Jimbaran Bay tourists love the sunsets and $5 fish

A long string of beachfront seafood restaurants draws visitors to sweeping Jimbaran Bay on the southern tip of Bali. It is one of the attractions of the resort island and most tourists visit at least once for dinner.

It can often be your taxi driver's recommendation that determines which cafe you end up sitting at, with your toes sunk into the sand still warm from that day's sun.

The peaceful bay, a 15-minute drive south of Denpasar International Airport, is sited away from the busier parts of Bali and known for its long, white-sand beaches and spectacular sunsets.

The Jimbaran fishing village is nestled between Kuta and Uluwatu and includes a bustling market.

Colourful fishing boats sit just offshore where they pull in snapper, barracuda, tuna and other fish.

Many holidaymakers escape the bustle of Kuta for Jimbaran to eat seafood on the beach and watch glorious sunsets over the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean.

Once installed, diners can pick a fish fresh from the cafe's coolers, barter a bit on the price, order a Bintang beer, and watch the fish cook over burning coconut husks as the lights twinkle round the coast.

The fish is served with rice, a range of garlic and chilli sauces, and steamed vegetables for as little as $5 a person. Prawns and lobster are not much more expensive.

The oldest on the strip, the Nyoman Cafe, like most others has wooden tables and chairs on the sand as one of its attractions. After the bombings they lay scattered and splintered.

Two years ago, a waiter at the cafe told the Independent on Sunday that business had been "very, very quiet" since the 2002 bombings. Made Kariyasa said he feared for his job unless the tourists returned. "I hope they will come back," he said at the time. "I have to be optimistic. It would be very hard for me to get another job. The economy is broken."

The bombs turned the idyllic spot into a scene of carnage. Soon after the blasts, bodies lay stretched out on the sand or placed roughly on the tables of the fish restaurants.

Unlike the fertiliser bombs that destroyed the Sari club and Paddys bar in Kuta Beach in 2002, and which caused a lethal firestorm, Saturday night's bombs were smaller and seemed to cause relatively few burns, said witnesses.

Close to where the bomb went off is the Four Seasons resort which in 2000 was rated the best in the world by Conde Nast. Its website yesterday said all guests and employees were safe.

- STAFF REPORTER, AGENCIES