Bali (June 8-22)
I admit, I watched Eat, Pray, Love. But it was only when I heard that it involved Bali and I wanted to see what to expect. After watching it, I could not WAIT to be there myself and see the beaches, temples, and rice terraces that identify Bali. I was definitely not let down.
Fourteen Days in Bali was definitely the right way to finish up my overseas adventure. It was too easy to lose track of time and I found myself constantly forgetting what day of the week it was, but documenting daily events helped keep my head somewhat straight. Here are the highlights of those two weeks:
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| Ubud Terrace - My first accommodation |
Day 1: Arrive in Bali at 10pm and meet Dave in the crowds of taxi drivers and tourists. We head off to Ubud, where he was staying ($10 a night for a nice place) and I find some snacks in the convenience store….beer, unknown crunchy sweet things, and water for about $2! I felt myself getting stingier already!
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| The story of Luwak coffee |
Day 2: Venture to the monkey forest with Alex & Marina then went on a coffee tasting tour and sipped delicious coffee (including Luwak which you can read all about in this photo), and tasted exotic snakeskin fruit, mangosteen, and durian fruit (not recommended).
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| Shopping at the market |
Day 3: My first bartering experience at the bustling Ubud Market and then we headed out to Padangbai for a night before we hopped on the ferry to the Gili Islands.
Day 4: Took the fast boat (for an entire nauseating hour) from Padangbai to the Gili Islands where we ran into some fellow Canadians (Tara and Jay) from Brantford!
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| Dave in Gili T. |
Day 5-6: Spend three days on Gili Trawangan Island (aka Gili T), where horse and buggy was the main method of transportation and cats roamed the streets. Dave and Alex spent some time diving while Marina and I snorkeled in this island paradise.
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| Alex and Marina capturing the island sunset |
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| Tulamben dive site |
Day 7-8: Time to say goodbye to Gili T and continue on our Balian adventure! Today we took the boat back to Padangbai and ventured off to Tulamben, where we spent the night in the small dive town, famous for its sunken US Navy ship right off shore. Dave dove and the rest of us snorkeled, amazed at the massive schools of fearless fish that swam right next to us and the shipwreck resting peacefully on the ocean floor.
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| The Statue |
Day 9-11: Next stop, Lovina, where the dolphins are so famous they have their own statue! Again, a smaller beach town that offered us a relaxing stay and an evening of dinner with Balinese dancing, before we caught our 2am ride to Mount Batur.
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| Sunrise |
Day 12: Alex, Marina and I began our day with a 2 hour hike up Mount Batur in the light of the moon and reached the summit by 5:45am so we could witness the breathtaking sunrise. After stumbling down the mountain, we were on our way to Balian Beach! This gorgeous beach was so unique with sparkling black sand and friendly K9’s that roamed free. The perfect spot for tanning and watching the Aussie surfers tackle the monster waves.
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| Balian Beach Bums |
Day 13: We had to go to Jimbaran, where our Lonely Planet claimed the best seafood was served. And we were not disappointed, with dozens of restaurants literally on the beach and endless supply of fresh seafood.
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| Dave at Ulu Watu Beach |
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| Padang Padang Beach |
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| Monkey Sunset |
Unfortunately, our trip came to an end and Dave and I headed back to Sydney for my final week in Australia. :(
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