Pantai Pasir Putih
White Sand Beach
Five
kilometres north east of Candidasa on the east coast of Bali is
Pasir Putih, an isolated, beautiful, white sand beach fringed with
coconut palms.
Pasir
Putih is a five hundred metre long, crescent shaped beach,
separated from the rest of the world by green headlands at each end
and a steep cliff behind. On the beach are just half a dozen
warungs put together from bamboo and palm fronds, serving cold
drinks and food, and offering cushioned lounges under umbrellas for
hire. At the far end of the beach is a group of traditional, red,
blue, green and yellow striped, outrigger fishing boats.
On
arrival at the beach, visitors can select a warung and negotiate a
menu and time for lunch with the owners. Rather than selecting from
the blackboard menu, ask the owners what they have available, as
this is more likely to be fresh and in season. Then it’s into the
cool, crystal clear water for a swim. Sections of the bay near the
headlands also offer great snorkelling.
After
enjoying the ocean, have a soft drink or Bintang, the Indonesian
beer, and watch freshly caught seafood, chicken or traditional
Indonesian dishes prepared before you on a makeshift barbecue.
Lunch will be served with rice and fresh salads on a white table
cloth in the shade of your warung.
In the
early afternoon watch as previously unseen local fishermen
mysteriously materialise, launch their crafts into the water,
unfurl colourful, triangular, curved sails and skim across the
ocean, heading out to sea for the day’s catch.
To reach
Pasir Putih, take the main road north from Candidasa to the village
of Pelasi. The turn-off to the beach is in the middle of the
village, down a narrow road between two houses. A small,
handwritten sign with words "White Sand Beach" and arrow points the
way.
From
Pelasi the road winds for a kilometre through rice paddies and then
gradually climbs for another kilometre until it reaches a cleared
space in front of a temple. There is booth where visitors might be
required to pay a small fee to the local banjar (village council).
The booth is not always manned, but if it is, the fee is 2,500
rupiahs per person. The track to Pasir Putih is to the right of the
temple. This track is only six hundred metres long but it is steep,
rocky and full of potholes, so it is usually best to leave the car
at the top and continue on foot. If you come on motorbike, you can
drive it until the beach parking.