Sanur, Bali

On Sunday we arrived in Sanur, travelling via Klungkung (where we visited a big water temple and browsed around the local market) and Gianyar where we lunched on traditional Babi Guling (Roast Pig) and visited the "art market" which was mostly poor quality but interesting to look around.

Sanur is a out-and-out holiday resort, unlike places we visited earlier in Bali. There's a 5km long promenade along a sandy beach which has no waves and safe for swimming. Lots of nice hotels all along the beach (but we're staying in a cheaper place 5 mins away, which is fine and good value for the price although showing it's age a little).

Sanur is also totally flat unlike our previous locations. It's low season in Bali now so mostly it's relatively quiet. Sanur doesn't really have nitelife and there's a higher proportion of families and older people. (I think we're in one of those categories.) But there's a lot of nice cafes and restaurants and after staying in a very basic place for a week it's nice to have some European-style chocolate cake and other home comforts.

It's very humid here so we are continually sweaty. Luckily laundry services are always nearby and cheap!

Yesterday we saw a cremation, which just happened to be at a little temple right beside the beach we were on. They really burn the body right there, with lots of ceremony, and then put the ashes in a coconut and the go out in a boat to drop it in the sea. We saw leaflets advertising tourist trips to a cremation, so we saved 19 dollars by having it on our doorstep! The locals don't seem to mind tourists gawking at all.

We toyed with the idea of visiting the nearest island Nuse Lembongan for a night or two but the boat costs are a bit too high for such a short visit. So instead, from the 4 nights left for us on Bali, we will spend the first two in Sanur and the remaining two in the south tip of the island, not too far from the airport. We fly to Java on Saturday.

Fiona continues to swim better and better, now covering a couple of metres on her own underwater and learning to lift her head to breathe.