My Bali Experience
Bali. Sigh. At home you hear someone speak the name of this blissful island and it conjures images of Eat Pray Love: endless beaches, sparkling green rice terraces, idyllic bike rides, and Ketut, the now very famous Balinese healer...
On this side of the globe, Eat Pray Love is not lost when one speaks of Bali (you have seen that movie haven't you?) but you're more likely to hear words of caution to steer clear of the raging Aussies that invade the island. In short, Bali is to Australians what Cancun is to Americans and evidently what the islands of Spain are to the British. I guess we all have our raging party destinations. However, I managed to experience the island that is Bali without crossing paths with the boozing Aussies. And for your reference if you ever find yourself planning a holiday to Bali, steer clear of Kuta and you should be able to do the same (unless a raging party is what you're searching for then by all means..). It's a worldwide well-known destination for a reason. There are the rice terraces, waterfalls, volcanoes, beaches and surfing, yoga, diving, and more and the further away from the beaches of the south and the central town of Ubud that you go the less likely you are to cross paths with more tourists than locals. For my 10 days of exploring, I split my time between Ubud, Amed, and Canggu. And my favorite was definitely Amed - a tiny fishing village on Bali's east coast. Definitely more off the beaten path, every foreigner that you do meet in Amed is there to experience Bali's best diving, which are also some of the easier dive sights of the many that Indonesia has to offer. But I'm getting ahead of myself, I'll start at the beginning...
Ubud
I arrived in Bali after an unexpected overnight delay in Kuala Lumpur...such is travel. I made friends while I was postponed anyways and me and a girl traveling from England split a taxi for the two hour journey from the Denpasar airport to the central village of Ubud once we finally arrived in Bali the following morning. If you look on the map, it doesn't appear that Ubud would be two hours from Denpasar but travel is slow, there is a lot of traffic, and Bali's roads have to be some of the narrowest I have ever seen. I was planning to rent a motorbike but I rethought that idea real quick. Once in Ubud, I met my friend Ria, who had travelled from India, at the picturesque Sunset House that would be our home for our three nights in Ubud. Located out of the town center and off of the main road about 600 meters, it was only two rooms (mine and Ria's) alongside the family's home and set amid the rice terraces for which Ubud is famous. It fit the picture I had in my head of what Bali would be pretty well. During our stay, we enjoyed a day at the Tegalalang Rice Terraces, a very early morning trekking an active volcano for sunrise and a well-earned afternoon at the Junglefish beach club afterwards, evenings spent perusing the high-priced boutique shops that line Ubud's streets, and sampling Indonesian cuisine at recommended restaurants in the area.
Taking in the scenery that welcomed me to Ubud.
First dinner in Bali! We went for the famous pork ribs and a couple of other dishes...I'm going to wish that I had written down the names of them because I don't remember! #badblogger
First full day of exploring included strolling the lush green landscape of the Tegalalang Rice Terraces. The afternoon included sitting in a plastic poncho at a market stall on the side of the road waiting on the rain to stop and also trying to find cheap(er) transportation back to our homestay.
My friend and travel buddy, Ria....but this isn't our signature pose...
Mine & Ria's Signature Move!
Chicken Satay - YUM. If you need a reason to travel (anywhere not just Bali), FOOD is really all you need.
There is a lot in this picture. You may only be able to see the horizon and the sun just barely beginning to greet the day but at this point we had already been up for almost four hours. Our wake up call was a middle of the night early 2 am. We drove (rode) for about an hour to the base of Mt. Batur where we met our guide who has been climbing the mountain several days a week for the past several years. (I don't think he really needed his flashlight. He could probably climb it in his sleep.) We set off in the dark and trekked the slowly rising trail until it became a challenging climb up volcanic rocks and the temperature dropped considerably. We reached the summit at 5:47 am, where we laid down a mat, enjoyed some hot tea (more just to warm my hands than to actually drink), and sat in the cold, whipping wind watching Bali slowly become visible. One of the coolest experiences in all of my travels. Nothing like an early morning wake up call, 3 hour workout, and watching the world come to life again for another day.
From our cozy morning seat atop Mt. Batur, one of Indonesia's many active volcanoes. In front of us is Lake Batur. On the other side of the lake and to the right is Mt. Agung (sleeping volcano). Beyond the lake and a bit of land to the left is the Bali Sea and further in the distance is the island of Lombok with Mt. Rinjani, another of Indonesia's active volcanoes.
Don't mind the crazy hair. Here we are with our guide!
I don't know why people spent the 2-3 hour strenuous climb to the summit only to turn around and descend a half hour later once the sun was up. We didn't do that. I guess I don't mind that other people did, their leaving meant we had pretty much the whole volcano to ourselves. We took our time walking around the crater, enjoying the sights and endless photo opportunities.
I like this filter free photo of me. Wild hair, mostly make-up less. Enjoying doing what I love. Our world aside from the evil that occurs really is a beautiful place with beautiful, kind people and I refuse to ever stop believing that. ....Got a little sappy for a second! I also love it because you can see the steam rising from the crater in the background.
After our descent, looking back at Mt. Batur. The photo (as always) doesn't do it justice. It's more intimidating than it looks. I can assure you that reaching the top is a challenge and a lot farther up than it looks.
Welcome to JungleFish Beach Club ...the no beach beach club since we were in central Bali! The perfect location to relax after an early morning and volcano trek.
I think the photos speak for themselves. Highly recommended if you ever get the chance to explore Bali.
And this would be my dinner of Babi Guling. Suckling pig. It's a thing in Bali. A tasty thing in Bali.
