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Published: April 18th 2008
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015 - Indonesia - Bali
04/12/08 - 04/16/08
Hunting for manta rays and artwork in Bali
First, I'd like to thank all of you for following our adventure. I (Hannah) decided to help with the blog, so the following story is mine. But before we begin I want to give some personal updates: Nico and I are traveling marvelously together and our relationship continues to blossom. Up until now we have been in good health, with some minor stomach irritations from Thai spices. I have managed to lose a few things - sadly not weight, but nothing critical (knock on wood). We have gained many new friends and our lives are enriched every day as we learn about each culture and get to know the locals living there. We are incredibly thankful for all the messages and updates from everyone, please keep them coming. Time is flying by, as of today we have been traveling 2 months! Our next stop will be volunteering in Kho Tao, Thailand for 3 weeks. In the mean time, we soaked up some of the famous Balinese beauty and culture in Sanur and Ubud.
TRAVEL I believe the transport in Indonesia is
mafia owned! There are only two tour companies for travelers to get around with, Perama, and its lower cost alternative. The quality of both are about the same (with some exceptions) and we found ourself taking the cheaper option on the way to Bali. The day went like this: 1 slow boat from Gili Air to Bangsal starting at 8:00 am, walking to the bus company from the beach - 2 km, pushed into a small very cramped minivan and drive to Mataram, wait 1 hr, get back on same cramped minivan with same grumpy tourists and drive to Lemur port town, board old large cargo ship and be ushered by all locals to the top deck with no shade and metal floor, travel 5 hours on board the dirty old cargo ship, arrive in Bali around 4:00 pm, be herded into an all white tourist mob until boat is completely empty, walk 1 km to another small minivan and drive to preferred destination. All in all, the trip was about 10 hours and we made the best of it!
We planned to meet up with our new diving buddies at one of the hotels in Sanur, Bali so
we could figure out our Manta hunting plan. Interestingly, one of our new 'friends' is also named Hanna (from Germany), but quickly attracted a nick-name - Crazy Hanna. I know what your thinking - our Hannah is pretty crazy...but you have no idea! I'll just say she was extremely particular, a bit of a hypochondriac, and drove a hard - if not irritating - bargain. Tineke (teen-a-ka), our other wonderful friend from Holland, was a total delight, and a true testament to women successfully traveling alone.
DIVING We took the first day in Bali apart to do research on the Manta dive sites and companies. Nico found the best set-up and negotiated a great deal: the four of us would be taken by 2 dive masters in a speed boat to Nusa Penida and have 2 dives. The first site is where the cleaning station is and Manta's are known to hang out. It was tough to manage our expectations, I knew that I wanted to enjoy it even if we didn't see my favorite ocean creature, so I wasn't too disappointed... but sadly, no Mantas for us. The second dive was a drift dive between two islands and
honestly probably the best dive of my life. The current was fast (~5 knots) but the scenery was immaculate. Hanna had an underwater camera that she lent us and Nico went 'paparazzi' snapping pictures of everything he saw. The pictures don't capture all of the vibrant colors, but give you some idea of what was down there. The hard and soft coral changed every few feet from army green camouflage to bright pinks and oranges - all teaming with millions of different sizes and colors of fish. And the dive was fun because is was just Tin, Nico and I + the dive masters. We were all reluctant to go up even after 1 hour of discovering this underwater world, but unfortunately air is vital to us humans. On the drive back to Sanur Nico & I decided to make a rush trip to Ubud, the art capital of Bali in search of some cheap artwork.
ART We arrived late and were grabbed by a man who owned his home-stay just a short distance away. It ended up being very unique, decorated in the traditional Balinese style with the delicately detailed hand carved wood doors and frames. It was
pleasant except for the screaming children and construction, but we were only there for 2 days... and we did negotiate the price down to $6/night!
Nico came down with a fever and stomach cramps the fist day so in between checking on him I was able to explore the town on my own. My eyes and mouth drooled over the beautiful carvings from wood, stone, and cement. There were glass mosaics, paintings galore, metalwork, clothes, and silver. Nico's fever went down in the afternoon so we drove out of town to look at some more art, which proved truly exhausting with so many choices. He wanted to go home and lay down and I felt I deserved a treat for not buying anything and being such a supportive girlfriend!
MASSAGE Hands down, no comparison, I found the best deal ever. Most people have heard about the oh-so-cheap Thai massage, but Bali out-shines any competition with a slam dunk! After scouring the multiple pamphlets I'd collected during the day I chose a smaller spa a few min away that had a 2 hour treatment for $11 - yes that's right - $11 US for two hours of luxurious pampering.
My time began with a one hour massage (front and back) with frangipani scented oil, followed by a massage scrub scented with jasmine. The room was large and decorated with bamboo and flowing water, peaceful music played in the background and competed with the night sounds from animals outside. I stepped into an open air shower and was rinsed with warm water (the first hot shower in over 3 weeks) then slathered with fresh yogurt and rinsed again. My gorgeous Balinese masseuse gently led me into a huge square bath filled with about 1 foot of water covered in red and purple flower petals. The bath had perfect ledges on the side to rest your head without getting your hair wet. Seconds later I was sipping fresh ginger tea and covering myself in color. Pure ecstasy.
PEACE The next morning I woke up early and took the motor bike a bit out of town to a small trail that wound through the rice fields. The sun was beginning to come up and a cool mist was rising from the vibrant green paddies. I think growing up in Montana instilled a sense of peace whenever I'm surrounded by nature. I
wish I could capture that moment with audio and play it back a million times: sitting on the trunk of a coconut tree looking over acres of terraced lush green weaving gently in the wind. The tiny creek flowing next to me, the sounds of birds, crickets, chickens... and peace.
My advise - go to Ubud for a week and buy a giant shipping container. Spend the week collecting paintings, sculptures, fountains, mirrors, etc., throw in some spa treatments during the day, and then ship everything back to the States. Even with the flight costs, it will still be a fraction of the price you would spend back home for this amazing art! Total price for our day including lodging, transport, food, and a 2 hour luxury treatment: $25. Well under our $50/day budget!
Glad we had some time to relax in a beautiful place! Tomorrow we're heading back to Bangkok's insanity and then to our volunteer opp in Koh Tao.
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T
non-member comment
So happy to hear you are have a blast, learning and growing as you travel throughout God's world. You and Nico are in my prayers. Love, T