Amed is on the north east coast of Bali, small fishing villages strung together along the coast. There are black sand beaches, beautiful coral reefs, and excellent diving. I came to check out a shipwreck, the U.S.A.T Liberty, just 40m from the shore. The dives were awesome. I totally did not expect to be doing a wreck dive when I first got certified!
Even though there are tons of dive shops everywhere, it’s a bit more remote and off the main tourist track. It’s low season right now as well, so there are plenty of empty restaurant and available taxi drivers. I had to find a way to get back to Ubud, about a 2.5hr drive. The shuttle only runs with a minimum of 2 people, and being solo that posed a problem. To get here, I had taken a motorcycle, and didn’t want to repeat that experience. We had my big backpack jammed up at the front, and I wore my smaller daypack and purse. Now my daypack is still fairly heavy, and about an hour into the ride my bum and back were both aching. I wanted the return drive to be a bit more comfortable.
Along about a 200m stretch of road, I got numerous offers for taxis, most of them trying to overcharge and rip me off. I had a few guys tell me that if I found a lower offer to just come back and they would match the price. Um, how about just give me a lower price? I finally did find one guy who gave me a decent deal. If there’s no business though, wouldn’t it make more sense to give a better price and get work than overcharge and get nothing?
Walking back to my bungalow, this one young driver I had spoken with earlier was now sitting on his stoop with a buddy, playing some guitar. He invited to come and sit with them for a bit, so I did. They played a bunch of songs in English, and a few in Balinese. It was so cute listening to them sing the English ones, because some words were left out or made up. Props to them though, I couldn’t sing anything in Indonesian!
It was funny to sit up there with them and watch them hassle the other tourists walking by, asking them if they needed a “Taxi? Motorbike? Where you going?” Everyone was just trying to take a peaceful stroll down the street. I could definitely relate to all the people walking by!
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