Blogs from Bali, Indonesia, Asia - page 215

Leaving the Intercontinental was like having a warm safety blanked snatched away. It had felt so safe and protecting and familiar - yet plastic. I have been entertaining the idea that it’s about time to stop staying at 5-star resorts and start searching out unusual accommodation instead - places that haven’t yet succumbed to the tendrils of marketing agencies. We had such an experience back when Lauren was 4 years old. We’d stumbled upon a great deal to travel to Borneo and stay in a (yes…5 star) hotel for 8 days for a shade over $1,100 per person for *EVERYTHING*! When telling people where we were off to, they would say “Borneo? Where’s that?”. There was very little information about what we were headed into - those are the types of holiday I now long for. ... read more

Shopping Trip to Ubud All great journeys are paved with good intentions. US$40 to hire a driver for 8 hours includes car and petrol - cheap! The plan was to drive to Ubud and spend the day there shopping, checking out galleries, restaurants and maybe some cultural shows. Dancing First stop, major touristy Begong and Keris dance centre about 10km from our villa and about 20km short of Ubud. At first when the driver pulled over, there were lots of official looking people waving traffic to park on the wrong side of the road…what’s going on here? All the people are getting out of their cars/vans? Is this like a military checkpoint or something? I’m not carrying any ID with me - I read somewhere that you should carry your passports and visas with you, but ... read more

Bali Belly Lauren and Jane have been have a slight taste of Bali Belly. Nothing too serious at this stage - not sure what could have caused it. My strategy of sticking to cooked-only food and heaps of alcohol seem to be paying dividends so far. 4WD Safari Waka Land Cruise safaris took us up into the hills today. It was our first real encounter with all the traffic conditions and types of people that Bali had to offer. We were picked up in a Land Rover fully kitted out for a serious expedition - there was no mistaking that our ride had arrived, that’s for sure. We met up with a British couple from a hotel in Nusa Dua. They were closer to the UN Conference action than we were - they said it was ... read more

Back in Bali, we spent the first few days in the obscenely touristy city of Kuta, soaking up the air conditioned shops and thrilled by the wide array of food options. Kuta is Bali's most popular tourist vacation, particularly as a surfing destination for Australians and Europeans looking for a beach vacation. The streets are packed with surf shops, trinket stands, bars, nightclubs, coffee shops and relatively expensive tourist restaurants. If there is any Indonesian authenticity remaining in Kuta, it is hiding far from the swarming city center. After a few days of gorging on the thrilling array of varied food options and pushing our way through hoardes of desperate street vendors, we grew tired of Kuta's hectic pace and rowdy nightlife. We checked out of our hotel and took a taxi back to Sanur, returning ... read more

On the 25th we traveled various back roads to Amed, on the N.E. coast of Bali. One town we drove through is famed for carved wood products and we laughed at a sign proudly declaring "Antiques made to order". Amed is an area described as "rustic Bali from 30 years ago" and we were really looking forward to snorkeling, as well as hiking in the foothills of Gunung Batur. On the way we visited Boseki - the Mother of all Temples, located on the upper slopes of the extinct volcano, Mt. Batur. After a long uphill hike, made all the longer by various touts attempting to sell us service or products to no avail, we reached the temple but a ceremony precluded our entering the main grounds. We are feeling "templed out" and find the temple ... read more