Gee 20 - Indonesia 2022

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The rich and powerful have descended with much fanfare on beautiful Bali for the G20 summit, which is being hosted by Indonesia for the year 2022. Perhaps it's just a coincidence, as your humble travel correspondent has embarked on a five week adventure to this wonderful part of the world at the same time. Mind you, the massive carbon emitting convoys I bear witness to on the streets every day as the elites shuttle from the G20 venue to their five star accommodation in Nusa Dua is something to behold, and doing wonders for local traffic conditions at the same time! I'm sure it comes about at the conclusion of another exhausting day emitting copious carbon from their lying mouths, as the elites insist on pontificating in a superior tone about what they have in store for the rest of us lesser humans! Leaving politics aside, I have fond memories of Bali, as this is the destination I've travelled to for two separate weddings of friends back home. The combination of these joyous occasions I helped celebrate, along with the breezy nature of the Balinese people all but guarantee a return visit after 15 years is just what the doctor ordered! Generally speaking work and life have become more stressful since the pandemic turned our collective worlds upside down in early 2020. It's incredible to note that now we are in late 2022, and I've never been a person to live my life in fear. Can you imagine, dear reader, that I've had the privilege to travel so much of the world, it wouldn't have been possible if my life ethos has not been galvanised by an adventurous spirit! Life is not without risk and never has been, so with this in mind I encourage readers who may have curtailed that adventurous spirt to break free from the shackles imposed on us by faceless bureaucrats and power hungry politicians. For what it's worth I recommend getting the travel skates back on, and setting out to explore this beautiful planet we are blessed to share. The experiences, the people, the culture, it's all there waiting if you just pull the trigger and commit to travel!

The adventure commenced after an intense period of work in Sydney. To be honest my focus in the office has never been at such a consistently high level since the beginning of the pandemic, but a long suppressed desire to explore the world still resides deep in my soul, and will continue to do so. The familiar feeling of anticipation and excitement is an emotion that's difficult to match, as I jetted out of Sydney to arrive at Australia's favourite travel destination after less than six hours flight time. How good is the opportunity, with a completely different and unique culture only a short flight away! After two weeks in Bali I assure the reader the beautiful and welcoming nature of the Balinese people remains as strong as ever. I checked in to a plush villa in Canggu around midnight. The area is the happening spot now in Bali, loaded up with expats and surfers enjoying the consistent waves and buzzing night life Canggu is famed for. There are beach clubs galore, fine dining and also prodigious amounts of traffic on the narrow streets.

A friend from Sydney has made a life for himself near Canggu with his wife and young son. On my first morning in chaotic Canggu we met for lunch and a coffee over a long awaited catch up. I followed behind him on my rental bike, feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the number of bikes and cars on the road. The area is close to logjam most of the day in and around the town centre, and only one narrow road heads south towards Seminyak, Legian and Kuta. So in order to get around riders must battle the extreme traffic, which for me proved to be the only negative of staying in Canggu. The villa offers a variety of tour options to explore the island, which are affordable and well organised. I have two weeks booked in Canggu, and there is much to see in Bali so it's time to get cracking.

The first tour was a long trip starting early with a shuttle bus to Sanur. From the port of Sanur boats head out for the fast ferry ride to one of the most famous destinations on Bali, the beautiful island of Nusa Penida. The island is famed for both the quality of snorkelling and its natural scenery. What a day the tour team packed in for us in an efficient manner! No sooner had the group been sorted for snorkelling gear than we shot out in smaller groups to explore four snorkelling spots over the course of a few hours. The reefs are teeming with tropical fish and stunning coral, and it was a blast to try out my new gopro for some underwater footage. I found the stops more than sufficient, and felt quite tired when they ferried up back to shore for lunch. We enjoyed a pleasant meal in a small group, and headed out in the car to explore the beautiful sights with our driver. The coastal scenery is completely off the charts, with stunning photographic opportunites on offer. We also visited a few lovely remote beaches to top off an excellent day in Nusa Penida.

I took a day of down time and then booked on the next tour to Ubud, the historical heart of Bali. The day commenced with an hour long performance by a theatre group set to traditional Balinese music. We got to experience sarong makers and wood carvers, visited a coffee plantation to sample their wares, and visited lovely temples. Ubud has a different feel to the rest of Bali with a focus on the heritage and culture of the island, as well as offering extreme adventure options for tourists in the form of quad bike tours and white water rafting. I had an interesting visit to the region, taking in the different sights with friendly and welcoming staff. The tour included a trip up to Kintamani for spectacular views of Batur mountain over a buffet lunch, along with a visit to a beautiful waterfall. It was great to be back in Ubud again after so many years away, as I concluded another enjoyable tour.

The next tour destination was Padang Bay, famous as a snorkelling and dive location with boats galore. The coral reefs and tropical fish are spectacular, both for the vibrant colours and the sheer volume of marine life in the ocean. At one spot the captain asked me to trail behind as he dolled out fish food from a water bottle. I've never seen such a swarm of beautiful fish in my life as they frantically swam around him for a feed, it was a veritable explosion of colour! The final tour was to the Uluwatu region, with gorgeous beaches to explore and the spectacular Uluwatu temple perched on a cliff top. The temple grounds are stunning, but beware the cheeky and abundant monkeys who snatch sunglasses and pop out the lenses from unsuspecting tourists. There are locals who offer food to the monkeys in order to retrieve the stolen goods for the tourists, all for a fee of course. It appears there is quite the racket going on up there! Anyway, two weeks in beautiful Bali have literally flown by, and it's time to get out to explore some other islands. Come to Bali, basically all of you should be here now!

" A ship is safe in harbour, but that's not what ships are for." William G.T. Shedd

As I continue my travels, until next time it's signing off for now

Tom

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Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Bali
We always enjoying diving photos.

[Tom Rooney]

Photo
Thank you so much team

[Ake Och Emma]

Looks awesome
That really looks awesome. I went to Indonesia 20 years ago and I absolutely loved it there. I didn't stay too long in Bali as there were other places (Krakatau and Komodo) that I really wanted to visit. But the days I spent in Bali were great. Back then Ubud was quite laid back. Is it still? I have heard rumours that it isn't. /Ake

[Tom Rooney]

Bali
Thanks for the lovely comment. Yes, Bali is still super chilled and a fun destination. I am heading to the Komodos soon.