I just returned from an awesome trip to Bali, Indonesia. It was so amazing and really fun. The surprising thing was the difference between Bali and Thailand. It is so different, yet it is very much the same. It has all the "busyness", including motorcycles, cars, people, shopping, etc. But the culture is very different. They seem to be very very friendly, and are very interested in foreigners. They are also very interested in making an easy buck off them.
I started my trip off by traveling to Ubud, the supposed cultural "center" of Bali and where most of the stuff Bali is known for is. It is a very neat place. It is just a small village with a few shops, but it has a huge culture feeling to it. There is a lot of art and delicious food.
My travel partner and I checked into a small bungalow hotel, then hit the streets. We went straight to the Monkey Forrest, a huge area of Ubud where the monkeys run wild. If you buy a bunch of bananas, you can give them to the monkeys and it's a lot of fun. After that, we walked up to the main market to watch a traditional Indonesian dance. I'm not one for culture dances, but this one is a must see! The skill it takes to be one of these dancers must be tremendous. They use every part of their body, including their eyes, as a part of the dance. It is very synchronized to the music and truly an awesome thing to see.
The next day, we woke up at 3am to climb Mount Batur, a huge, active volcano. A tour guide booked through our hotel took us up to the top in only about two hours where we witnessed an amazing sunrise. We sat watching it while we ate our breakfast, provided at the top by the tour company. After that, my travel companion decided she wanted to go to the very top of the mountain, not just to the caldera. It took about another 30 minutes to climb, but it was well worth it. It was truly beautiful being at the top like that.
After we made the long descent back to the van, the driver took us to a nearby temple. I discovered that the Hindu temples are quite different from Buddhist temples. To enter, you must wear a sarong, sash, and head dress. These are usually provided at the temples for free, however, some of them will charge you to rent them. The temples are pretty neat looking and are normally outside. They have many decorations and are in the jungle, probably for peace and tranquility.
After returning to Ubud, we at at the Dirty Duck restaurant. It is very delicious, however, the duck dish was my least favorite. The steamed fish was by far the best, and we had a very enjoyable time there.
The next day was touring all the temples. The first on the agenda was Pura Tirta Empul, a beautiful temple where they have large pools for bathing and washing away impurities. The decorations, sculptures, and architecture was absolutely stunning. Second up was the Elephant Cave. It's a small cave in a hill where they have some shrines. That part was okay, but outside they have these stairs that go down near a waterfall with super beautiful scenery. Third was Pura Ulun Danu Bratan, a large area of land right next to Danau Beratan lake. The clouds on the mountains behind the lake was stunning. The final temple was Tanah Lot, a temple that is on the sea shore and is very beautiful at sunset. They also have a holy spring where you can wash and be cleansed. After our long day of temples, we came back to Ubud and ate at Kafe, a small eco cafe that servers a lot of western dishes. I had the California Burrito, which was surprisingly good.
The next day was traveling to Sanur and Kuta. We went down to dreamland, a beautiful beach in the southern-most part of Bali. The sea was so blue and beautiful, and the waves were perfect for surfing. I didn't surf, but I enjoyed watching and taking photos of the surfers. I also had a huge school tour group come up to me and ask to take photos with me. I felt like a celebrity! After this, we ate at a very delicious sea food joint Jimbaran. They have the tables right on the beach where you can watch the sunset and enjoy delicious fish. To order, you walk up to the tanks and select your live fish, lobster, or crab. They also have frozen shark, squid, shrimp, etc. You purchase it by the kg, then they cook it however you like, and serve it with rice, vegetables, and various sauces. Soooooooooooooooooooooooo delicious! Yum yum ^__^
That night was staying in Kuta. We rented a super cheap hotel for only about $20 per night, and let me tell you, we got what we payed for. The room was super crappy and didn't even have a clean shower. But it was a place to sleep just until the next day when we caught our plane back to Bangkok.
The trip was super fun overall, and I would definitely go back to Bali. There is a lot I would still want to do including going up to some northern villages, and also to the other island Lambok. But I am very glad for what I was able to see and do while being there.
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