I am staying in Balangan. Balangan is on the west coast of the Bukit Peninsula, one of several beaches between Jembaran and Uluwatu.
Today the surf is huge, double and triple overhead. The swell arrived during the night, generated by a storm in the South Pacific three days ago. Since first light, you can count between ten and twenty surfers in the water. After a surf session, the surfers come in to eat and rest at the Indah Warung.
This warung is run by Wayan and her husband Ketut. It is raised on stilts about three meters above the beach, looking out over the water, with its back against the cliff. The warung is about 10 meters wide, and one long table runs the entire width of the restaurant. A row of twelve chairs is arranged behind this table, where patrons can sit and watch the surf action while they eat. Behind this table is a step up and a second table, then a stairs up to a third level and another table. Behind that is the kitchen and three rooms. I have rented one of those rooms for the next six weeks.
The table is covered with a green vinyl cloth. Five baskets are on the table. Each basket contains salt, ketchup, salty soy sauce, sweet soy sauce and hot sauce. Beside each basket is a menu and a box of napkins. The wood posts that hold the roof up are wrapped with a yellow cloth.
