Advertisement
Published: January 1st 2020
Edit Blog Post
Today we leave for home, which is always bittersweet after a great vacation. We are both excited to be back in our own beds, watching for Charlie the seal, enjoying our awesome home and seeing our friends and family . However, leaving the sun, smiling locals, healthy/tasty food and the chill vibe is also sad.
Some take-aways from our time in Bali:
The people of Bali are so welcoming and gracious. They are always ready with a smile and a greeting, no matter the time of day. It never feels contrived and you do feel like a very valued guest.
The food is amazing. It is fresh, flavorful and varied, with options from grilled meats/vegis to noodles to rice to smoothies. We have been careful over the past two weeks to not drink the water (even not using the tap for brushing our teeth) and up until we got to Sanur 2 days ago, didn’t have ice. Slowly we have added in ice and eating some not cooked fruits/vegis and am thrilled to say…no Bali Belly! I am not a big breakfast food person, so I have really enjoyed having the noodle and rice options in the morning. Ken has actually embraced the mei goreng (stir fried noodles) with egg for breakfast, so converting him to the non-bacon/eggs side of the meal!
One thing that has really bothered me since arriving is the plastic waste crisis here. In many areas, there is trash along the small water ways, especially plastics of every size and shape. The government has outlawed plastic bags, which will definitely help, but the huge dependency on water bottles is hard to overcome. Both the Swallow House and the Nike Villas have water coolers that we used to refill our bottles, but many hotels and homes are not doing that (including the Hyatt). There is a push to educate the farmers and more rural areas about the need to control the trash, but truthfully…. where can it all go? It would be great to see some of our big trash companies do some pro-bono work to help figure out how to help, as the affect on our overall planet, including our oceans is devastating.
I would highly encourage those of you who want to visit Bali, to definitely do so!! The most expensive part of the trip is getting here, after that you can choose your Bali experience and cost. Taxis and drivers are very cheap. One full day of touring with a driver was $50. Meals were very inexpensive, with the average being about $25 for dinner with either two entrees and either beer or wine.
Over the past two weeks, we mixed it up with staying at some very different properties (prices for our time frame):
· Grand Hyatt – Beautiful and huge…could have been in Hawaii, Mexico or any large beach resort area ($134 a night)
· Volcano Terrace – Family owned, located in a village with amazing views, basic amenities, very clean and included breakfast ($40 a night)
· Swallow Guest House – Family owned, rural, beautiful views, cook your own food or have the family cook for a small fee ($40 a night)
· Nike Villas – Off the main street at Sanur Beach. Breakfast, tea and evening turn-down service included, beautiful rooms with full kitchens. Some rooms had a private pool…not ours ($100 a night)
Now it is time to wrap it up, head to the airport for our 240-hour trip home. We leave at 4p on Tuesday, December 31 at 4p and arrive in Seattle at 8p on Tuesday, December 31! Longest Tuesday ever!
Footnote: It is now New Years Day 2020 and we were home by 9p last night and our own bed felt amazing!! We wish everyone a healthy, happy and wonderful New Year!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.32s; Tpl: 0.014s; cc: 12; qc: 30; dbt: 0.2866s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb