Bali: Village Life in Amed

Though I have yet to visit the rest of Bali, my understanding is that the Amed area is what Bali used to be like before it got overrun with tourism. While tourism is certainly an industry here (as evident from the number of signs for accommodations and dive shops lining the road), megaresorts and chain restaurants are thankfully lacking. Our trip was at the end of September, just at the beginning of off-season, and it was blissfully uncrowded. We saw more locals than tourists and though we got a few offers for tours and massages, most villagers were just going about their business. From our terrace, we could see the fishing boats heading back in the afternoons with the day's catch. This area is also known for salt production, and though we didn't see it up close, I caught a couple roadside glimpses of the bamboo cones used for filtering. In contrast to our very modern lives in Singapore, many of the villagers seemed to still be working and living in fairly traditional ways. Below are some photos of the local scenery.