Sunday 19 February 2012

Bali the first half .. volcanoes, rice paddies, Ubud, beaches and old flings ...

The first couple of days I stayed local … a visit to the beaches … Kuta / Seminyak / Legian ..  despite it being 30 degrees it is low season and I am struck by the lack of folk on the beach, the beaches are also oddly quite dirty and small, Kuta is famed for being a surf beach and full of Aussies … (and people trying to sell you stuff) yet .. I know this may surprise … from my days of old … Surfers / Torquay / Gunammata offer more beautiful beaches and much better surf …  I guess it is being able to say ‘I surfed Bali’ .. but if you are a real surfer I would stay Australia .. (bali beaches pics) and (kuta, seminyak & legian beach video)

Wandered from the Villa along the beach to Kuta, then cut through and spent some time at the Bali bombing memorial, makes me furious that this little island was bombed, I remember so clearly the emotion that Australia felt at the time, so many Australians visit Bali and Australia has provided Indonesia and especially Bali with so much investment, roads, schools, hospitals that Bali almost feels like an Australian island, I was very moved… 



a walk through the shops …thousands and thousands and thousands …that run all the way wall to wall from Kuta to Seminyak which us about 5kms …  5 hours walking in the heat … + hideous hands and feet from Vietnam so I popped in and had a very needed mani / pedi ..  the polish lasted about an hour as it just sweated and bubbled from the heat … no point getting that done again !!
Two days exploring the country side …
A visit to the top of the Volcanoes where I got to see the impact of the eruptions, even as recent as mid 90’s … views are breath taking, stopped off at terraced rice paddies, Mahagri restaurant which has the most superb view overlooking rivers, streams, farmers, terraced paddies and waterfalls … a must see …  the food not great, the views spectacular ..  they even have little villas onsite .. which I would highly recommend a night stay to watch the sunrise …  for pictures of the volacano and views click here)
Went to the place where the most expensive coffee in the world is made (which I call pooh coffee), this is where beans are eaten by Luwaks, once they have been deposited from the other ‘end’  they are collected, cleaned and roasted …  I have to say, put where they come from at the back of your mind, the coffee is exceptional, strong with a slight bitter kick … deelish .. then a visit to the oldest temple in Bali, which was heart warming and left me silent, then a trip through the paddies as the sun was setting, watching the locals bathe in rivers and streams … away from the tourist trap …  Bali at it’s best ….
Ubud and the monkeys …  (for piccies click here) and for the vid (click here)
Ubud is more than just a village, Ubud is a region and full of surprises …. There are whole villages dedicated to different crafts, a whole village dedicated to silver, a whole village dedicated to woodcarving, a whole village dedicated to painting, and the whole region between its villages is full of rice paddies, it is bohemian, and extremely relaxed ..  I instantly fell in love with Ubud and have decided to stay the night to visit the monkey forest the following day …  had a wonderful dinner in a warung overlooking a rice paddie .. nothing fancy cooked by a family, local, traditional with a wonderful peaceful view .. the Monkey Forest was brilliant, I was a bit sceptical at first, was it going to me Monkeys on display poorly treated .. but the place is very natural and besides being sold bananas to feed the monkeys, they really are in their own environment …  the monkeys are everywhere .. literally thousands of them ..  a bit freaky at first .. but uber cute …
Sanur, Nusa Dua and an old friend …
Had a day trip to Sanur …  Sanur is what I expected Bali to be like . much slower than Seminyak / Kuta etc .. streets and resorts right on the beach.. but Sanur is definitely  a place for older couples and families .. during the day I got to see an amazing procession through the streets of Sanur that was put on by the Bali childrens orphanage, who really moved me and as a result I went back and spent the afternoon with them. That did so much for me …
I had planned on spending a day at Nusa Dua ..(Nusa Dua is the luxury beach and resort area of Bali, if you are after super luxury and a lie by the beach holiday stay here, if not at least stop in for a couple of days, the whole region is pristine) and then a move to Gili Islands for a couple of days .. shock and horror when I am lounging around the amazing hotel at Nusa Dua and literally ran into an old fling from Australia ..  I know I should be surprised by this .. but there are soooo many Australians in Bali at the time I was not even remotely surprised … funny to see someone though after about 20 years …  I think you always remember someone as you last saw them .. and people age in 20 years … but we got along brilliantly and it was a great way to catch up and find out all things Australia …  in fact it was so great I canned the Gili’s and spent an extraordinary 3 days snorkelling, watching amazing sunsets, having massages in the most brilliant setting (check out the pics), reminiscing and most importantly laughing out loud for hours …

(I know you will read this …  thank you – x – I will be in touch when I get back)

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