Bali/Gili

I returned from my trip to Bali and Gili! (I decided that it was only fair to take a week off from my research, since I still need to finish up with looking at my data and start writing my paper) Here goes…

I went to Bali with my friend Tom, who I lived with first year of vet school but then moved to China to work at his family’s business. He was only able to take a long weekend (Thursday through Sunday), and since he was coming all the way from Hong Kong, we really only had 2 full days. I decided to fly out to Bali Monday night, then visit the Gili islands (mainly Gili Trawangan, the most popular one) that are located between Bali and Lombok (island to the east of Bali). A friend here, Shinta, always raves about Gili and insisted that I make a trip there, if only for a few days, since it’s supposed to be gorgeous and have great snorkeling and diving (though I don’t dive)… even more so than Bali!

Since the whole trip was booked sort of last minute, I had to take the cheaper airlines, which have the most inconvenient times… so got into Bali at 11:30pm (an hour late), stayed with a friend that I met here earlier in the summer (so nice to know someone, since all the hotels were booked), and then took a boat to Gili that left Kuta (main touristy area of Bali) around 10am… There are many ways to get to Bali that involve a combination of buses to harbors, various boat routes, etc. (and you can even fly to Lombok, then take a boat to Gili)… but for $35, I took the long way that involved a 2 hour bus ride, then 4 boat ride (thanks to Dramamine, I didn’t get seasick!!)… with all the transfers and breaks, I didn’t get there til 6pm. Shinta’s friend who lives there, Ucok, met me at the pier and told me that all the hotels/hostels on the island were booked (he had been asking around for me)… so it was decided that I could just stay at his place (honestly, no better than just camping on the beach or something). He plays in this reggae band that performs pretty much every night at Sama Sama Bungalows (big reggae bar on the island) - Tom wasn’t with me yet, so it was nice knowing someone there. There are more than a dozen guys who just hang out at this bar all the time, so I was kept somewhat entertained. Actually, I made a point of coming out that Tuesday (rather than doing Gili after Bali) since there was a huge concert with a bunch of reggae bands, which was fun.

The following morning, I was able to book one of the 3 island snorkeling tours that takes you around to the different islands (Trawangan, Air, and Meno) to snorkel , so you can see turtles, etc. (the water was amazing - so clear and warm!) I don’t think it was the best snorkeling I’ve ever done, but definitely up there. Despite the fact that it’s peak season and all the places to stay were booked, I was amazingly able to book a snorkeling tour that morning (have to give Shinta credit for predicting that - she says she’s a “risk taker” and tends to book things last minute, hoping to find cheaper airfare, etc…). So I did the snorkeling tour and got to meet a lot of tourists - I’ve discovered that there are a TON of Europeans that come to Bali and Gili… I don’t know why it’s surprising, but I was amazed at how many different languages I heard while I was there (German, French, etc.). That night, I hung out at the reggae bar again, not too late but still managed to miss my boat at 7am the following morning… *sigh* I had hoped that the roosters would wake me up again, but I must have been so exhausted that it didn’t matter. I called the tour company in a panic, and they assured me that I could get a refund for my ticket (!) and just catch the fast boat later that leaves at 2:30pm and gets into Kuta around 6pm or so. That turned out to not be so bad, since I found a shady spot on the beach to relax and then one of the few restaurants that takes credit cards to buy a decent lunch (the ATM is very unreliable on the island).

So that night (Thursday), I met Tom in Bali. Quick story - so Tom is some international sales rep for the company and gets discounted rates at Starwood hotels. Just for the heck of it, he was searching hotel rates for us a couple weeks ago (just to see if we could stay at a nicer place for just a bit more than a cheaper hotel in Kuta). He must be the luckiest person because he found a rate online that was blatantly a mistake, but decided to book it and hope the hotel would honor the rate… 3 nights at the Westin in Bali (Nusa Dua region, which is the gated area for all the luxury hotels) normally costs $1,161 but the price was quoted in rupiah (~10,000 Rp = 1 US $)… so it comes out to 11 cents?! Tom emailed the customer service manager to confirm, and the guy actually accepted responsibility for the mistake and told us the Westin would honor the prices. When we were trying to check in, the front desk assistant manager was really pressuring us to accept another rate, insisting that the Westin wouldn’t cover the other rate - but ultimately, Tom (who is all in business now and knows how to deal with these situations) talked to the guy, produced all necessary documents (emails with the other manager, evidence that his credit card had already been charged 11 cents so we didn’t have to sign any papers agreeing to a new prices), etc. It took almost an hour for the whole thing to be resolved, but in the end, the front desk guy couldn’t do anything about it. So, for the next few nights, we lived it up in an amazing hotel (even nicer than the ones I’ve been in before)! It was crazy - to get into the Westin, you have to go through two car security checks that involve checking the trunk and under the hood… then of course you get screened heading into the hotel. Maybe it should have been a bad idea to spend a couple days at a ritzy hotel, in light of the Jakarta bombings, but actually the two bombings that have been in Bali before have actually been in Kuta (not nice hotels at all!).

