September 18,

We were up by 0630. I realized I did not hear the 0500 am call to prayer again! But I am okay with this!! 🤣 We got around having our Javas and breakfast of Muesli and milk we bought with us here. We were eating out on our patio and decided to go on the ferry today. We loaded up, leaving by 0915.

On our way to Gilimanuk to catch the ferry, we saw scooters loaded with hay as before. But something was different. There was a passenger sitting atop the hay! Reminded me in a way of Granny Clampett from Beverly Hillbillies on a rocking chair in the back of their vehicle. It was funny looking, but wowza dangerous looking! Anyway we arrived at the town. Jeff bought us ferry tickets at a booth for 40,000 IDR or only $2.41. She told us we could catch any ferry, and where to park. So we parked and went into the Gilimanuk Port by way of the walking passenger signs. The entry into the port was tiled with a saying “Welcome to Gilimanuk Port.”

We obtained our printed tickets and were funneled through a bridge way and boarded the passenger ferry. We watched as cars and trucks were still offloading and changed to scooters, cars, and trucks loading. At 1040, the ferry left. It took us around 30 minutes to navigate the Bali Strait. It was not very far… the closest distance between the two islands is just 1.5 miles. But we sat in the water just offshore of Java for about another hour! We watched all the other ferries jockeying about getting into line. There were so many ferries we were having to wait our turn. There were a couple of smaller fishing boats, but by far the ferries were the main watercraft. They were all painted to represent differing lines, (maybe?) but we did not see any company names. It seems kind of chaotic. I have Questions???

We exited the ferry at 1205. But this caused a problem! Jeff had booked return tickets that expired at 1200!! (Jeff had quickly rebooked us new tickets online before we exited.) So we exited the boat- turning around after getting the new tickets printed up – reboarded the same boat.

After we settled in, we sat and realized there was a time change– it was 1105 when we landed on Java Island!! Whoopsie! Oh well, our return tickets had cost less, due to Jeff booking online. The first return tickets cost 24,700 IDR and the second set cost 24,500 IDR. So this was 49,200 IDR, or $2.97, which now amounted to a few pennies more as coming over. Anyway by 1233 (Bali time HA-HA), we were back under way.

This time crossing back the ferry hugged on Java’s coastline almost to the narrowest spot between the Islands. Then we cruised down along Bali’s coastline back to the port of Gilimanuk. This may have been due to more wind and choppier water?? We arrived back on the island of Bali 1335. So the grand total was 89,200 IDR or $5.38 for leaving Bali and returning to Bali – with the Whoopsie mistake. What an adventure! We had stepped on Java, but obviously did not do anything. We walked off the ferry and were “Welcome(d) to Bali”. We loaded into our car for lunch.

We went to Men Tempeh Restaurant. This place serves a specialty dish from the town of Gilimanuk. It is Ayam Betutu – we actually had a version of this yesterday. We went with a 1/2 Chicken portion for one for two people. It came with rice, a spinach dish, and two little bowls of sauces, as well as fried peanuts. We ordered medium-spice level. It was good, but not great as we were expecting. I actually enjoyed yesterday’s version better. We split a water and a Sprite. It cost us 130,000 IDR/$7.84.

We drove back to our place, had a siesta and made a light supper of PB/Nutella sandwiches & some garlic flavored coated peanuts with a bottle of Bali Rose wine. It was a fun day of adventure, but we both have sunburned faces from the ferry rides with the reflecting water!