Man Shed, Sanur
It’s amazing what you find when you’re not really looking
Sanur is like a Mediterranean holiday resort. The water is certainly cleaner and more inviting than the tourist strips of the west coast, with a calming offshore breakwater. Walkways stretch far along the wide sandy beach, past tree-shaded cafes, resorts and day clubs clustered with sun lounges for rent. The ocean breezes can be feisty at times but they thankfully temper the heat of the cloudless skies.
The main tourist street, Jl Danau Tamblingan, is relatively mild, the area’s through traffic concentrated on the near by-pass road. There’s cars and minibuses, which occasionally tangle in what passes for a traffic jam in those parts, but quite a few tourists prefer bicycles, a mode of transport who just don’t see in many other parts of Bali. Try that in Kuta or Seminyak and you’d never play the violin again.
Just on the other side of the by-pass is a sprawling, run-down industrial space that has been reborn as the retro heaven called the Man Shed. Café, bar, pool hall, informal museum and boutique, this amazing hanger-like space is packed with cars and motorbikes, old-timey everyday examples of the internal (and infernal) combustion engine and kitschy musings on such, including bar tables fashioned from old scooters.
I came across the Man Shed purely by accident as it was close to a friend’s villa where I stayed for a few weeks. I couldn’t quite believe what I found but took to it immediately. The motorcycles were generally of the kind favoured by the locals (or, in Australia, by postmen) and, amongst the cars, a couple of Holdens. New stock seemed to be added continually although where they were found, and how, I couldn’t even hazard a guess.
In this category, I’d place the black 1951 Plymouth, a little battered but a prime example of Detroit steel that I found the mechanics working on one day. It was taking some effort and appeared to be riding far too low to be venturing out anytime soon but I was assured that it would soon be duelling with the SUVs and millions of motor scooters driven really badly. It’ll hold its own, I’m sure.
One Sunday, the local Vespa club held a giant rally at Man Shed. The forecourt was packed with the bright and shiny and obviously highly-prized Italian scooters, pretty evenly divided between new and Audrey Hepburn-Roman Holiday old. As part of their celebrations, there was a massed Vespa drive-by along the Sanur tourist strip. On their return, the peaceful Sunday afternoon was shattered by what sounded like a squadron of avenging lawnmowers.
Over many visits, I tried much of the menu and it’s a real bonus for visitors. Nasi Goreng is just Rp20,000 ($AU1.84) while a hamburger is Rp50,000 ($AU4.59). A small bottle of Bintang beer costs Rp20,000.
The Man Shed is one of those places you won’t quite believe, like an automotive mirage of dubious taste, but you’ll enjoy it immensely. It’s a putt-putt down memory lane, a cabinet of curiosities that delights and rewards. And, on an island that has its fair share of the unusual, it stands alone.
Man Shed
Jl Turtanadi II No 9, Sanur
Tel: 0878 6252 2136
© words and photos David Latta 2014
Bali + The Creative Sojourn 
Expertly written. Looking forward to more. Very enjoyable