Ballin' in Bali

Guest correspondent: Ken Pratt

Esteemed friends and family! Joey and I had a rollicking-good time in Bali. We were here for a 3-week adventure, and spent the first chunk of our trip lounging on the beach getting some much-needed R&R&R (the extra R is for re-uniting).

We managed to book flights arriving at almost the same time, so on the afternoon of Apr 17, we met in Denpasar airport. My flight arrived first, so I stood around semi-nervously for about 20 minutes until I spotted Joey, who didn't notice me at all until I spun her around! There was a driver to whisk us away, and outside it was bloody hot (about 30C) and humid, quite the shock to the system coming from Vancouver spring. It was very strange at first to see each other, after over 5 months apart, which when added to the sudden change in environment made the experience quite surreal, but after a few days we settled into Bali & each other and were pretty much back to normal.

Bungalow paradise

Our home base was "Lullaby Bungalows", a beautiful little set of four bungalows run by a young Dutch/Balinese couple, about 10 minutes from Padang Padang beach at the southern tip of Bali (one of the top surf spots). We had a nice roomy air-conditioned bungalow with an ensuite outdoor bathroom & shower, and a cozy little deck with chairs outside to sit and read, not to mention a restaurant, a pool and a masseuse on call. It was *amazing*, I highly recommend it to anyone thinking of visiting Bali. A few local restaurants and the beach were within walking distance, so we spent the first couple days wandering around, trying the local Balinese cuisine (lots of grilled fish, rice, curries), swimming and lounging on the beach.

A couple days in, we rented a scooter so we could explore the peninsula a bit more. It's pretty crazy driving around in the traffic, weaving in and out, but I'm getting the hang of it. I'm enjoying riding -- it makes me want to get a motorcycle back home!

We had an interesting meal on Jimbaran beach right after sunset where we got to pick out seafood from coolers, and the staff grilled it and served it to our table on the sand (we chose the red snapper in the middle of the photo along with some clams & prawns). The seafood is amazing here, so fresh, and so cheap!

 

  Dining on the beach at Jimbaran

Another day we visited a local temple in Uluwatu that was inhabited by hordes of monkeys, which were so aggressive that one attacked Joey's foot trying to steal her sandal right off it! It was unsuccessful, but managed to break the sandal (Joey: evil monkeys!). Later, we went to the beach for sunset. Uluwatu beach has glassy waters and giant waves. I saw about 20ft high with huuuuge barrels, right out of surf movies. I may have to come back at some point just for that.

 

 View from temple, fitted in sarongs; Uluwatu Beach (random lovers)

Unfortunately we both came down with colds after a few days here, so spent quite a bit of time just trying to get energy back. We ended up staying 6 nights at Lullaby so that we'd have more time to recover and still see some sights. Then it was off to inland Ubud, where we stayed 6 nights at a homestay to get a more local feel (Bali doesn't seem too big on hostels) and more importantly managed to survive with just a ceiling fan! The hosting family was very welcoming, and we got to know them and their mangy cats a bit during the week we stayed there.

 An example of imposing Balinese craftwork

Hmm, how to sum up Ubud? Plenty of culture, alternative people, lush rice fields, good food, but a bit on the touristy side and relentless pestering from hawkers. Ubud is where the bulk of "Eat, Pray, Love" was filmed, if that means something to you (I haven't seen it). We spent the first couple days wandering around on foot, checking out the Monkey Forest (exactly what it sounds like), the main drags, and the Market, then rented a motorbike to venture further out of town. We attended a couple of Balinese dances with elaborate costumes and scripts based on Hindu legends (Bali has a strong Hindu culture, unlike the rest of Indonesia, which is mostly Muslim). One "trance dance" involved about 80 men dressed in ceremonial garb and chanting, exactly like the scene in Baraka with the crazy-looking old dude leading a chanting session.

 

 

Probably our craziest adventure motorbiking was after lunch at an organic cafe going through scenic rice paddy fields. The view was awesome but the trail was narrow, windy and muddy from rains that morning and our motorbike was slipping all over on windy uneven ground (the tires didn't have much tread). But alas, my budding scooter control skills levelled up a few times and we made it through safe and sound, albeit with depleted adrenaline reserves. Since then, driving around in the hectic city traffic has seemed a bit less crazy ;)

  Gado gado for lunch (veggies with peanut sauce);
doing good work before the crazy bikeride

We discovered some excellent restaurants too -- a delicious noodle curry place run by a couple from France & Laos, and a great healthy hangout named Kafe that we kept returning to despite attempting to try as many different places as possible. Meals are so cheap here: a dinner for two with drinks and dessert will often be in the $15 - $25 range.

