Six Days in Bali

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Bali is a place I'd always wanted to "experience", and I was lucky enough to get down there for a short week before leaving Asia. Flying on a night flight to Denpasar from Shanghai via Singapore, I arrived on this lovely island at noon on Friday, July 3. A taxi took me up into the mountains to the town of Ubud, where I spent three nights. I then had "Agung" drive me to Amed on the east coast of the island and spent another three nights there. Yesterday morning, another driver and I did the 3-hour trip down south to the airport, with a short detour to Uluwatu and Jimbaran. I returned to Shanghai last night at midnight and leave in a few hours for Paris.

While lying on the beach, I had fun rereading the chapter on Bali in Elizabeth Gilbert's "Eat, Pray and Love." She certainly had some good insights, as did the woman who wrote on Bali in "The Female Nomad". I'm certainly not the only Westerner who has become enchanted with the place!

You'll find a description of my trip in the captions added to the photos.

I'd like to write more (esp. a piece I have in my head entitled "Agung's Story") but will be taking my plane for Paris soon and must get ready.

After spending 6 months here, it's sad to think I'll be leaving China in just a few hours and that this is the end of my China travel blog.

I hope you have enjoyed reading about my adventures and look forward to talking to --or even seeing--some of you when I'm in France and the U.S. this summer!

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Photos

view from my room
My room, although noisy (it was UNDER the poolside terrace room and you could hear chairs moving above), had a nice "sitting room" and view onto the jungle.

Ketut
the owner of the hotel and restaurant. The Lonely Planet gave him a write-up, which means he gets a lot of customers these days! (An American woman I met in Shanghai actually told me about it.) More in another entry about "the REAL Ketut."

Balinese dinner at Ketut's Place
Ketut does dinners three times a week. I went the first night and shared a table with 5 Australians and an American-Colombian couple presently living in Bangkok. We had a grand time!

Agung
The next day I did an all day excursion through the Ubud Tourist Office. Agung was our driver and guide.

HK in front of Elephant Cave
We were obliged to don sarongs when visiting temples or holy places.

Luwak Coffee
Agung took us to a spice farm, where we tasted this famous coffee.

tasting coffee
In addition to Agung, you can also see Judith and Jose (a young couple from Barcelona) and Yves (a criminal prosecutor from Belgium).

below Kitamani
we had lunch at a restaurant overlooking the rice terraces and, in the distance, Mt. Batur and Lake Batur

BesakihTemple
the largest Hindu temple in Bali

Comments

[betty blum]

home again
Great adventure as only you can do. Hope you have no culture shock as you reenter the Western world. Do you have any plans to be in or near Chicago this summer? Have a safe ride home. Betty

[Brenda]

What a wonderful trip. Thank you so much for sharing.

[Natalie]

You make us want to go!
Bali looks lovely. Looking forward to hearing more in Paris. Bises, Natalie

[Elaine]

Fantastic!
I am insanely jealous of your ability to pack so much beauty and so many adventures into your life! And I am very grateful to you for sharing your photos and your insights! Be sure to call when you get back to Paris! Elaine