I didn't make any plans for my trip to Bali. I picked up a travel book. But I didn't read it.
Maybe, I was pretending that I didn't have to leave Queenstown. Most likely, I'm just lazy.
Either way, I ended up at the airport at midnight with nowhere to go for the evening so I squatted in a Starbucks for 7 hours. Starbucks now has a special place in my heart.
In the morning I grabbed a taxi to Kuta. A large, beachside town next to the airport. Then I walked around till I found a place to stay. I ended up staying at the Arena Hotel.
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| My balcony. Guess the pic doesn't really capture it |
It was about 5 minutes walk from the beach, down a little alley and next to tons of market stalls, restaraunts, and bars.
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| My room at the Arena. It's mansion like compare to the hostels I'm used to. MY OWN BATHROOM, UNGH! |
I liked it so much I stays for 4 nights.... Or maybe that was my laziness playing up again.
So I spent a few days just wandering around and checking out the beach and the neighborhood.
I love Bali.
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| My pool at the Arena |
It is hot and humid. Dirty and friendly. It's beautiful and cheap as dirt.
Finally, I got motivated enough to leave Kuta. So I hired a ride to Tanah Lot, a temple in the sea. It can actually be reached only in low tide though.
I hired a ride from the family run transport agency outside of my hotel. I was scared. The traffic here seems insane. It's completely chaotic. For instance, sidewalks are considered part of the road for motorbikes. But I've found that there's definitely a method to the madness.
My driver/guide, Justin Bieber, was awesome and I learned to relax after not being killed in the first half hour on the road.
Tanah Lot was beautiful and incredibly crowded. I'm finding that most of the places I visit are insanely crowded.
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| Tanah Lot |
At Tanah Lot I visited the sacred spring and was blessed by monks (for a small donation hehe).
The next day, it was back on the bike with Justin Bieber. We drove south to the Bukit peninsula. We stopped at dreamland beach, GWK, Padang Padang beach (my first monkey sighting and very crowded). Then onto Ula Watu for sunset. Ula Watu is a temple in the seaside with tons of monkeys. Once again, it was very crowded but cool. Monkeys are ******* frightening. Lol
Some of the alphas are as big as dogs and super aggressive. When they're mad they hiss at you and bare their face-eating teeth. I just keep my distance and take pictures at a slow run.
It was Justin's last night as a tour guide. The following day he was leaving for Jakarta to study as a mechanic and then apprentice for 5 years. Hopefully, to earn his fortune and make his parents proud. He was such a sweetheart and his family was good peeps. So on our way back to Kuta we stopped at Jimbaron and I bought us a fancy dinner on the beach. It was a good couple of days and I'm finding Bali to be more than I'd ever hoped. It's perfect.
I'm trying to remember to take pics on my iPad to share here. The real pics will have to come later
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