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Published: July 19th 2005
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Bali's East Coast
The view from our resort in Candi Dasa Next stop Bali. No bombs just peace, tranquility and free luxury accommodation for a week.
We finally got to cash in on that timeshare presentation we sat through back in February. We were on Koh Samui at the time, wandering around minding our own business when we were accosted by two overly friendly Thais who wanted to make our day. We were suspicious, naturally, but let them lead us along to see what would happen. They promised free hotels, camcorders and even cash for just a few hours of our time. What happened was we ended up sitting through a presentation that lasted three hours. One in which we dutifully crunched the numbers and tried to make it work but sadly, were unable to. The upside was that because we the guys running the scam thought they might be able to hook us with a little push they gave us a free week’s hotel in Bali. We of course took it and were very dubious about what it would look like when we arrived.
It turned out fantastically. The hotel was in a place along Bali’s east coast called Candi Dasa. The room itself was really clean with soft
The Freebie
Not bad for nothing a night. sheets and lots of pillows. It had a TV with ESPN and HBO. There was air conditioning, hot shower and a mini kitchen. There was even a great pool. It was a far cry from the rugged mountains and fully armed bedbugs of Laos. The only downside was that there was a vastly overpriced restaurant. Beer was very pricey compared to everywhere else on the island. And the beach they promised was virtually non-existent. As it turns out the residents of this particular town had destroyed the beach. They excavated all the coral for building and the beach washed away. They’ve since tried to rebuild it by erecting dozens of concrete jetties to try to help buildup the sand again.
We did little else during the week except relax by the pool, work on our tans and soak up the clean sheets and downy fresh towels. The only catch was that we had to sit through another two hour sales pitch which we again crunched the numbers on and were unable to justify.
That wasn’t all for Candi Dasa however. We also stayed at another place for a few days that was run by a lovely Australian
There are no bugs!
Lottie loving the clean sheets, towels and drinks by the pool. woman named Rosemary. Under her expert care we fell in with some of the local expat crowd. A mix of Australians and mad Germans. We had a great few nights barbequing freshly caught tuna, drinking beers and playing endless rounds of Bocce.
After 10 totally relaxing days we moved inland to the town of Ubud. A shoppers paradise that Charlotte disappeared into for two days.
Again we found great cheap accommodation in a little bungalow off the main street amid a mass of temples and tiny alleyways.
When we weren’t trudging up and down the streets looking for “bargains” we rented a motorbike. We headed further inland to a place called Kintamani, the site of Bali’s largest volcano. It was a relatively uneventful hour long drive except for getting stopped by a bunch of cops doing a spot check. This is a regular pastime for Bali’s police force. It’s especially popular close to weekends and holidays. A word to the wise if you’re driving on the island carry your international drivers license. I thought it was useless when we bought it back in December but was very glad to have it as it saved me the substantial
Bocce for everyone!
A mad evening courtesy of Rosemary and Bali Santi fine that comes with not carrying one.
The volcano itself was breathtaking. It’s massive. Almost half the mountain was blown away at some point not too long ago and there’s crusty, black river of lava rock that oozed its way down the slope. We drove through the lava field. The shocking part was the tiny villages at the base of the volcano and the hundreds of people who live there.
Another great adventure in Ubud is the Monkey forest. A piece of jungle swarming with a troupe of monkey's. Be warned they have no fear. They climb up your body and snatch anything even remotely resembling food. Is that a banana in your pants? Watch out!!!!
After Ubud we needed a break from all this relaxation and headed for the beach town Kuta. It’s where the Bali bombs went off in 2003. The town is a madhouse compared to the slow pace around the rest of the island. It was just what we were looking for.
Again we found a sweet room with a great pool right outside. Great for swimming. Bad for sleeping. Every night we were woken by drunken cannonballers and every morning by
Volcano at Kintamani
It's a great place to visit but don't think I'd want to live there. screaming five year olds.
No big deal all we had to do was get up. Walk a hundred metres to the beach and crash out in the sun. While Charlotte soaked up the rays and watched the planes land at the airport on the other side of the bay. I perfected my surfing skills. We spent 10 days hanging out with the cool kids on the beach. All in preparation for the upcoming adventure in India. Which both of us are very excited about.
That’s all from Bali. Stay tuned very shortly for our romp through Malaysia brought to you by Charlotte.
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dylan schenkeveld
non-member comment
nice one!
good one guys. Still charging on I see......might see you guys in Canada in the new year hey! Chau for now and good luck on the rest of your travels