Wahyuni Kamah, Contributor, Amed, Bali, wkamah@yahoo.com

"Amed is beautiful and very quiet," said Ibu Made, a woman who runs the Perama shuttle bus center in Padangbai as I waited for the bus to Amed. Padangbai is a small harbor town on the road connecting Bali and Lombok.

"But the food there is a little expensive since it's located far from the market," she added.

I nodded, registering her words, although I didn't have any idea about Amed -- it was my first visit to the little sleepy village in northeastern Bali.

The minibus I took made a few stops in Candidasa to unload some passengers. After that, it traveled through many curving roads where some points are very steep.

"Amed is very dry today," Pak Wayan, the bus driver, commented.

He was right, as I could see from a distance that the hills looked very arid. However, some areas still offered breathtaking panoramas of vast, terraced rice fields.

As soon as the bus reached Amed, I could see an attractive dark blue sea on the left-hand side of the road, and which abruptly made me forget about the more than one-hour trip in the non-air conditioned minibus.

Amed, part of Karangasem regency, is the name popular among tourists that frequent east Bali.

Actually, there are several other small villages to the east of Amed that are also worth seeing, but Amed is livelier than these other villages.

Hotels, bungalows and shops dot the landscape of Amed -- but it is no Kuta, since the village is very calm, and visitors will be immersed a rustic atmosphere instead of touristy raucousness.

Amed is the right choice for those who seek tranquility and peace in an authentic Balinese village. Most "touristy" villages have beautiful bays that enchant the development of hotels and restaurants.

I decided to stay at the Puri Wirata Resort in Bunutan, about a 15-minute drive from Amed. Once again, we had to pass the curving, steep asphalted roads. To our left, we could see crystal blue bays and the gigantic expanse of the Lombok Strait; while on the right were arid hills where leafless trees grew.

The villages in the area had not had any rain for months. The air was very hot and bright.

The fishing villages are poor and isolated, which I think is the true picture of villagers' lives in the undeveloped northeast of the island.

In Bunutan, the village life of Bali was palpable as I strolled down the road. There are no signs of prosperous Balinese village life, such as I was used to seeing in the Ubud area.

Even so, the people are friendly. Greeting visitors and foreigners seems to be a habit of the villagers, whether children or adults, who call out "Hello" or "Good morning". They also like to have a small chat.

The peak season had already passed, so the villages were now experiencing a decreasing number of tourists. But they still undoubtedly asked questions like "Transport?" when they saw a foreigner walking on foot.

There are no public buses plying this area, only minibuses providing pick-up services in the morning to carry villagers to the nearest town -- or motorcycle taxis. Every day in the early morning, visitors can see schoolchildren from remote villages walk kilometers to reach their school in Amed. At night, the roads are not lighted, and only the lamps from the hotels lend a glow.

The hotels and bungalows in Bunutan range from budget to up-market, ranging from Rp 70,000 to US$75 (Rp 700,000) per night. Further east in Lipah Bay, more hotels and restaurants are concentrated. Here, some hotels and bungalows are situated right next to the local fishermen's villages.

The 20-kilometer coastline in the Amed area is a paradise of open-water activities. There are several bays, and most of them are lined with a row of the fishermen's brightly painted traditional boats -- or jukung -- defining the coastline's unique look. The beaches are rocky, but offer exceptional snorkeling and diving sites.

Jemeluk Bay, which is about a 10-minute drive west of Bunutan Bay, is an ideal site for snorkeling and to view marine life. A favorite snorkeling site is located just in front of Coral View villa, and snorkelers can leave their bags in the villa's restaurant.

Because of the El Nino phenomenon in the late 1990s and dynamite fishing, the corals there are now damaged. However, visitors can still see schools of cardinal fish, pyramid butterflies and many other colorful marine fish.

Sunbathing on the black sand beach of Jemeluk is fine for those who prefer tanning. Children will come and offer fresh sea salt, which is panned in the village and dried in a miniature jukung, but believe me, they will not disturb you.

Other bays for snorkeling includes one in front of the Puri Wirata hotel, which has black sand as fine as heroin. This bay is ideal for seeing corals.

If you want a better beach, go to the east of Puri Wirata to the bay just in front of Good Karma bungalows, which is about a five-minute drive. This is a secluded bay only accessible from the bungalow, and is abundant with both corals and fishes.

Different from Jemeluk Bay, where fishes can be seen just three or five meters from the beach, here, you have to swim about 10 or 15 meters out to sea to see the beautiful underwater panorama.

Another favorite snorkeling site is Banyuning Bay, further east from Bunutan. This bay may not have a beach, but has a Japanese shipwreck dating back to World War II, and the beautiful corals are a major attraction for divers and snorkelers.

Most hotels or restaurants on the bays in Amed rent snorkeling gear. And since most bays are rocky, it is advised to wear special snorkeling shoes to prevent your feet from getting scratched by the corals.

For other marine activities, some hotels offer diving facilities as well as scuba diving courses. In addition to snorkeling and diving, other open-sea activities include fishing or renting a jukung for sailing, which costs around Rp 175,000 per hour. Aside from these, you can also see salt panning in Amed or go trekking to Lempuyang Temple, situated at the peak of Mt. Lempuyang.

Eating in Amed is basically not a problem because the hotels have their own restaurants. If you stay several days, there are many alternative eateries. In Lipah Bay, for example, there are Gede Restaurant, Wawawewe and also the seafront Kafe Indah.

Roughly speaking, my budget for a single meal is Rp 50,000 including drinks, but of course this depends on my food selection. As an Indonesian, I must say the portions are big enough.

Despite its arid and hot atmosphere, Amed is the right place for spoiling you with marine activities and to observe Balinese village life in its true sense.

Some people might be overwhelmed by its tranquility, but many others say Amed is the place for escaping a bustling life, and even from the crowded touristy area of Bali.

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