Bali is not a huge island but its relatively undeveloped road network means it takes far longer to get anywhere than a simple glance at a map would suggest.





Most of the modern development has taken place around the airport at Denpasar in the eat, primarily in the town of Kuta. The surf shops as big as supermarkets are a clear indication of an advanced tourist economy.





That is why I chose to investigate the the east of the island. I started in the resort of Candidasa, some 64 km or 45 miles from the airport. In most countries that would mean a journey of around an hour but on the day I arrive it is festial day for Bali new year (in March) and that put some serious traffic on the road. The journey was instead a little under three hours. The return incidentally was under two.





Candidasa is pleasant enough little town with shops and restaurants lining the main street which stretches for around 2 km or 1.5miles. There is a combination of luxury resort hotels and small guest houses and local hotels to suit all budgets.





My stay was at the upper end in the Candi Dasa Villas . It was an excellent choice, Our villa came with private pool and access to the main complex of Candi Dasa Beach resort so one could be as private or companionable as one wished. Bed and Breakfast came in a $150 per day and the service was excellent.





Tours by private taxi can be organised for reasonable prices as well as airport pick-ups. More about this in a later posting.





Close by but still more than 20 minutes drive away is the beach resort of Padang Bai. This is a useful centre for those who fancy a scuba or snorkeling trip. It is also the harbour for the regular car ferry to the neighbouring island of Lombok.





The beach of the blue lagoon is very appealing and accessible by a few steps from a cliff top car park.





One thing I did discover was that if you want to dive or snorkel, there is little point in doing it off the beach. It is fairly unremarkable. It is better to hire a boat or do an organised trip off shore. There are plenty to choose from.





Padang Bail is the place I came across the ice-cream vendor on a motor-cycle complete with chiming music. I filmed him and you can click to see on the YouTube video here.





The beaches of East Bali or quieter than those on the west but there is still a tourist economy to facilitate so you would have to travel much further for that deserted paradise.











