Like most Australians, Bali has been embedded in my vacation DNA since I was young. I fondly remember riding to Ulu’s via scrambler through the dense jungle on a tiny trail, boards underarm before the warungs. Yes, it’s changed so much in the decades I’ve been visiting (even just in the past 5 years) – but it always blows me away how I still find areas of the island I’ve never been. (refer to last month’s West Bali sojourn).
East Bali, Karangasem Regency is where we’re exploring this trip, staying in elevated thatched jungle hideouts, staggered up a hill called Amankila – meaning the ‘Peaceful Hill‘. Amankila is one of the original luxurious hotels in Bali (since 1992) and part of the global uber-lux hotel array of Aman group. I must say – it’s impressive!
It’s a different pace on the East Coast than The Bukit or Legian hotspots. The surf breaks have a mellow vibe. It doesn’t get as much swell at Ulu’s as I think the islands of Lembongan and Penida block a lot of swell. We’ve scored a fun few sunny days, 3-4 foot rights (it’s all rights on this side, which I am so happy about).
Time for me to stare at the Lombok straight from the ‘Peaceful Hill’.
:: uge
