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Published: November 4th 2008
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Days 62, 63, 64, 65, and 66 - Bali, Indonesia
Back to the Islands!
So we left behind the westernized Asia, Hong Kong and Singapore, for one more island. We had Bali on the list and primarily relied on friend’s research (thanks to the Douglass’s!) as a guide. We initially planned on splitting our time on a beach and near a central village. Bali is a big island, about seventy miles by thirty miles, so there is plenty to do on and off the beach. However, being more in tune with the water then the land, we decided to spend all our time on the beaches and only have a day trip to the village. We are certainly trying to relax on the trip. I mean with all the economic issues, elections, and who knows what else is going on in this world, a nice beach in Bali does not sound so bad.
Well since we were on beaches the whole time, there is not much to write about. We arrived in the evening and had plans for a lazy beach day (yes, the LBDs are back…well they actually never left us) the next day. Although it should
not have been surprising, the security in Bali was pretty tight. There was certainly a lot of news upon our arrival, as the courts had finally set an execution period for the 2002 terrorist bombers. Although convicted in 2003, several procedural issues had held up the execution. For the first few days, we stayed in Nusa Dua, a resort community on the southeast side of the island. There was a security check point to get into the resort area (where they checked the trunk of the taxi), a security checkpoint at the entrance to the hotel (where they looked under the trunk and the hood of the taxi), and a metal detector to walk into the hotel. Wow! This was the most secure area of the island. It was a tough welcome as all that security is a prominent reminder of why they have it—but the people were so friendly and it’s a beautiful island, so we quickly got over it. Bali is a great place to have a nice relaxing holiday. Many of the people were very happy regarding the execution and they believed tourism was on the way back. The bulk of tourists were German and Australian.
We had a few nice days relaxing in Nusa Dua. We did spend one day in Kuta, the hustle and bustle beach neighborhood of the island. There were a lot of surfers, sun bathers, and vendors. The waves were incredible—tons of surfers. It seemed to have bounced back from the 2002 bombing. The last part of the week we stayed on a beach called Seminyak. This was about three kilometers from Kuta and a lot livelier then Nusa Dua. While Tim walked on the beach, all the vendors called out, hey boss, want a boat for the day? Hey boss, want to go snorkling? Hey boss, where you from? Balinese people are very friendly, once you get passed the whole trying to sell you something. No matter what they're trying to sell you whether its a massage, bootleg CDs, or just a beer, they really do want to know where you are from and if you like Bali.
There was actually a good party scene on the main strip near our hotel. We were able to hit another cover band bar and a Salsa bar. Good times! While in Seminyak, we did a day trip Ubud, a town
in the more central part of Bali surrounded by terraced rice fields and jungle, we also visited a monkey forest (those monkeys were actually quite aggressive—I bought bananas to feed them and one jumped on me, got in my purse, pulled them out and ran away with the whole bunch. Two steps into the forest!!), and to the main volcano on the island. The rice patties were amazing, and the villages were very interesting.
Our last night was Halloween. We went to a beach called Jimbaran Bay for the sunset. This beach is near the 2005 bombing, which the staff of the restaurants certainly let us know. Back in Seminyak, we were able to hit a Halloween party slash fashion show. It was good people watching. The highlight, however, was the hanging of a new sign outside the bar. This process, taking about three hours from making the sign to building the scaffolding and hanging the sign (barefoot while smoking cigarettes), would have taken many days or even months in the states (neighborhood committees, permits, etc. are not a part of the process in Bali). It was certainly an interesting Halloween.
This rounded out our time in Asia.
Also, this is the end of small islands until December. Very sad! We now move on to Australia. As we type this on our flight to Perth, we are surrounded by partying Australians. That has seemed to be a trend so far. It should be a good time in Australia!
This has been a short note as we have not met our obligatory 2,500 words. So we will add a little more by providing some highlights to the first half of our holiday.
Biggest Surprises -
• Istanbul
• Hanoi
• Thai Islands
Biggest Disappointments -
• Dubai
• Athens
• “western” cities in Asia
Best Islands -
• Mykonos
• Koh Samui
• Santorini
• Ko Phi Phi
• Bali
Best Perks
• Breakfast everywhere (not a perk for the waistline)
• Sunsets and star gazing
• Cold towels handed to you at hotels
Major Annoyances
• Body odor in the Middle East
• Smell of fish sauce in Asia
• No light beer…and bad wine
Looking Forward To
• Australia!
• New Zealand!
• Fiji!
• Hawaii!
There are forty-nine days remaining on the trip. It is neat that we
are hitting a new continent and a new culture. This certainly helps in nothing getting old!
Thanks for your notes, comments, and other smart remarks. We miss everyone. We look forward to the rest of our trip…but also look forward to being with everyone for the holidays! Now go vote!!
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