Candi Dasa and the East Coast

Candi Dasa
On the east coast is the once sleepy fishing village of Candi Dasa. You can expect to find plenty of accommodation, restaurants, bars, souvenir shops and some nightlife. There are some fantastic views from the headland and on a clear day Agung mountain rises magnificently behind the range of coastal hills. Candi Dasa is a small village nestled on the coastline approx 2hrs drive from the airport.
Candi Dasa is a fantastic base to explore some of the best cultural points in Bali. These include, the courts of justice at Klung Klung, the waterpalace at Tirtagganga, the Bali Arga village with its long house, the fishing village of Amed and of course the most Holy temple in Bali Besakih.
The beaches at Candi Dasa are not much but it is a great place to relax to the sound of the ocean gently lapping the shore line while reading a good book under a palm tree.
If culture and total escape from the world is what you want there is no better place to spend at least 2-3nights at the start of your holiday to help you escape those work day blues.
Tulamben
Tulamben is a small village on the northeastern coast of Bali. If you journey from here the road climbs through a series of hills and descends quickly to the coast via hairpin shaped bends overshadowed by the mighty Gunung Agung, which is sometimes referred to as the 'navel of the world' and Bali's 'mother mountain'. You can see small white clouds escasping from the towering mountain which stands an impressive 3142m against a pale blue sky. Tulamben Bay is famous because just off the shore lies the wreck of USS Liberty. It is not only Indonesia's most dived site, it may be the most often dived wreck in the world. Between 150?200 divers visit this site every day. Ironically, its fame overshadows the rest of the natural marvels that can be found here, all unique to this bay.
One sight that can only be seen at Tulamben is the porter service for scuba divers provided by women from the local village. From girls as young as twelve to the grandmas ? all exhibit a prowess that will leave even the strongest divers gaping with disbelief. With a weight belt slung casually over their shoulder and wearing only rubber flip-flops, they carry the fully set up scuba tanks, complete with BCs and regulators on their heads. With the 20kg or more balanced precariously, they skillfully maneuver their way up and down the beach of fist-sized round pebbles. Even with rubber boots and nothing in hand, divers are often seen tripping over. The women are remunerated by the dive and resort operator, the money shared on a communal basis amongst the members of the village.
In the eastern district of Bali is the regency of Karangasem, which is dominated by the mighty Gunung Agung. This is Bali's highest mountain (3142 metres) towering majestically over eastern and northern Karangasem. Gunung Agung last erupted in March 1963 when it literally blew its top. The whole island was covered in ash and crops were wiped out. Ash covered many villages and temples and killed thousands of people, wiping out entire villages such as Sorga and Lebih high on the slopes of Agung. Thankfully, Besakih just six kilometres from the crater, suffered little damage. These days Mount Agung is very quiet and the mother temple, Pura Besakih, sitting 1000 metres up the slopes attracts a steady stream of devotees and tourists. This temple is Bali's most important and best kept temple, comprising 30 separate temples in seven terraces going up a hill.
East Bali is everything you dreamed it would be, a rare and special paradise of astounding exotic beauty, vibrant culture and friendly people.
East Bali a small part of the island that provides a thousand opportunities to explore in a day, go trekking around the hills and volcano, walk along the nature beach, witness the sunrise on the beautiful strait of Lombok and the romantic sunset on the top of Mt. Agung. Along the beaches of Tulamben, Amed and Bunutan villages is one of the world class locations for snorkellers and scuba divers. The colourful marine fish and coral reef, including the wrecked USS Liberty Navy vessel as World War II treasures is the real magic down below.