Bali Odyssey
Further down the beach, south of 'Dreamland' was a break known as 'Bingin'. We didn't ride this break as our itinerary didn't allow it as we needed to head to 'Uluwatus' the break we'd been waiting for all holiday...
World famous 'Uluwatu' - Bali's original and most famous, surf proving ground. We arrived at sunset so didn't have time to ride the waves that day - gutted! I'd been psyching myself all day but at least we had the following day to test ourselves.
An early night and a night off the beer, prepared us well for what we came to Bali for - Ulu waves. We had a quick bite to eat over looking 'Ulu's' as we watched the line up steadily increase. There a number of spots at 'Ulu's' to catch your waves. It really depends on conditions and swell size. On making our way down to 'Ulu's' we saw a number of wipeouts onto the shallow reef which made the walk down through the cave very uncomfortable!
Was my mini mal the right board for the Ulu waves?! My heart started pounding! Oh well, we've come all this way, we should get out there and really learn how to surf! It looked dangerous out there and very crowded. It took a while to catch my first wave. The busy line up meant taking turns but I caught a few nice lefts at the peak, directly out from the cave. Too often, I got caught out as the waves closed out on me and dumped me onto the dry, sharp, coral reefs.
We didn't stay in for too long as we felt these waves were too much of a step up for us but at least I can now say that I've ridden the famous 'Ulu' waves, albeit for less than an hour! I'll be back for 'Ulu' one day! My time will come...
That was it! The end of our 'Bali Odyssey'. Like all good things, it had to come to an end. Definitely the best surf I've ridden (although I don't have much to benchmark it on i.e. Rest Bay, 'Gennith and the Algarve). An amazing 3 weeks, the people were so friendly and the place is so cheap - it's unbelievable! Even backpackers could live like Kings on the island. Respect the locals and waves and you'll have the time of your lives!
