Blogs from Bali, Indonesia, Asia - page 224

1 USD to 9050 Rupehia another currency change! Arrival to Bali USD25 - Departure tax USD10 Flew into Kuta on the 22nd July & stayed in Bamboo B+B....people say get out of there as fast as you can, I actually liked it, the main beach wasn’t that appealing but the shopping was paradise but be preapared to bargain down... (and now that I am typing this from Thailand - way way cheaper than here too...) Spent 2 nights in Kuta and then on to Ubud haven for arts and crafts and I certainly wasn't disappointed..... I picked up 3 AMAZING paintings for the price of a Wham bar... Also got mugged by a monkey,. stepped out of the jeep with my bag on my back with some cookies in the side pocket and I never ... read more

Bali wasn't on the list as we left home all those many moons ago but due to Quantas pulling a few strings to get us to Singapore when we needed to they offered to fly us to Bali for three days before Singapore for the price of a Wham bar, so we couldn't exactly refuse. We had always spoke about Bali when planning the itinerary but due to a couple of unexpected firework displays going off in nightclubs we decided against the paranoia on the dancefloor. Well, how things change. We were accompanied to Bali with Shona and Victoria (two geordie lasses we met on the Alice to Darwin trip) and also mad hatter irish bird Stacey who i met up the east coast on Fraser Island. S and V had accomodation already sorted so ... read more

One morning in Ubud we visited the Botanical gardens which is celebrating its first anniversary in June of this year. There we met German born Stefan Reisner, botanist and co-owner of the Ubud Botanic Gardens who acquired the land from the Indonesian Government. He stated they didn't think the land was worth much and I guess the locals thought bad spirits dwelled on the 5 hectares. In two short years Stefan and his partner, Faizah, a business woman from Java, have created this most wonderful space. A meditation grotto, Islam garden, pitcher plant area with over 200 pitcher plants of the tropical variety. Most originating from Borneo (Kalimantan), Sumatra and Papua, New Guinea. A stone path winds among different varieties of bamboo and you'll see hundreds of butterflies of every color! The gardens are just ... read more

Our driver picked us up at the Keraton after we said our goodbyes to the ladies that owned the little shops by the Jimbaran bay seafood beach restaurants. Warta drove us up to Ubud, in the center of island. It is a haven for artists. Located over an hour drive from Jimbaran but it took us longer because we wanted to stop in the many villages along the way. There is batik making, wood carving, stone carving, painters, you name it. Artist, Walter Spies, a German born in Moscow in 1895, visited Bali in 1927 & stayed. He was very influential on the Balinese art scene. He encouraged them to go beyond the religious & traditional boundaries of their art and inspired them to paint everyday Balinese life and themes rooted in their Hindu mythology. ... read more

One evening we were walking from the bar on the beach and there were all sorts of night noises. Frogs croaking, this little brown toad every night was sitting on a rock next to the koi pond by the breakfast area chirping away. Over by the pool we could hear something large like a cricket or cicada. The next afternoon I looked through the lime tree next to the pool and discovered the biggest grasshopper I'd ever seen. There was also a preying mantis that is smaller than ours. In the photo of grasshopper that's the new suit Mark bought me in Kuta. Most every meal that is served has the plate covered with a cut out round piece of banana leaf. The rice is served in the middle of the plate in a cone ... read more