BEACHES ON BALI

Jimbaran Bay
Jimbaran is a name of fishing village before 1980 was a nice white sandy beach facing Indian ocean and sun sets. The location is on a bay between the cape of Nusa Dua and airport Ngurah Rai. In the past 2 of their village those are Kedonganan village and Jimbaran village itself were famous supplier for the whole Bali with their salted fish. The area was opened as the tourism resorts since the establishment of 2 famous resorts those are Four Seasons and Bali Intercontinental Hotel. Later followed by an other big hotels such as Pansea Puri Bali and Keraton Hotels, and various smaller bungalows. Since 1995 cafes started to proliferate until full along the beach line which is only around 1.5 kilo meters.

Kuta Beach
Kuta beach is the continuation of Jimbaran to the north as long as the western coast line of south west Bali. The beach which is around 4 kms long divided consecutively into Kuta Beach, Legian Beach, Seminyak Beach, Peti Tenget Beach, Berawa Beach, and Canggu Beach. First accommodation to have been built in Kuta was Kuta Beach Hotel in 1930 when the area was still very beautiful natural scenery with bush of pandanus and cocotiers. The location of this first hotel was exactly what is now Natour Kuta Beach Hotel, just on the south corner of Legian Beach Road. It was not much development until 1980, when the speed of construction of various accommodation and restaurant such was uncontrollable giving pressure to the local settlements. More than hundred of big and small hotels were filed up along the beach plus various establishments such as shops, supermarkets, banks, leisure centers, and so on. Starting 1990s the immediate impact of building proliferation are traffic jam, illegal migrators, hawkers, and various unexpected problem such as flooding and waste management. The most pressure was falling to those who had the rice fields, that they have to sell their rice field due to the cut-off the water supplier by the construction of buildings. Those who tried to insist not to sell their land could not cultivate any plantation, while under water resources was drained out by the water pump for hotels or restaurants or any kind of business establishments. On the other side, modern way of living is bustling with sparkling hotels, bars, discotheques, and various leisure. Most work forces now changed profession to tourism related sector and related related services. The sea along Jimbaran, Kuta, and Legian has some times strong under current swept. Based on experience it has been clearly indicated when it is dangerous and when one can swim on the sea. Those who do not very good in swimming are suggested take a very strong caution. Normally safety guard will put red-banner on the areas and time during dangerous under current, and during certain seasons. On the white sandy beach, guests usually start to sun bathe around 4 pm or even earlier. There were various lady massagers, hawkers, and those who want to practice their tongue in English and certain language. But all of these have been controlled by local security and were given the ethic of selling thing. The best way when you meet this people if you do not want to buy some thing is better not to give them response, Once you give response usually they will chase you to buy.

Sanur Beach
Before 1970 if one heard the name of Sanur, the immediate horrifying thinking is black magic. The whole Bali knew this, that Sanur, especially certain person in the village had strong magic practitioners. It was not rare the rumor among people that during certain season it was a magic power war between magic masters of Sanur and those of Kamasan village in Klungkung regency. People only saw round glimmering fires swept above houses, or among trees than colliding and broken into flakes of fires or slowly flying red light diminishing into the dark, and many strange thing people said. The first inscription disclosing the mystery of Balinese history was also found in Sanur, now preserved at the temple named " Pura Blanjong " This inscription dated back to 913 AD mentions the king Sri Kesari Warmadewa and " Walidwipa ". Wali is the variation of " Bali " and dwipa means island. This is probably the origin of the name " Bali ", although other opinion holds that " Bali " originally " Wali " means " offering" or Balinese " banten " It is believed that Sri Kesari is the founder of Warmadewa dynasty who ruled Bali for almost 425 yeas from around the year of 913 through 1345 AD. It was mentioned that the capital city of the kingdom is "Singhadwara" If Singhadwara is the port city which was probably Sanur itself, that means the place of the inscribed pillar must have been constructed just on the beach line. Now the position of the pillar is around 300 meters from the beach line. A team of archaeologists and geologists have the opinion that the sedimentation on the beach of Sanur was very rapid, in the past it was possible that the current of the sea around Sanur come from east part of Bali and just put the deposit of sediments on the beach which have made the beach longer and longer become more wider. Or a theory that the level of the sea has been going down recently, and will probably in certain period back to the level it was reached before. Before 1970, the village of Sanur was one of the village that produced lime stone for building materials. They collect the corals on the beach and burnt in a kiln resulting a yellow powder that sold to all areas of South Bali. Now this kind of industry has long been disappeared. The beach of Sanur consist of bigger granulations of white to yellow sandy beach with wider shallow sea bed. During low tide the beach look very wide due to this natural formation. The beach is good for swimming, and during Sunday from 4 pm the beach of Merta Sari, just south to Bali Hyatt hotel is always full of local people with their family. While during certain months, usually December until February it is often that wave brings sea weed waste so the beach look dirty. In 1996 a beach reclamation was don on the island of Serangan, just around 3 kms south of Sanur Beach. The reclamation causing the rerouting of the sea current to Sanur, as the deeper current is blocked. This have caused a great abrasion at some spots of Sanur beach. Sanur has attracted many important persons to visit it's magic name since 1930s such as artists, anthropologists, and writers. To mention a few are Dr. Jack Mershon with his anthropologist wife Katherine, painters such as Walter Spies, Le Mayeur de Bruxelles, anthropologist Jane Belo, a writer Vicki Baum, and other important persons. Le Mayeur even built his house and studio in Sanur after marrying Balinese lady named Ni Polok. Now his house has become a museum and still preserved for public. In 1965 was built the first biggest hotel in Bali that is The Grand Bali Beach Hotel. Then followed by Garuda Hotel ( now Sanur Beach Hotel ), Bali Hyatt Hotel, Sindu Beach Hotel, and various other big and small hotels. In it's later development Sanur not just for a comfortable overnight hotels, but has been developing also many leisure and sports activities such as sea-kayaking, outrigger, speed boats, water scooters, walking on sea bed, water skiing, diving, and many others.

