10 Days in Bali (on our way to Sydney)

5th-15th October 2016 Bali: Departure with Air Asia in Singapore and arrival in Bali-Denpasar after 2.5 hours. There is hardly any public transportation. Therefore, we take a taxi to Seminyak for 6 days. Highlights include endless beaches with relatively strong waves and beautifully warm water, massages for the parents, and pool for the boys, snorkeling trip to Nusa Dua, boat ride to Turtle Island, temple excursion to Tanah Lot, relaxing, sipping fresh juices, being lazy... Torben left his Visa card in the ATM at the airport. During this trip, he met 'our' taxi driver Tommy, who drove us on the larger trips from Seminyak to Ubud and also back to the airport. Through him, we learned a lot about the country, society, and people.

From Seminyak, we continue to Ubud for 4 more active days. Along the way, we visit 2 temple complexes and a coffee plantation. By the way, driving (along) here is not much fun. The roads are narrow and super crowded with cars, mopeds, and motorcycles. We didn't see any tuk-tuks like in Thailand, and hardly any cyclists either. First, we visit Pura Taman Ayun in the light rain (the temple of the floating gardens). At the coffee plantation, we taste the different coffee and cocoa beans as well as the local tea varieties. Then we continue to Pura Alas Kedaton, a 300-year-old temple located in the forest and inhabited by monkeys. Our accommodation Anulekah is located outside the town and has a very nice pool and, of course - as everywhere - wifi.

Ubud is a very lively and touristy city that we really liked. Here too, we found various geocaches and probably saw corners that we would have otherwise overlooked. So we visited the larger temples and palace complexes Pura Desa Ubud and Puri Saren Agung, of course, the Monkey Forest located on the outskirts, and also a dance event.
In the Monkey Forest, you can feed the monkeys bananas. However, the monkeys know exactly who's in charge in the park. And they also know all possible hiding places where sweets may be waiting (in my sun hat, in the backpack pocket, or even in Torben's back pocket.)
The dance event took place south of Ubud and started child-friendly at 6:30 pm. They performed the Kecak dance (Monkey Dance) as well as trance dances. I liked it, Torben a little less, and the boys were impressed by the colorful and loud events (and with fire).

The older boys went on a guided bike tour off the roads and towards Mount Batur with great views, encounters, and an interesting guide, and were absolutely thrilled. Mika and I visited the Bali Bird and Reptile Park with bird and animal shows, animal feedings (e.g., greedy pelicans), inconspicuous black and yellow, language-capable birds, eagles, parakeets, and parrots (and much more). It was just incredibly hot...
Time passed quickly here and we fly back to Singapore, already with the plan to fly to the Malaysian island of Tioman if the visas are not ready.