Loving Lovina a vacation while on vacation

the view from my deck chair by the pool in Lovina
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Uddin my Javanese traveling buddy and I took the long way from Ubud to Lovina which is going from middle Bali to North coast.  I insisted on cheap travel and what we got is a bus that would not shift out of second.  I got to see a very detailed view of the passing countryside.  A big event when traveling at this speed is to see what we would pass on the road.  Pretty much those who were walking.

We got dropped off at the Rambuttan.  Uddin knew about the place.  It turns out to be another drop dead beautiful place full of lush grounds, 2 pools, a really lovely designed restaurant, a pool table, internet, and the typical charming staff.  The buildings are cottages.  We got a cheapie.  So for 16 USD the room has a fan and cold shower.  I find that quite adequate.  The fan is capable of keeping one cool and the mosquitoes at bay.  The cold shower is ok when the weather is this warm.  The small road we are on leads in 2 minutes to the beach.  Along the road are resort cottages, restaurants, tourist kitsch shops, internet cafes, tour agents, transport rentals and mini markets.  I decided to take a stroll down the beach and was acosted by an assortment of salespeople.

restaurant by the pool where breakfast is served
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One gal named Mini convinced me to hire her husband to take me snorkeling the next day.  The beach was pretty dirty and the water seemed murky.  I found lovely shells in the black sands.  Olivadas with a sort of herringbone patterning.  The next day Uddin and I boarded the narrow catamaran style boat and went about 500 yards from the beach to a shallow coral reef where I spent the next two hours in bliss.  I don't have an underwater camera so I must try to describe the delight of floating in a complete relaxed state over coral beds that are close enough to stand on.  As you slow down more and more varieties of fishes appear.Polkadotted Pufferfish, splashy colored parrotfish, a small lionfish hidden by its coloring, bottlenosed fish, one inch super intense blue, then a school of large bright blue, half black half white split right down the middle.  and on and on.    I kept being surprised by the shapes and intensities of color.  And then there is the coral.  The structures and infinitely fascinating.  It is a sad thought to see how much of it is dead.  When alive it appears in its own rich colors.  Uddin had never tried snorkeling and got spooked when he sucked water up his nose so he stayed on the boat and spotted some travelers in a nearby boat that we had ran into in Ijen.  In fact it was this Dutch couple who were climbing up as we were headed down.  They got caught in a massive rainstorm at the top.  They seemed no worse for wear and still had the same guide.  The rest of the day was given over to the lovely pool at the hotel and finding the best iced coffee of my entire trip so far.  Can you see why I love this place.  Tomorrow Mini's husband will take us early in the morning to visit  the dolphins.