Lovina Beach
What is now known as Lovina beach is actually consists of 6 villages along the beach of west Singaraja City. Each village has the farming area adjacent to each other up to the beach. Lovina has black sand beach calm sea and shallow plain sea bed. In the past the area was a cooling machine stop for those traffic from Gilimanuk port to Singaraja or further east. Before 1945 Singaraja was the capital city of East Nusa Tenggara including Bali, but later, after Nusa Tenggara divided into 3 provinces which brought Bali an independence province the capital city of Bali moved to South Bali, to Denpasar city. The character as the remains of past glory of Singaraja is still kept such as the name of Educational City.

At the beginning Lovina beach is popular place for Balinese nation wide known litterair and novelist Mr. I Gusti Pandji Tisna. As a tourist resortLovina develops much later than south Bali. Three basic activities hat have always triggered the development of Lovina to be a " station balneare " those are Menjangan diving site, Bali round trip program overnight, and a need to more rural resorts. Even the development of Lovina has given more inspiration to the areas further west such as Pemuteran and Labuhan Lalang, a place of 40 minutes drive from Lovina and closer to Menjangan island.

To give the tourists more attraction local people created some activities such as snorkeling, dolphin watching, outrigger paddling, and nature trekking. Recently the Association of Small Hotel and Restaurant in Singaraja put a regular traditional art festival which was planned to be in show annually.

Candi Dasa Beach
The beach is not special, do not have good white sandy beach, or specific ethnic interests. What was probably inseminated the development of the resort? It is hard to imagine that is no special interest there. It was probably the need to stop to overnight, and lunch stop. At the beginning there was a restaurant for a lunch stop for those who explore Bali further east.

The name Candi Dasa is taken after an ancient temple built at the site of 10 rock cut small temple. This temple has been a popular sightseeing stop for students of all over Bali in their field work for historical subject. Started in 1983 various small accommodations, restaurants and art-shops were established.

Two important places are closed to Candi Dasa those are Padang Bai Port, and Tenganan Pegringsingan village. Padang Bai port has been an international port since 1960s where international cruise ship called there disembarking passengers that specially wanted to visit Bali's tourism interests within a day tour. Some cruise even overnight anchor at the port since their passengers wanted to have Bali night event in some place in Bali. Others even they had back to back cruise passengers. While Tenganan Pegringsingan has been famous for it's unique social and handicraft such as double-ikat gringsing cloth, palm leave writing, and palm leave weaving beside their special ceremony called "Perang Pandan"

Tulamben Beach
Tulamben beach located at the eastern Bali is the famous diving site, where Liberty ship, a U.S. Cargo was torpedoed by Japanese sub-marine warship on 11 January 1942. This wreckage is now home of various fish and aquatic animals. According to Karl Muller in his book " Under Water Indonesia " there are around 400 species of reef fish and 100 species of pelagics visited the wreckage. It is said that Tulamben is the most popular dive spot in Indonesia.

With the development of diving tour in Tulamben small accommodations started to appear, even two big hotels such as Mimpi and Emerald have been established to serve the divers with more facilities. The barren area of Tulamben has been changed into garden or cultivated areas.

Amed beach is around 3 kms from Tulamben facing to the south it's steep hill running down from Mt. Abang leaving a narrow plain land along the beach. Here the view of the ocean is magnificent, far away can see the silhouette of Nusa Penida. Here have been established two hide away accommodation such as Hidden Paradise, and Coral View Bungalows.

Soka Beach
Soka beach is located on west Bali around 10 kms west to Tabanan city. The place is on the traffic between Gilimanuk and East Bali. So the place is used as a cooling machine stop beside it is popular for younger generation as the week-end and holiday sight seeing. A public areas have been built for shading and parking. The beach is not special, consist of coral and black stones, the only people like there is the sound of the wave of Indian ocean.

Purancak Beach
Located on the south of Negara city, a fishing village area with nice view of Indian ocean. The beach is not special, but it was used as the arena for traditional farmer contest by running on rice cultivation tools called lampit dragged by cows. This contest is called " Makepung " Now this event has been scheduled for a year round event which schedule can be obtained at local government office of Jembrana in Negara city.

I Made Terima
November 2002

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