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Published: February 9th 2006
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Sunset in Kuta
As usual, we had a to take a sunset picture...weird! But, as usual, it was gorgeous! WOW! What an amazing 3.5 months!!! As we boarded the plane last week for our 48 hour journey home, Leslie and I both wondered where the time had gone. From all the wonderful people we met and all the incredible sights we saw, we had a blast!
For our last 2 weeks in Bali, we put away our Lonely Planet and introduced ourselves to vacation-mode! Ahhh, vacation! You know it's pretty bad when you need a vacation from your travels. It was nice to not have to pack up and move everyday or cram onto a bus at 6am!!! Now, don't get us wrong, our vacation-mode is not much different than travel-mode since there is still drinking, still sleeping in, and still eating....just lots more of it!!!
Our friends from London, Ben and Tom (aka Prawn and Skewer), arrived on the 22nd and we all decided that it'd be fun and relaxing way to see beautiful Bali in a rented Jeep and be our own tour guides! Started out great as we overpaid for this PIMP Jeep (complete with a top-of-the-line cassette player...Yess!!!), bought 2 road maps (due to Ben's crappy short-term memory!), and couldn't get the Jeep started
PIMP Jeep
After the Jeep broke down the first time (right in the middle of the already narrow street)! Lucky enough, our rental guy drove up and helped out....both times! after our first stop buying cassettes for the top-of-the-line stereo!
Our first stop was the artsy, monkey-dwelling town of Ubud, about 35km north from Kuta. So adorable, a perfect place to relax, breathe some fresh rice-terraced, mountain air and of course, feed the monkeys in Monkey Forest! We even were lucky enough to be there on a day when one of the Muslim temples put on their traditional fire dance. An amazing, story-telling dance with a chorus of 100+ men. Incredible and so creative!! We stayed for 2 days as the Jeep broke down and prevented us from going any farther so we headed back to Kuta! We were going to head north to Lovina, the black sand beach with dolphins, but the roads were washed out from the rain so, even if the Jeep did work, we still wouldn't have made it.
Back in Kuta a week before our departure home, we pretty much lived in our bikini's and laid by the pool to ensure we got each and every sparse ray that poked through the rain clouds! We still had the PIMP Jeep so we did a couple of day trips to Uluwatu on Saturday and
Fire Dance
Another time when a video camera would have come in handy! Hard to capture the impressiveness on film! Sanur on Monday.
Uluwatu is about 45 minutes south of Kuta and home to more monkeys in Monkey Temple! Some of the islands most prestigious resorts are here in Uluwatu but, as with the rest of the island, were super quiet. We stayed for the afternoon and enjoyed the gorgeous cliffs of Bali's south coast before heading back to Kuta for a Bintang drunken night out at Bounty (hence the matching headbands) and M-Bar Go...fun times!
Sanur, where we all sloganed "Eat, Drink and Be Buried" or "Sanur: A Beautiful Place to Pass Away", since you pretty much have to be 70 or given 2 weeks to live before going! Beautiful, yes but happening, no! Now, I admit, I even felt old at times on this trip but this was a bit different! We strolled along the boardwalk (cautiously avoiding all motorized scooters and elders with canes), checked out the market and had a nice lunch before heading back to people our own age just to watch a movie or two! Bali is the DVD capital of SE Asia (from what we saw) and with DVD's for $1, we watched a lot of them. And, to make them
Heaven in Ubud
How can you not relax in a place that looks like this? Breakfast served to you on your balcony and for $10/night...you could stay forever! worth every penny, 1 out of 5 even worked!!
For our last day (well, last day that we could afford to go partying) in Bali, the 4 of us had quite the day planned. Tom and Ben told us of a university event they had done once that involved teams, ridiculous outfits and drinking games! We had rules: 1) no more than 100,000 Rp (about $10 US), and 2) had to be below the knees (more for the guys!). So, I had Leslie and found her a sweet set of purple Balinese pajamas and a neon orange Bali tourist hat, while she got me looking like a tacky tourist (complete with fanny pack)! You can see by the pictures that guys are a bit more mean-spirited when it comes to these type of games. Tom makes a pretty good gypsy and Ben looks a little Vietnemese, don't you think!?!?
The best part of this night was the day that preceeded it! Another bright idea from these London bloakes.....Grease Olympics! Sounds disgusting and it was!! 5 fast-food restaurants (Mc D's, Pizza Hut, KFC, A&W, and the final "sprint" at Mc D's) in 4 hours. After 4 burgers and 2
Feed the Monkeys
Go Bananas!! In the words of Gwen, B-A-N-A-N-A-S!!!! pieces of pizza, Leslie put the boys to shame and was crowned with the Gold Medal! Atta girl!! I felt so sick and was just so relieved that Leslie had bought me a "roomy" outfit to go out in!
Hungover and so not hungry from Tuesday's disgusting events, we spent the last day buying the rest of our gifts, watching movies and getting our toes polished up Balinese-style! We said our good-byes to Tom and Ben and boarded the plane early the next morning. We'd like to wish Prawn and Skewer a safe end to their travels and all the best back in London when they return and, of course, remind them that "They're SICK!!" and anytime they'd like to "get on it", let us know!
After a brief stay in LA and enjoying our first real pickle (high up on the "what did you crave?" list), we arrived in Vancouver chilly and still wearing our flip-flops! You really forget how gorgeous this country is and take it for granted while away and suddenly, not having to pay for every meal becomes a real treat!
If we had any advice for future travelers considering SE Asia, it
A New Friend
In true Leslie style....this monkey wanted to get a little closer! would be "What are you waiting for"?!?! The people alone of SE Asia make the trip worthwhile and never miss the opportunity to thank-you for coming to their home. Especially in Bali (since the bombings have made it quite the struggle to get tourists back), where they really make you feel loved and welcomed, which is so rewarding. So, pack your bags and a video camera, and get ready to make new friends, ride elephants, eat tarantulas, dive with sting rays, enjoy cheap shopping and spa treatments, and meet some of the most amazing people in the world!
Thanks so much for everyone that's followed us on our journey! Don't go too far cause Leslie and I have caught the travel bug and will likely be packing our bags again really soon!!
Lots of Love and Sunshine, Melissa and Leslie xoxo
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Malcolm - Toronto
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My own tour of Asia!!
How about this for a gruelling tour - I just did Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore in 4 days! Ok, so I did fly First Class, ate in the finest restaurants and stayed in 5 star hotels........ Anyway. it was great to read of your experiences and it's good to know you got home safely. Any plans to be in Toronto soon??