Cafe Garam – Amed: East Bali

The east coast of Bali is probably my favourite area and especially the regency of Karangasem. It is a regency worthy of being called the last bastion of how Bali used to be before the tourist influx and an area that has so many places yet to be discovered by westerners, places so remote that only the hardened explorer could come to gaze upon them. Within time no doubt, these undiscovered places will soon be overrun by the tourist horde, the corporate organisations with their desire to build hotels in pristine areas, and the following shopping eclectics. For now, there are secluded areas of Karangasem that have avoided the aforementioned onslaught and one place in particular, Amed. This sleepy fishing village has its own faithful traveller devotees that return again and again and the main attraction being, besides the natural beauty of the area, the peace and quiet far from the madding crowd of Kuta.

Travelling north from Tirtagangga along the Singaraja Road you come to a small town called Culik where the turn off is to Amed and Aas. The three kilometre drive down o the coast is picturesque and the closer you get to Amed the more you realise just how beautiful Bali is. There is a plethora of cheap, good accommodation located in Amed and numerous interesting places to savour the tastes of the Ocean. My favourite place is Café Garam. It offers a variety of foods at budget prices and being so close to the ocean it is natural that fish is prominent on the menu. Set in a open bale style, Café Garam is a cool place to chill-out but do take a walk out the back pf the place down to the ocean. You will be pleasantly surprised…