I’ve been to Jimbaran many times over the past few months. I love the fish market and most Saturdays you can find me there bucket in hand, buying fish for the weekend or stocking up the freezer if we have guests staying. After I’ve had my fill of all the sights, sounds and smells, we sometimes head to the beach for a beer and some grilled prawns before heading back home. If we have friends staying, then we might spend an afternoon there just enjoying the sea and relaxing.
Jimbaran is my idea of heaven during the day. It’s almost empty save for the fishermen mending their nets in the shade, or a lone fisherman standing on the shoreline collecting cockles. The are a few tourists but not many and the long stretch of sand is relatively empty. As the shadows of the afternoon start to fall, fisherman start to descend upon the beach and suddenly it becomes alive as boat upon boat is hauled down the sand and launched onto the water after being blessed. It is at that point also, that the myriad restaurants start to drag chairs and tables out from inside and within the space of an hour, row upon row of tables are set for the hoards of tourists who will descend before sundown and then spend the evening there.
It was only recently that I stayed long enough to witness this spectacle and I’m glad that I did as it was fascinating to watch the place metamorphose into something quite different at the end of the day. There is a distinct change in the atmosphere once the sun starts to go down. It is no longer the beach of the locals, and the fisherman but a tourist hotspot. Aside from the hoards of tourists, it becomes a mecca for all the touts and hawkers who will sell you anything from sex drugs to the latest pirate dvd’s. As the light rapidly begins to fade, and a 1000 photographs of the sunset have been taken, the brassieres of the corn cob sellers spark along the beach and another day at Jimbaran has ended.
Lottie Nevin - The Red House Diaries 
Absolutely beautiful and it must betruly relaxing sitting by the beach and watching it transform. I love the beach, too. 🙂
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You can’t beat sitting on a beach. There’s something about watching the waves, hearing them crash as they roll, it’s magic. Having said all that, I’m not good on packed beaches with lots of people, this is why I love being on Jimbaran during the day – it’s so peaceful and quiet.
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I have often said that being at a beach is my act of worship. Earth, water and air stirred up in the crucible of a fiery sun. Sight, sound, smell, touch and taste are part of the same spiritual experience. There’s a time for crowds and a time to be alone. At night, under a celestial sky, I wonder if we are tiny universes caught up in the body of a larger being. It is said that technically, the Universe is perfect that it enabled our eyes to perceive it. And all this, at a beach,. 🙂
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Gorgeous! I especially like the photo of the fishermen pushing the boat out to sea. I would love to go to Jimbaran during the day — we were part of the hoards of tourists in the early evening for sunset and seafood. Once again, reason for another visit to Bali! 🙂
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Hello Steph! yes, it’s a very different kettle of fish in the evening – lol! A friend of mine saw my link to this post on facebook and she said that she was very disappointed in Jimbaran. They also went in the evening and she said the food was burnt, over priced and they felt ripped off. We’ve only ever eaten there at lunchtime and it’s been perfect, you just need to chose your eaterie carefully and stick to simple things like prawn and snapper – You have to come soon, I have to meet you! 🙂
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Isn’t it amazing how a place can completely change depending on the time of day? I was glad to hear that you have a lovely place to take a break from the “maddening crowds” and how interesting that it becomes such a hotspot in the evening!
Lottie, your photos are amazing. There is a truly magical quality to both the corn cob vendor images. The sunset shots are gorgeous. And I absolutely love the texture of the “Sand at Sundown.” I’m so very glad you stayed late at Jimbaran, too! xoxo
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My lovely sister is back!! yippee, my how I’ve missed you so 😦
I’m glad you like the corn cob seller pics, they are my favourite too. I thought the sparks flying off the first one was really natty!! clever iphone!
I’ve always known that Jimbaran was a hotspot in the evening and maybe it’s why we’ve always shied away from it for that reason, but we had HN2 staying so we thought it would be a blast to go and see. We didnt eat, just people watched and bought some of those crazy illuminated toys that we then couldnt get to work. You are meant to be able to launch them so that they rocket up into the air. All the little kids could do it but we failed abysmally! xoxo
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Life experiences that you must see to believe. I saw the multitude of fish and no less the ones of different colors. Amazing. The atmospere must be carnival like when the tourists come out to play, eat, and gawk. Another nice post of educational value.
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Thank you Yvonne. It’s very busy once the sun starts to go down – I don’t know where everyone comes from but suddenly the previously empty beach is packed.
It’s sweet with all the tables out and the candles flickering on them. The sunsets are beautiful so everyone is snapping away before they settle down to dinner. There are lots of local dogs who cruise round between the tables looking for morsels to eat. They all look well fed and content so it must be a good life being a beach dog 🙂
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Just AMAZING!!!!! all the best.
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Thank you Gus! 🙂
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Bali is so lovely!
Those parrotfish (photo 2) are so colourful. 🙂
>I was brought up in Suffolk so know and love it well
Really? I visited Aldeburgh, Dunwich, Framlingham, Ipswich, Lavenham, Leiston, Snape, Southwold, Stowmarket, Thorpeness and Walberswick last week!
Which is your hometown? ;o)
My personal favourite is Snape. :o)
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I was a country girl brought up in a village called East Bergholt close to the Essex/Suffolk border. It’s famous because John Constable the painter came from there and Flatford, where he painted some of his most iconic pictures was just down the road from where I lived.
I love Snape too, and Lavenham and Aldeburgh. I once did the beautiful coastal walk from Aldeburgh up to Southwold via Dunwich with my lurcher dog, Special. It was about 17 miles in total and we loved it, especially the stop at the pub at Dunwich for some real ale.
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