 Best curry noodles and creme caramel on the planet

One day we put our motorbike aside and took a bicycling tour of the countryside. It was 3 hours of pretty much all downhill riding, starting on a mountain and riding down through villages. Very neat experience, with a few stops to learn about coffee, visit a small family home to meet some locals and see how they live (simply but happily), and watch a cockfight training session (for religious purposes) on the street. Unfortunately, the food provided during the tour disagreed with my system, and I've encountered what is euphemistically known as "bali belly". Fun! It's not nearly as bad as when I was sick last year in Mexico though.

 

 

We stayed in Ubud longer than originally intended so we could attend a cremation ceremony on Sunday. An hour long procession with accompanying bands carried the body to a temple, where it was cremated in a makeshift bull. Right after it ended, a torrential downpour started -- the craziest rains I've ever seen, along with thunder and lighting. We were drenched in seconds and huddled under some awning to wait out the worst of it, then caught a cab for a belated soggy lunch before heading home to dry off.

 

We spent the majority of our final week in Nusa Lembongan, a small island about a 30-minute speedboat ride from mainland Bali. It was awesome! Picturesque white sand beaches with crystal-clear blue water, a laid-back atmosphere, and the friendliest locals of any we encountered on Bali. We stayed at a small family-run inn with 5 rooms, and had an amazing room facing the beach -- floor-to-ceiling windows, literally 10 feet from the beach, with A/C and hot water all for $25/night, breakfast included! Ridiculous!

After spending ample time lazing on lawnchairs by the beach, we rented a motorbike and explored the rest of the island as well as a nearby island called Cennigan. The two are connected by a rickety suspension bridge just wide enough for a bike. Highlights included a 40ft cliff jump into the ocean (just me) and 'Secret Beach', a secluded beach that was very difficult to find but well worth the effort. We spent two afternoons there dodging crashy waves and rolling in the surf like beached whales. Nicest beach we've ever been to, hands down.

 

 

 

We went snorkeling one morning, too -- my first time trying it, and I loved it! There were many different kinds of fish: schools of small ones that would swim right around you, larger ones in the corals, and really big ones further down in the water. The mask & snorkel took some getting used to, but eventually I got the hang of it. Joey has an underwater camera, but it's surprisingly hard to take good fish photos, especially since the sun was mostly behind clouds while we were out there.

 

  

We did meet a very friendly local family that ran a small Thai restaurant out of their home, and had a couple of great meals there. The father even played a round of Jenga with us, and also explained why everyone in Bali seems to have the same names -- 'Wayan', 'Made', 'Ketut' etc -- evidently the first child (regardless of gender) is always referred to as Wayan, the second Made, and so on. (The mother & father at the restaurant were both named "Ketut", which led to confusion and then the explanation).

Our last night there we walked around a cliff band called 'Devil's Tear' that emits a symphony of crashing waves that spray walls of water up 40 ft in the air! Really powerful to watch. Afterwards we enjoyed a steak dinner overlooking a cove nearby with the sunset in the background. Scenic lunches and dinners on the beach were actually something of a theme of the trip.

 

After five nights on the island, we took the boat back to the mainland and a taxi to a Villa next to some rice paddies -- it seemed like a nice spot to finish off the trip. We found ourselves in the middle of an expat community in Bali, and attended a few events -- a moustache-themed Cinco de Mayo party and a concert at a cool motorcycle shop/art gallery/bar cafe with a series of musicians, including a Balinese rock group.

Then it was time to fly home, at least for me, while Joey's moving on to Malaysia. All in all, a very excellent trip. I highly recommend Bali as a vacation destination (even if you're not on your honeymoon).

Thanks for listening :)


Wrap-up commentator: Joey Liu

Ahoy! Just adding to Ken's great post that if you have the chance to go to Bali, do it. We never even thought of coming here until I kept hearing about it from fellow travelers and decided to give it a shot. Had no clue about anything to do with Indonesia either, except I seem to recall a Grade 6 project I did that included Bali's paint throwing festival... and I'm pretty sure I thought it was part of India!

 

Not only is Bali a slice of gorgeous paradise all around, but the people are wonderful too. Sure, there are some leery guys and insistent hawkers like any other tourist spot, but most Balinese people are down to earth and devoted to both religion and family. They lead simple lives and work hard, and despite any hard conditions, they know how to smile and joke around. Some of them can be very cheeky mothers!

 

Heading to airport soon and will arrive in Kuala Lumpur. Talk to you all from Malaysia!