Bali - Sights and Landscapes

Bali is like that Oscar-winning movie. You've heard so much about it, that when you go, it can't possibly live up to your expectations. And yet, it is unbelievably beautiful.

I can't say I was disappointed with my trip to Bali. I had imagined it would be very touristy and that there wouldn't be all that much to do beyond the beach. The unfortunate part was that I had to stay out of the sun during my beach holiday!!! That's right: I was allergic to Bali. At about 7 degrees south of the equator, the sun is so incredibly powerful that I got a sunburn sitting in the shade, despite wearing 30 SPF!!!! But enough whinging....

The holiday started off great - I was met at the airport by Jeffrey, the guy I'd spoken to from the hotel. He drove me to the hotel where Valerie was sleeping in our room - it was almost 3 a.m. after all. And I woke up to rice paddies, blue skies and the sound of croaking frogs. Amazing!

Ubud is a little artsy town whose current raison d'etre seems to be tourism. Like Luang Prabang in Laos, the town has been around for a long time, but if you take down all the establishments geared at tourists, there wouldn't be all that much left. Don't get me wrong - I loved all of the fusion veggie food and boutiques selling gorgeous crafts and clothes (albeit "one size fits all" is a big lie!!!). In fact, those kinds of restaurants and cafes is exactly what I think we're missing in Hong Kong. But 2 days in Ubud, and Vale and I were ready to see more of the island.

Ubud highlights:
Monkey forest - the monkeys were both cute and scary all at once, but the forest also had some cool temples, fountains, moss-covered statues, etc
Hikes - We only did one hike before we left, but we were surrounded on all sides by this surreal shade of green, and were delivered fresh coconuts by a local man who seeing us across the ravine had climbed up a tree just for us (for a small fee...)
Food - Veggie heaven! And the fresh juices!!!
Shopping - if you like summer dresses, you want to go to Ubud!

We arranged to get picked up at 2 a.m. since we were told that was the time to leave if you wanted to climb up Mount Batur in time for the sunrise. Our driver Ketut (so named because he is the 4th child in his family, I as second born am Made - pronounced Ma-day) came early and piled us and our stuff into the car. We drove on a main road which would normally be bustling during the day, but was quiet at this hour aside from the stray dogs who sat squarely in the middle of the road playing chicken with Ketut's car. When we arrived at the base of Batur, it was only 2:40 and we realized we were way early. Nonetheless, we commenced the 1.5 hour uphill climb in the dark. Both Vale and I sweat right through our shirts and were pleased that there was a cool breeze... that is, until we reached the top, cooled off, and started to freeze! It was about 4 a.m., we were the only people around and the sun wasn't going to rise for another two hours. Gradually, more and more people showed up and some kind guides loaned me a windbreaker and then a full-on winter coat. The sun rose over Mount Abang, Mount Agung and the distant Mount Rinjani (on Lombok island).

Walking down the mountain was even more challenging than the pitch black walk up. This time, our guide Wayan (first born) loaned me his arm and shoulder to lean on as we climbed our way down the volcanic rocks. This time, though, we could see the surrounding areas - the village, the fields, the lake that had been covered by mist at sunrise.

We rejoined Ketut who drove us towards Amed, our next destination. On the way, he brought us to a tourist-trap restaurant that had a breathtaking view of manicured rice paddies. And then, due to some construction we had to take a different route. While it was longer than the other way, we were able to visit Besakih - the most important temple on Bali. In fact, two days from the day of our visit was the day of a celebration which takes place once every ten years. As a result, we were lucky to see people on their pilgrimage wearing their traditional robes and carrying offerings to the temple.

We finally arrived in Amed about 12 hours after we'd set out. Vale and I spent the rest of the day chilling out by the ocean admiring the black sand beaches and the views of Mount Agung. All was well with the world until a rather gutsy cockroach decided to travel up Valerie's leg during her shower. About this time, a rather unsettling rash was developing on my chest and neck. Needless to say, we decided one night in Amed would suffice.

Amed highlights:
Volcanic sand beaches!! Have you ever seen that - black sand?
Snorkeling, not 5 minutes from shore - the coolest little blue fish!
A quiet, quiet town, if you're in the mood for it
Avocado juice - thick and rich, like a milk-shake, but without the guilt

From there, we took a taxi toward Sanur, further down the coast. On the way, we were treated to more formidable views of pure lush greenness and holiday processions.

We arrived in Sanur and checked out a few hotels before finally settling in at "Watering Hole II." The room was more charming than its name gives it credit. We even had our own winding staircase up to our little loft. I decided to try to stay out of the sun because my rash seemed sun-induced, so we spent the day walking and shopping. The next day, I was a little braver, and sat in the shade reading my book, except for a brief hour when I tested out being in the sun. The rash had decided to spread to my arms.

Sanur highlights:
More shopping
Delicious food
Cheap manis and pedis

We continued on to Seminyak, our final destination. We'd heard the beach was great here and you didn't have to deal with the hassle of Kuta. Well, the beach did not disappoint. It was one long expanse of packed sand that was a joy to walk on. We arrived just in time for the sunset and strolled along the beach towards Kuta watching the sunset reflect itself in the sand and locals of all ages enjoying themselves at the beach during this cooler part of the day.

The next day, we walked to Kuta to see what it was all about, and indeed it was Cancun-like, with its Hard Rock Cafe, Haagen-Daz, etc. We walked back to Seminyak during the sunset.

And then... I was off to the airport... headed back to Hong Kong via Taipei feeling sad to say goodbye to Vale and the of my vacation, but happy to leave behind Bali's rash-inducing heat.

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