the blue period

THE SEA! the sea! the open sea!
The blue, the fresh, the ever free!
Without a mark, without a bound,
It runneth the earth’s wide regions round;
It plays with the clouds; it mocks the skies;
Or like a cradled creature lies.

"The Sea" by Barry Cornwall

I escaped to the northwest corner of Bali last weekend, and this time, I had a new toy - underwater housing for my iPhone. So finally, I can share some photos of my underwater adventures that are actually my own.















I've been to Bali maybe six or seven times by now, but this was the first trip in ages that truly surprised me. Not by the actual scuba-diving (which was nice but not out of this world) but by Bali Barat National Park, where I based myself for this trip. The park itself encompasses mangrove forests and coral reefs and in the distance the majestic volcanic peaks of Java loom. Menjangan Island, the destination for most divers and snorklers, is part of the park.

There just a few resorts and none of the usual unpleasantness found in most of the tourist enclaves in Bali - touts, cheesy bars and shops, bad traffic. The park is about five hours away by car from the airport in the south and it is a a world away. It is peaceful and unassuming, and even in a fairly standard resort setting, you feel like you are somewhere special.

There are prettier beaches and more luxurious resorts, but I'm happy to have found this relative "backwater" of Bali, and I would most certainly be back.