or find transport.
You will also get to choose between places
to stay in the little beachside villages or places
on the sunny and dry headlands connecting
the inlets. The former puts you right on the
sand and offers a small amount of life while
LONTAR BOOKS
Lontar
is made from the fan-shaped leaves of the
rontal
palm. The leaf is dried, soaked in water,
cleaned, steamed, dried again, then flattened, dyed and eventually cut into strips. The strips are
inscribed with words and pictures using a very sharp blade or point, then coated with a black
stain which is wiped off - the black colour stays in the inscription. A hole in the middle of each
lontar
strip is threaded onto a string, with a carved bamboo 'cover' at each end to protect the
'pages', and the string is secured with a couple of pierced Chinese coins, or
kepeng
.
The Gedong Kirtya Library in Singaraja has the world's largest collection of works inscribed on
081 658 1935; www.ecodivebali.com;
Jemeluk; dives from US$45) Full service shop with simple
accommodation for clients.
Euro Dive
(
%
23469; www.eurodivebali.com; east of
Amed; dives from US$45) Has a long list of services.
%
