Bali

My first experience to Bali was over a long weekend.  I had three days off and planned to spend it in North Bali checking out the sites and relaxing by the beach.  Instead of flying, I took the night train from Surabaya, got off at 5 in the morning, walked to the ferry to cross to Bali and then took a bus to my hotel in Lovina, north Bali.  It was effortless, and 1/6^th the price of flying, so I was happy.  I even beat the people who flew and were meeting me.

The waterfall we checked out

The place we stayed at was simple and nice, with good gardens and right on the black sand beach.  It had a pool and restaurant, and was a couple minute walk to the “main” road that had some restaurants, shops and bars.  We spent the days doing daytrips into the island, checking out the lakes and temples around north Bali, and some mountains.  It was really relaxing and fun, and with a big group easy to rent cars and drivers to take us around.  We saw some cool temples, and even some tombs carved into the stone.  The scenery was either dramatic mountains and jungle, vibrant green rice patties terraced on hillsides, or beachside paradise.  It’s understandable how Bali has such a draw for tourism.

The last day, we ended up in Kuta, having a seafood dinner on the beach, with all the tourists.  We ended up having some drinks in Kuta at night, which is the Isla Visa of Bali, filled with drunken young Australians.  The scene was a little too much for us, as we had an early flight, work the next morning, and were overall exhausted from our trip.

Sporting the sarong and sacred belt look

There is still so much more of Bali, and the surrounding islands to see, so I expect I’ll be going back to check it out soon enough.  Bali was a really nice place, and is a Hindu island, and very different from the Muslim island of Java.  It’s nice to have a contrast so close and convenient to us.  I’ll have to go back and try the surfing in south Bail, and some of the temples there are said to be amazing. 

The funny named but good smelling flower

It was another great weekend, and makes the weeks fly by.  Living from one weekend to the next is how I like it out here, doing fun adventures and travels every weekend is great.  It makes the city nice to come home too, without realizing it may not have the most to offer.  Also, when we do stay in Surabaya for the weekend (which I havn’t done in a really long time) it seems nice and full of things to do.

Until the next trip!