The dark purple, spherical-shaped fruit, which looks like a big, dark cherry is well known in Bali as Kaliasem, and Gowok in Indonesian. There is no English equivalent for this fruit. It comes in stalk just like cherry and very sweet. You do not need to peel this fruit when you eat it but mind, you can not eat the seed, which is large and shaped like lima bean. This fruit has white flesh with reddish tinge and usually ripe in November.

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Six km west of Singaraja, three hours drive from Denpasar, the popular beach resort of Lovina is a long stretch of black sand with crystal-clear water. Actually, Lovina is a generic term for a whole line of six small villages and palm-fringed beaches. From east to west it includes: Pemaron, Tukadmungga, Anturan, Kalibukbuk, Kaliasem, and Temukus. The strip starts at about six km mark west of Singaraja to about five km past of Kaliasem. Kalibukbuk has the highest concentration of restaurants and accommodations while the fishing villages of Anturan and Temukus are less densely packed and thus quieter.

Lovina has a lot to offer. The beach is better than most of the beach in eastern part of Bali with a string of nine hills on the background creates a pretty view to behold. Glass-clear water of this beach and the proximity of the reef to the beach make Lovina a perfect place for snorkeling and diving and also excellence for swimming. Beautiful sunset can be enjoyed simply while walking on the beach. Visitor can also find good trekking paths, temples, and hot sulphur pools in the hills. Lovina is also a convenient base point for day trips to Tulamben, West Bali National Park, Pemuteran, and Menjangan Island. Do not miss the Lovina’s Dolphin Trip where you can breakfast with hundreds of wandering dolphins, just few hundreds meter off the beach.

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Six km west of Singaraja, three hours drive from Denpasar, the popular beach resort of Lovina is a long stretch of black sand with crystal-clear water. Actually, Lovina is a generic term for a whole line of six small villages and palm-fringed beaches. From east to west it includes: Pemaron, Tukadmungga, Anturan, Kalibukbuk, Kaliasem, and Temukus. The strip starts at about six km mark west of Singaraja to about five km past of Kaliasem. Kalibukbuk has the highest concentration of restaurants and accommodations while the fishing villages of Anturan and Temukus are less densely packed and thus quieter.

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History has it, Lovina beach was the first seaside resort to appear in the mid-‘70s. The name “Lovina” was coined by the last King of Buleleng, Anak Agung Panji Tisna. He named this stretch of coast after the English word “love” in 1953. He founded the first hotel in this beach, Tasik Madu Hotel, or “sea of honey” hotel. The few simple accommodations that existed in the sleepy early 1970s were demolished in 1976 earthquake. The resort began anew and during the 1980s new accommodations and restaurants appeared. Lovina has had its ups and downs through the years, and always appears to be on the brink of a renaissance.

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