Amed
The next stop on the itinerary was the sleepy, seaside fishing village of Amed. Again, looking on a map it wouldn't appear that the journey from Ubud to Amed would be a four hour drive. But, that it was. And here is another thing about Bali. Transportation is more limited than other areas in the sense that you can not walk out your door and hear "tuk tuk? tuk tuk? tuk tuk?" or "moto? moto? moto?" coming at you from multiple directions (here in Cambodia - no problem!). Nor are there many, if any, bus options available. Taxis are the favored mode of transportation and they carry a considerably more expensive price especially if traveling solo like myself. I got there anyways and as I had not prearranged accommodation in Amed, I reported directly to Adventure Divers Bali, the company with whom I would be diving. Can I just say that their service is TOP NOTCH! If you are ever looking to dive in Bali, look no further! I had spoken with them before my arrival in Bali and could determine just from their e-mails and the wealth of information that they sent me that they provide a fantastic service. Upon my arrival, I was greeted by the staff and given a sweet, iced chocolate. I was then driven around the town on a moto and shown different accommodation options in my price range before I decided where I would be most comfortable relaxing after a day of diving. I chose Santa Fe Homestay. A simple, clean bedroom with fan and A/C, attached, private bathroom and a balcony overlooking Mt. Agung for a mere $15 per night. They then confirmed my dive time for the following morning and recommended a warung (Balinese family owned restaurant) for dinner. I had scheduled a refresher course with them but ended up staying in Amed for 3 nights, completed the refresher course, explored the USAT Liberty Shipwreck in Tulamben, and dove with manta rays at Manta Point off the coast of Nusa Penida! All amazing dives! Food was always provided before, during, and after (during?...not really as that might prove quite difficult) each dive and endless refreshing fruit shakes. If you're not a diver, you should be! And if you are a diver, you need to dive with Adventure Divers Bali! (and so many other places in Indonesia as their dive sites are among the best in the world).
View of Mt. Agung from my budget accommodation balcony in Amed!
I finally saw a turtle! A couple of them actually! In all of my snorkeling and my few dives in Thailand last year, I had never seen a turtle! So glad this one calls the USAT Liberty shipwreck his home and was out for his breakfast during my dive!
Also saw this friendly little sting ray and followed him around for a while.
I even found Nemo!
This is the sign for "okay" when your dive master is asking if you are alright. It is also what you do in all underwater pictures. This is just one of many. Check out the school of bumphead parrotfish hanging out behind me.
After two succesful dives at Tulamben! The first was easy peasy and the second was probably the most challenging that I've ever experienced due to the strong current that we had to fight for the majority of the dive - but I survived AND saw turtles! Diving is so addicting!
Mt. Agung in the distance. I sat on the beach enjoying fresh fruit juice and writing postcards as the sun went down before dinner and an early bedtime! Scuba diving is also exhausting and makes sure that you have a great night's sleep after the day.
Warung Enak - Dinner every night while in Amed. Delicious.
This one was taken on my last day of diving headed out to Manta Point, Nusa Penida to find some Manta Rays! It may seem weird but I am not always comfortable with water and even though I really enjoy it once I'm under the sea (you see so much that it takes your mind off of the water if you can believe that), I stay pretty nervous up until that moment. So for the 45 minute boat ride out to Manta Point I was pretty much cringing with every minor wake or wave that our boat hit. And out boat was huge, it's not like it was going to turn over but that's how it felt to me and I wanted out of the boat and in the water...
And once we finally got there the view was priceless... Hey there Manta Ray!
They are so majestic, gliding effortlessly around the reef. They don't seem bothered at all by their terrestrial visitors.
The fact that I was willing to voluntarily remove my regulator and attempt to smile with a mask pushing my cheeks down in order to capture this picture speaks volumes to my increased comfort level under the water. I cant wait to dive again!
Canggu
My third stop in Bali, took me back to the south part of the island but still a ways away from the raging Aussies - gotta watch out for them! (I'm joking, obviously. Was really just avoiding the party scene) Canggu is best known for surfing. I, however, did not surf. What I did do was starfish on the volcanic sand beach and soak up the sun, ate yummy breakfast at Rojo's (fun fact - the owner is from Jakarta but she studied at the University of Kansas! She asked where I was from but wasn't expecting a response so close to Kansas. The typical responses include California and New York) enjoyed a drink or two at Old Man's (evidently it is the happening place in Canggu), treated myself to a body scrub and pedicure, and just relaxed a bit for the last couple of days of the Bali experience. I have to say after rice terraces, volcano trekking, and diving it was a bit of a challenge to JUST relax. Ever find that you go so fast and do so much that you are uncomfortable slowing down and not doing anything? I don't know that it's really a positive or negative, depends on how you argue it, but it was a little challenging to just starfish on the beach and not go go go...
I love when my travels correspond with local holidays allowing a bit more insight into their culture in the short amount of time I spend there. While I was in Bali, they were both preparing for and celebrating Galungan Festival. Imagine motorbikes transporting these giant bamboo poles down the streets to be adorned and embellished before they are stood along the streets. Actually you don't have to just imagine it, I managed to capture a glimpse of it here or you can watch the video below. I took the video in Ubud but the photo is from Canggu. During Galungan, families take part in ceremonies, prayer, and offerings in the celebration of good triumphing over evil.
Surf's up! I did not surf though as I said. I was beachin'...laying like a starfish, whale, friendly sea lion, whatever animal you choose, on the beach.
The extent of my drinking while in Bali. Had to try the local beer.
"You look great." "No no you do." A wall with a lot of personality at Old Man's.
That's all for now! I wonder where life will take me next!
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