Day 6: Bingin
After another breakfast with a view overlooking the Uluwatu cliffs, I decided I should scope out another of Max’s recs: Bingin Beach—his alleged favorite beach in all of Bali.
The drive was similar to the one to Padang, but even more winding and by the time the car dropped me off, I was feeling fairly sick, but thankful for the fresh air. After leaving the car, I realized I didn’t see a marked path to the beach, but followed Google’s directions down a narrow street, around a bend, and into a small alley—smaller, really. It was more like a stone passageway only wide enough for one person. I almost turned back, but an older woman wearing a long I-live-at-the-beach-full-time-skirt strode forward with confidence. So I followed.
Eventually, the path gave way to stairs, and still I shadowed the woman silently a few feet behind, trying to maintain a respectful distance and not wanting to pressure her to move faster. This was, after all, her turf.
Soon, the sky above the path opened up to expose the surf in the distance and after another series of curved and crumbling stone steps, I was on the beach. I rented an umbrella from a sun-shriveled old woman who told me conspiratorially not to buy anything from the vendors walking up and down the sand hawking sarongs, sunglasses, and cigarettes because they severely overcharged.
Like Padang, Bingin is primarily for the surfers, who showed off on the large, looming waves, carving up and down, or shooting back over the white edge to bail out in style. I even caught one particularly bold one riding a barrel. Hours went by and I hadn’t even bothered to open my book or check my phone.
Post-beach, I was toast. But back at the hotel, I had a spa appointment calling me, so I couldn’t collapse into bed early. I know, such a hard life. What did suck was that I still felt somewhat sick. Why this always, without fail happens just as I’m walking into a facial treatment, I’ll never know. Yet once again, I spent the entire (expensive) 60 minutes wishing it would end so I could return to the safety of my own room (and bathroom).