After rediscovering the joys of driving in Bali (see JBR3) we finally arrived at Tamu Seseh in Canggu. We would stay here for 6 nights, this was purchased on Ebay. There were no problems with this transaction, the booking confirmation itself was a little slow, I must admit I became a little concerned as I waited. Apparently the delay was due to Tamu Seseh waiting on our funds to reach them from Paypal. I need not have been concerned, communication was great and Tamu Seseh was paradise.
After being introduced to Retro the guard dog come security whom H decided to rename Nitro we were shown to our Villa. along with our luggage which weighed a ton due to our shopping expedition at Carrefour we were taken to the walled compound that would be our home for the next six nights. Building one contained the two beautiful bedrooms and two fantastic, part open bathrooms. Walk across the stepping stones between the ponds, climb a few steps and you are in the elevated living bale. The living Bale contains a kitchen area separated from the living area by a breakfast bar. The kitchen has a full sized fridge, microwave, gas cook top, toaster, jug etc. The wall of cupboards in the kitchen hides a music system, crockery etc; The rest of this Bale is living space with soft couches, chairs, coffee table and dining setting. Your private pool is in front of this Bale overlooking the rice fields. Down a few steps, across the stepping stones is the elevated Bale. Downstairs in this Bale is a toilet and shower, up a flight of steps and you have daybeds, satellite TV, DVD player. There are cane blinds on both the living Bale and the elevated Bale. In the first four days we became expert at quickly getting these blinds up and down.
The first night we decided to drive to Echo Beach for dinner, one of the staff drew us a map and we headed out again. As we got into the car we saw that we had a partly flat tyre. Now we thought we understood why we had been told not once but three times where to find the spare. Maybe there was a problem with this tyre, not to worry on the map we were just given we have to pass a petrol station, we we'll get air there. If the tyre is flat again tomorrow we will change it. This time having more idea of where we were, we were able to take in more of our surroundings. Along side the narrow roads that we travel before we hit the main road are many makeshift tents. These tents are just bits of tarp or canvas held up with sticks and rope or in some case's string. We see that a lot of these structures house families and that the adults are returning from working in the rice fields. Over the next few days as we pass these temporary lodgings we would see people naked and bathing or toileting on the side of the road, eating, and sitting in groups socialising. In the days to come we would also marvel at their stamina. See photos at http://communitydotwebshotsdotcom/user/colleenpjp
We stopped at the service station to put air in the tyre but as the air hose had no gauge we had to hope for the best. We easily found our way to Echo beach, the scenery through the rice fields was beautiful. We paid 2000 rupiah to enter the beach area and took a walk along the beach watching some hardy surfers braving the wild water. We chose to eat at Sol restaurant the first night, the prices were extremely reasonable and as in most places we were to eat at this trip there was no shortage of alcahol.
The food at Sol was a bit of a mixture, our entrée's of spring rolls & caesar salad were great, the main course of duck was awful, dry and chewy. We did however have free entertainment due to some local cows that came up to the window at the side of the restaurant to have a good look at us and a chat. As we left to drive back to the villa a group of locals had become bogged in the ditch at the side of the road, H decided to assist with getting them out. They thought it was all a bit of fun and weren't open to serious suggestions, H decided to give up and came back to the car covered in mud. We would eat lunch or dinner at The Beachhouse a few times in the next few days and all meals were excellent, reasonably priced and the staff were great.
The Second night we stayed at the Villa for dinner, dinner was prepared in the resort's kitchen not in ours and delivered to our dining table. The Beef Rendang and the Satay were both excellent, we tried Beef Rendang a couple of times elsewhere on this trip and were extremely disappointed, we had been spoiled. We prepared our own breakfast each day with supplies purchased from Carrefour and the cereal we had bought from home. All lunches and dinners that we ate at Tamu Seseh were extremely good quality and at a reasonable price. Breakfast is expensive, we couldn't understand why they charge so much for breakfast.
The Second night we were awoken by a loud crash, the wind was howling, the rain was pouring down, when you looked outside it was almost impossible to see the living Bale a few steps away. In the morning we were greeted by a disaster area, the blinds had been left up & the whole living Bale was a wet soggy mess, the beautiful vase full of Bird of Paradise had been blown down onto the floor but the vase was still intact. Cushions were soaked, the floor was awash, we made a coffee and sat at the dining table on the driest chairs we could find and watched the wild weather across the rice fields. The staff came en mass and cleaned up the mess, the cushions were replaced with dry one's, the rain came pouring down again, the floor length cane blinds were put down. The wind was so strong the blinds were being ripped off their bottom hooks and were being blown horizontal. We retired to the elevated Bale where the blinds were shorter and more secure. We spent the day up there lying on the day beds reading. Occasionally between rain bursts we would raise the blinds and look out over the rice fields. Workers would scurry in and out of the rice fields, getting some work done between the storms, they would all wave at us cheerfully as they caught sight of us watching them. We felt extremely guilty being tucked up as we were in our beautiful Bale with protection from the elements.
The wild weather continued for three days, our blinds on the living Bale were ripped to shreds by the wind. It felt like we were getting the edge of a cyclone. We never got to use our lovely pool, I kept looking at it longingly but the weather never became good enough. We did however get a few clear times and manage to take a couple of walks around the village of Seseh and down to the beach. On one such walk through the village a small tray truck pulled up on the side of the road. Local women came out to the truck. As we came closer we stopped to see what was happening, the back of the truck was filled with cane baskets similar to those that you see the roosters in. These baskets each held two or three piglets, they looked so cute all cuddled up together in their baskets. The young man who was driving the truck opened a basket, took out a piglet and held it up by the back legs, one of the women shook her head and he placed the piglet back in it's basket. The young man opened another basket and held up another pig indicating that it was bigger. All of a sudden it dawned on me that these were not destined to be little pigs running around someone's yard,. Quick. run little piggies you are destined to be Babi Guling.
Tamu Seseh was heaven, it was just what we needed. The bad weather didn't matter in fact in ways it only added to the experience. I would stay at Tamu Seseh again in a heartbeat, no hesitation. Remote, yes, Beautiful, yes, friendly, yes, no hawkers, no pollution just clean, fresh air and beautiful local people. Tamu Seseh is not that far from Seminyak, only 15 to 20 minutes but a world away from Kuta and Legian.
The local people were always surprised to see a western woman driving and I received many comments of 'you are a very good driver, you are very brave to drive in Bali'. I also now think I was very brave to drive in Bali after driving from Tamu Seseh to Amed which is what happens in JBR5.
Ps For those who are wondering how Joe & Flo enjoyed Tamu Seseh and my driving. Joe & Flo have decided to do their own JBR after I have finished ours, Joe wants to see what I have to say before he starts.
See photos at http://communitydotwebshotsdotcom/user/colleenpjp Bali 2009