We got up early and after a
breakfast of banana pancakes and steamed tapioca we went for a long walk with
Hanafe along the beach to Bara beach, lined with coconut palms. Apparently this
whole area is packed with local tourists on Sunday. The only Westerners we've
seen here are people who have lived here for several years. Most of the
sea-front land has been bought by foreigners, using local sponsors. Eriq picked
us up by car and drove us back as Bara beach is only accessible from Bira beach
at low tide.
Eriq had bought a big fish to barbecue for our lunch. It was fresh and delicious and far too big for four people. They also cooked chips and a dish of beans and tempe. We are really spoilt here.
Lonely Planet does not do justice to Bira. It is such a beautiful place. Life is very relaxing here and we feel a long way from the war and the SARS epidemic. Although they are all Muslims here they are not fundamentalist, and very welcoming of foreigners, as are most Indonesians. In Sengkang we did get the odd youth calling out, "American! Far queue!" but this was rare and hardly life-threatening. To be on the safe side we tell people we are from Brunei Darussalam, which creates a bit of confusion. Any longer conversation eventually reveals I am originally from Australia, but, in any case, there is no animosity here towards Australians. They just want the tourists to come back.
Eriq had bought a big fish to barbecue for our lunch. It was fresh and delicious and far too big for four people. They also cooked chips and a dish of beans and tempe. We are really spoilt here.
Lonely Planet does not do justice to Bira. It is such a beautiful place. Life is very relaxing here and we feel a long way from the war and the SARS epidemic. Although they are all Muslims here they are not fundamentalist, and very welcoming of foreigners, as are most Indonesians. In Sengkang we did get the odd youth calling out, "American! Far queue!" but this was rare and hardly life-threatening. To be on the safe side we tell people we are from Brunei Darussalam, which creates a bit of confusion. Any longer conversation eventually reveals I am originally from Australia, but, in any case, there is no animosity here towards Australians. They just want the tourists to come back.
