Dreamland...

Woke up to a glorious day in Bali. The weather has had moments of sunshine and moments of rain since I've been here, but today is beautiful and i think its a good day to check out a beach. Kurt and Leah are leaving this morning, so after breakfast we bid them farewell.
Anna has decided to stay around the hotel for some 'Anna time'. Nick and his girlfriend Cheese, Nick's brother Tim and his girl Kelly, and Kerry and Pip are heading on their bikes to Dreamland Beach. Jane jumps on the back of my bike and we join them for the 45 minute ride to the Bukit Peninsula.
The ride is fun, traffic was a little scary at times, but once we got off the main roads and into the villages and side roads, i really felt i was in Asia....

I have heard that Dreamland was once just a series of warrungs along a beach, much like Balangan. A couple of years ago the warrungs were torn down and a huge hotel built right on the beach. That is exactly what we encountered when we get there.
We ride through a pair of massive gates, the along a 3km road surrounded by a golf course, till we get to the car park above the beach. Walking down the steep path to the beach i catch a glimpse of the huge building towering over the sand, it's bare concrete walls and towers look strangely unfinished, and contrast sharply with the crystal clear turquoise ocean. There are market stalls along the beach, and hawkers selling space on deck chairs under umbrellas. We organize 8 spots towards the end of the sand close to the water, and dive in for a swim.
It is a really nice beach and a beautiful day. The water is warm and the view stretches all the way down the coast to Uluwatu. At one point in time a fleet of old Balinese fishing boats floats by, tiny blue sails hoisted, being pushed slowly down the coast. This has to be one of the most picturesque things i have ever seen...


After a couple of hours on the sand we head up to a warrung under the shadows of the towering hotel, and i order a Gado Gado and a Melon juice. Really good!
Head back to the beach for a quick swim, then i suggest to Jane we start on the ride back to the hotel. It's after 3pm so if we leave now we can beat the traffic. We navigate our way back pretty successfully, only getting partially lost once or twice....
Anna has had a day poolside and shopping, and looks very relaxed upon our return. We sit in the reception area and chat about the days events.
The nine of us still left on the island are heading to dinner at 7.30 to an Italian restaurant around the corner from the hotel called Cafe Micasso. It does great wood fired pizzas and is good value. Everyone meets on the rooftop bar here at The Island, we have a quick beer then head to the restaurant.


The meal was great, with fun company and good conversation. At one point in time a hawker was trying to sell us C.D.'s. Kerry asked if he had any Grinspoon? Sure enough he has our latest record. I buy it for the equivalent of $1.20 Aus, and we have a great laugh about all the copyright information warnings on the back...what a joke.
Finish dinner and walk back to the hotel and say goodbye to Jane as she is off to the Gili Islands for a few days in the morning.
I head to bed happy, but concerned that tomorrow is my final day on the island.....