Black Sand Beach & Salt Excursion Today!

We were up and out for breakfast early today because we were taking an excursion to Kusamba beach. I was a bit concerned as I climbed into the van that my mess of smells (sunscreen, deep woods off, deodorant, Voltaren and an spritz of perfume) might be off-putting for my fellow travellers, but no one complained!

Kusamba Beach is a black sand beach that has been created by volcanic ash and minerals from Bali's active volcanoes. The black sand is truly picturesque ... and ... home to the ancient salt-making process of the villages. The locals have been producing salt from sea water for centuries.

They collect buckets of water and pour it onto a patch of black sand that has been leveled. The black sand is ideal because it retains the heat and dries out the sand quickly.

Once the sand is dried, the white salt is raked by hand off the surface and placed in troughs to dry further. It is then sifted by hand and bagged for sale.

It takes two full days of back-breaking work to get 15 kilograms of salt! We bought two small bags for $2CAD. I'm not sure why it is not more expensive given the intensity of human labor involved???

And, the women in the village determined that they could make a little more money from the tourists by selling trinkets. It was so cute, though, because it became very clear that it would not be fair to buy from one of them and not the others. So, the old boy has his work cut out to create a Christmas tree ornament for us from the three "I love Bali" magnets that we purchased ... one from each lady! 😆

After that, we made our way to the Komune Beach Club which is also on the eastern coast of Bali! The waves were highly impressive and very dramatic! It was such a delight for this prairie girl to simply take it all in! We even got to watch the surfers doing their best to ride them while we enjoyed our lunch!

It was so darn hot, though, that some of us went for a swim in the hotel's pool before we headed back to our resort! I was a bit concerned about being trapped outside in the heat all day, but the tour ended up being absolutely wonderful! The air-conditioned vehicle created a nice reprieve as did the swim we also used the "Cool It" bands that my dear friend loaned me! Thank you again Robin!! We used the ice bucket from our wine at lunch to soak and refresh them! 😉

We got back around 3:00pm and the old boy headed out to our pool for another swim while I took a few minutes to jot down the details of our day thus far. I could hear him talking and laughing outside. We ended up having a little happy hour with two other gals in our group whose room is just a few doors down! It was quite lovely!

We were invited to meet the group for dinner/drinks at Club 101 tonight at 7:00pm ... but I was fading fast so we headed out early to the Brasserrie! Its a French place but the menu online said they served Curried Chicken. So ... off we went!

We were over the moon to discover that they had an air-conditioned dining room in addition to the outdoor seating! We were confused when we couldn't find the curried chicken on the menu. Upon inquiring, we learned they changed the menu. 😔 We were thrilled when the kitchen agreed to make it for us anyway! 😀

After polishing off the "best ever" apple crumble ... we met up with our fellow guests at Hotel 101 for a night cap! We didn't last long enough to partake in the salsa dancing ... but ... I bet it would have been fun.

I've discovered that showering at night instead of morning makes far more sense in this heat. So, I am now ready for bed and it's just past 8:30pm.

We have a brunch date tomorrow on the beach that I'm looking very forward to attending. Here's hoping the weather is kind to us!

We thoroughly enjoyed our day ... and ... only have 10 more to go!

With deep appreciation for the privilege to be here,
❤️ k&j ❤️Les mer