R&R At Our Homestay in Pemuteran

We didn't sleep long, though it felt like a very long time.  When my mom and I awoke, it was close to 12 noon, just in time for lunch -- and we were hungry.  We waited for my sisters to wake up before we headed to the warung in front of the hotel.  The staff was happy to see us, and hoped we were able to rest well.  The warung was a beautiful spot to have lunch.  We had trouble picking which table to dine at, having moved three times.  

The menu ran the gamut of Balinese and Indonesian specialties, such as nasi goreng (fried rice), mie goreng (stir-fried noodles), satay ayam (grilled chicken skewers), seafood, ayam betutu (steamed chicken Balinese-style) and a number of vegetable dishes, like tumis kangkung (sauteed watercress in Balinese spices) and sambal lilit (green beans with grated coconut).  There was so much on offer, we had trouble deciding, but ultimately ordered the following:

Pesan be pasih, or grilled fish in banana leaves

Kare ikan laut, or mixed seafood curry

Mie goreng ikan laut, or stir-fried noodles with seafood

Chicken satay with peanut sauce

The food was delicious!  The portions were generous and the flavors were out of this world.  But despite the incredible food, I still wasn't feeling like myself.  I was still suffering from the pangs of food poisoning -- my stomach still hurt, and I couldn't finish my noodles, which I decided I would save for later.  

Embok Tia and Embok Erni quickly became our friends.  My mom has a special knack for engaging people wherever she may be.  We shared stories of our recent travels throughout Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia, and the ladies regaled us with stories of their Balinese upbringing and way of life.  We learned that a Balinese girl grows up to be married off into another Balinese family, with whom she will remain the rest of her life.  She is obligated to live with her husband's family in their family compound whether she likes it or not, whereas the sons in the family stay with the family.  It is an interesting way of life, and quite restricted with very little privacy.  Fortunately for Embok Tia and Embok Erni, they both get along well with their in-laws.

After a round of refreshing beverages and watching children walk home from school ... 

A yummy pina colada

Fresh-squeezed orange juice, my new-found favorite drink in Bali!

Uniform-clad children walking home from school

We walked to Pemuteran Beach, which was only a 15-minute walk down a narrow strip of concrete road not too far from our hotel.  There was an old, unmaintained cemetery along this path, which was a little creepy.  We vowed to one another that we would next time take a different path to the beach.  But the staff at Taruna assured us that the black sand beach would be straight-ahead, which it was.  It is a peaceful beach, but not one you would consider sunbathing or surfing at.  It is the kind of beach you would take a leisurely stroll on.

Pemuteran Black Sand Beach

Happy to be in Bali!

Mom & Sahara scouting for seashells, the popular Beach activity

One of many Balinese sunsets

We walked back to the hotel as the sun set just in time for dinner, which we enjoyed in the hotel warung.  This is where we got to finally meet Taruna Homestay's owner, Bapak Taruna himself, a very friendly man whose hospitality was inspiring.  He took the time to check in with each guest regarding their dining experience.  Pak Taruna and I corresponded via e-mail three months before we arrived in Bali while I was working out the logistics of this trip.  He was always so quick to return my messages and was extremely helpful in answering all my questions regarding overland travel to Bali.  It was finally nice to meet the man behind the e-mails and behind such a lovely family-owned establishment.  We loved everything about his homestay.  It was only our first day here, and already we felt like family.  That has always been Pak Taruna's goal in establishing a place for guests from all over the world to stay.  We also met Pak Taruna's shy but adorable 10-year-old son, Pandya, who entertained all dinner guests with his talented gamelan-playing skills. 

Tomorrow, the plan was for us to sail to Menjangan Island where we would snorkel.  This was already pre-arranged through the hotel months ago.  And I was able to snag a sweet deal at Rp. 250.000 (about $25 per person), which includes the boat transfer, guide, snorkel gear, lunch, drinks, and entrance fees.  But given my physical condition, I was not entirely certain it was going to happen.  Pak Taruna, however, was nice and said to just let him know at breakfast whether we would go or not.  Guess we shall see how I feel in the morning.