Blogs from Lovina, Bali, Indonesia, Asia - page 2

After returning to Ubud from my short post-retreat surfing excursion in Nusa Lembongan, I decided that it would be fun to motorbike around the coast of Bali, which features some great surf and dive spots as well as a lot of local villages. I had already been in Bali for a month at this point, and wanted to get to the Philippines before the Southwest monsoon started dropping serious amounts of rain there. So instead of circumdriving the whole island, I was just going to jet North over the mountains for some more peaceful beaches and diving along the Northern coast and then head to the West coast for some surfing at low-key spots. The drive North from Ubud is really beautiful. The mountains are covered in lush jungle and poke their heads through the clouds. ... read more

Something I've noticed in Bali so far, I haven't really done much. Why? Well I think the main points of interest are the diving, snorkelling and surfing. It's ok, I've been happy relaxing but unless you are going to pay for an excursion or the previously mentioned, then relaxing is the thing. Today, another local dude Nano, took me on his motorbike to the local bus so I could head for Lovina (North of Bali). Luckily I was feeling better. Having a guesthouse in mind, I asked the bus driver to take me. However, due to the language barrier or the pure fact he couldn't be bothered to find the place, he pulled up at the side of the road and conveniently a local on his motorbike met me and said he cheap places to show ... read more

Bali: kleuren, geuren, offers Onze eerste dag in Bali brachten we door in Lovina, een noordelijk kustdorpje, nadat we met de ferry de Balistraat overgestoken waren. Eindelijk een strand! Lovina is vooral bekend voor het dolfijnspotten, een groot boeddhistisch klooster, snorkelen, ... 's Avonds hebben we heerlijk thais gegeten, gerelaxed en uitgerust na de hectische toestanden op Java.Onze eerste indrukken zijn: veeeeeel kalmer dan Java (verkeersdrukte), veel meer cica's (zeg: chichas, kleine broertje van de ghekko), veel opdringerige verkopers van sarongs, sjaaltjes, armbandjes, postkaarten, dolfijnspotten, enz., geen/weinig moskees, wel heeft elk huis een huistempel (hindu), elke straat heeft verschillende tempeltjes, elk rondpunt, en dan ook de grotere tempels natuurlijk (oudste uit 8/9e eeuw) . De hindu's zijn toen uit java verdreven naar Bali, omwille van de intrede van... read more

Canyoning day was amazing. It sort of goes against my climbing instinct to go down rather than up but it was verty enjoyable. I'm now qualified to do adventurous canyoning. Have my part 1. We jumped, slid, floated, plunged, dived...you name. it. Flying fox was my favourite. 25m jump aswell down a waterfall! I got swept under the current and swallowed a lot of water. This crazy French guy, Mika, lead us. Ah the crazy French. He know's the singer if anyone's made the link. Also a camera crtew for Indonesian SCTV was there/ A famous newsreprted / journalist named Louisa was presenting. She interviewed me. I'm going to be on the Indonesian news! National news from Jakarta!!! x... read more

During our time in Bali, we managed to see quite a bit, which made for a lengthy blog. So, I've decided to separate it into 4 sections: Southern Bali, Central Bali, Northern Bali, and Diving in Bali. At the end of each I'll include my do's and don'ts. This is Part 3, North Bali. Enjoy! We spent our time in Northern Bali in Lovina, a beachside city with black sand and a much more relaxing atmosphere than beaches in southern Bali. Ask the driver to take you to central Lovina, where you’ll find plenty of hotels to choose from. The waterfront is reminiscent of the waterfront in Seminyak, but much less developed and even less overrun with tourists. I highly suggest saving northern Bali for the end of your trip so you can come here to ... read more