Anyway, Tom and I had come to Bali with rough ideas of our full days - Friday would be the beach and Saturday would be Ubud (sort of like Yogya in Java - the place to go for cultural activities on the island). We never got around to planning official tours, but I think things turned out great - we got a recommendation from Shinta for a beach that isn’t as overrun by tourists (away from Kuta). I’m actually surprised that I actually got a little more sunburned the weekend before while surfing when it was overcast (only a little though - 3 weird patches on my leg that I can’t seem to get rid of) than at Padang Padang beach that day. It was actually fairly rocky and shallow near the beach, but much farther out, a lot of people went surfing. We spent a couple hours there, and then headed off to Kuta for some shopping (never did as much as I really wanted to because I was with a guy, but still managed to find some good things this weekend… including an extra bag to carry some things home with me to MA). Since Tom is all about sales and bargaining, I let him do the bargaining for me (might as well let someone else do it if they’ll most likely do it better!). We found this amazing restaurant that is set back enough from the main street in Kuta so that it’s quieter, and we were able to sit in these little hut things. It’s odd because I was the one recommending dishes, having spent a good amount of time in Yogya already and Tom has only been to Jakarta for a few days on business. Tom actually picked up the check (like he had insisted on doing for everything before then… and after) - he told me that I would soon learn that he pays for everything on trips with people (?!). He definitely makes a lot of money for someone who is 23 and is very generous. I tried to pay for a few things along the way, but he didn’t really let me… won’t complain though. Ultimately, for this trip, I really only spent money from transportation to Gili and Bali… and maybe some on snacks and souvenirs. What an amazing trip! But anyway, we had a few drinks with dinner, but decided that we’d make Saturday a crazier night with going out (despite the fact that my flight to Yogya was at 6:50am!).

The next morning, we managed to sleep in a little later than we had anticipated (so typical) and miss all the morning tours to/around Ubud. But we decided that it was better to just take our time and just explore the area on our own. We took a shuttle bus to Ubud that got in around 2:30pm (had to wait a few hours because we missed the 10:30am one from Kuta). There’s a Sacred Monkey Sanctuary in Ubud that’s famous because it has a couple famous Balinese Hindu temples inside… I couldn’t believe how many monkeys (macaques) were running around, even on the streets before you got inside. They definitely take advantage of the little offerings that people lay down in front of most buildings every day (usually some sort of food, in addition to the flowers, etc.). We walked around one of the main streets and looked in a lot of the shops - again, with more time, Ubud is probably one of those places I could spend hours walking around in. For our cultural activity, we saw one of the shadow puppet shows, which for some reason I didn’t really enjoy as much as the Ramayana ballet (Hindu dance) or gamelan performances (traditional music) in Yogya. It wasn’t because I couldn’t understand what they were saying (all in Balinese, I’ve gotten used to not understanding most things here) - but based on the synopsis of the story given to us beforehand, it didn’t look like they followed the storyline (though it was still interesting). Tom of course had to make some comment about these shows being better in China because they usually involve sword fighting and such, though the Bali one was quite impressive given the fact that it’s all done by one person (the shadow puppet master).

As we were heading back to Ubud afterwards, we actually decided that we wanted to get late night massages, rather than head out to the bars. I think it’s just one of those things you have to do in Bali - the shuttle driver was nice enough to call ahead and book us appointments at a spa (there are SO many in Bali). We both got traditional Balinese massages for 1.5 hours for $50 (so much cheaper than back home), which involved foot baths, the actual massage, and time in this steam…. hmm… don’t know how to describe it, but basically it’s a little thing set up in the corner that you step into, they zip you up so only your head is sticking out, and then you sit there and cook for 10 minutes or so… nice, a little hot, but bearable (not for Tom though haha). That really hit the spot and ended up being exactly what we needed. All the spas are open late there, like midnight or so, so it’s awesome to be able to just walk into one at night and get a massage (so many things I’d want to try if I had more time, like the strawberry milk baths, etc… next time!) Actually, it’s kind of funny because they assumed that we were married, since I guess it’s not too common for 2 friends (guy and girl) to walk into a salon together…? In all fairness, Bali is definitely a romantic spot - great for honeymoons, etc. Back to the hotel later to sleep in our “heavenly” beds at the Westin…

I really want to come back to Indonesia to do Bali again (though I doubt it will be as luxurious next time), see more things in Java (check out the volcanoes and do some hiking), and hopefully explore more of the islands. It could take you your whole life to see all the places, but I am really inspired to come back when I have the time. Actually, Shinta is a huge traveler (very adventurous, plus works for herself so she can plan long vacations), and over the past few weeks, I’ve gotten many recommendations from her for places in Southeast Asia to visit - all the great beaches in Thailand, places to visit in Malaysia and Vietnam, etc. She helped me so much with my trip to Bali and Gili, and I’m sure that she’d be more than willing to help me plan another trip (maybe even give me names of people she knows that she stayed with to help save some money…). Europe is always on my list of places to visit, but I have become even more interested in this area (SE Asia) since coming here… plus there is always Australia and New Zealand… only problem is finding the time! (and money, I guess)

Ok, I have way more comments on life in Yogya, but I think this is enough for now… one more week!

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Part of trip: umm... Indonesia!

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