We decided to make our way to Amed, famed for its snorkeling. But along the way, we stayed in Padang Bai so we could take our time getting there.
Padang Bai is a small town with a big ferry port. But it’s also home of the “Blue Lagoon” a popular snorkeling spot. When we arrived, the waves were huge and visibility low, so we decided to pass. Our hotel (Absolute Scuba Diving Resort) had a great location, large comfortable rooms, and also really good pizza which even included a vegan cheese option!
The next morning, we left to see sunrise over Blue Lagoon and then go snorkeling. The waves were pretty big still, but we taught Baby Bear how to enter safely, and she got her advanced snorkeling degree. She did a great job staying calm in the big waves.
We were rewarded with a pretty weird jelly creature and a handful (literally) of super tiny baby convict fish.
After breakfast, we headed towards Amed. We stopped at Gembleng Waterfall which was a really cool, out of the way place. You hike straight up for an amazing view down into the rice fields. Then you can dip into the cascading pools and look out over the rural view.
We also visited the Tirta Gangga Water Palace which was a really beautiful garden. There was a pool with octagonal stepping stones reminiscent of Taiwanese green bean cakes. Stepping through the pools amongst the statues made us feel like we were in a giant chess match.
There were also tons of giant koi fish and even swings to relax on. This, less visited part of Bali was a little more wild and felt like Ubud might have been a decades ago. Next up, Amed, one of our favorite parts of Bali!
