10.12.19 - 23.12.19 Bali

We continued our journey to Indonesia from Taipei. Before landing in Bali, we had a several-hour layover in Manila, where we spent most of the time trying out the limited culinary options at our terminal. Time passed quickly and in the evening we arrived in Bali, where we would spend the next 12 days. Bali left a beautiful, but somewhat challenging, impression on us from our previous trip, as we found it difficult to get around using public transportation. This time, we were prepared and decided to take it easy.

We spent the first three nights in the center of Denpasar, the capital of Bali.

We took it slow at first, as the heat and humidity were quite intense. We visited a market where Lea made several new friends who stuck by her side to make sure she knew where to find the best sarongs.

We visited a monument commemorating the battles of Balinese history.

We finally enjoyed delicious Nasi Campur and savored the spiciness of Indonesian cuisine.

We took a long walk to the sea in Sanur to organize our bus ticket for the next leg of our journey. (There is now a bus company that serves as a shuttle between the most popular tourist destinations. However, it operates with fixed departure times and reasonable prices). The 16 km walk was challenging in the heat, but it was worth it.

Our next stop was Bedugul in the highlands of Bali, about 2.5 hours away by car. Surprisingly, our bus to Bedugul was almost empty. It seems that not many people opt for public transportation. It started raining about 10 minutes before our arrival, so we were relieved to find a budget guest house right next to the bus stop where we stayed and watched the heavy rain. According to the owner, it rains for about two hours every day around noon, and everything quickly gets flooded. Bedugul is a popular destination for day trips, located near Lake Beratan with a famous temple, as well as two other lakes and countless waterfalls. As usual, we wanted to take our time and stayed for two nights.

After the rain stopped, we explored the market to find something to eat. As a man who was trying to sell something to us said, the market was full of "junk" (it's quite amusing what tourists teach locals sometimes).

After finally finding delicious Nasi Campur, we visited the famous temple. It is one of the most important temples in Bali, so important that an image of it is featured on the old 50000 Rupiah bill. The structures are picturesque, built into the lake. On the way there, we saw how absurd the selfie culture in Bali has become, with multiple advertisements for viewpoints where people could take photos on swings and in nests, of course for a fee.

While we were riding the scooter the next day, we saw these viewpoints in person and had some trouble finding one that didn't require payment.

Our excursion first took us to a large waterfall, which was truly impressive and not too crowded.

After the waterfall, we planned to continue to a village, but Lea became scared on the winding mountain roads and we had to turn back. After having lunch at one of the viewpoints, we were about to head back home when the daily rainfall interrupted us.

We decided to find a place to have a drink and wait for the heavy rain to subside. The rest of the day was laid-back.

Before heading north the next day, we visited the local botanical garden. Since it was Sunday, the garden was packed with numerous groups engaged in various activities. There was dancing, singing, and eating, and everyone seemed to be having a great time. We were a bit overwhelmed by the crowd at times and were glad to find a peaceful path.

At noon, we headed to Lovina, an area on the north coast of Bali that is quite touristy but much quieter than the south. Since it was the low season, it was almost deserted at times. We treated ourselves to a beautiful hotel with a lovely garden and a nice pool. It was a great place to spend four nights.

Otherwise, we would have gotten a bit bored, as the offered tour program didn't interest us much. But we still found some nice places, and Mathias had some culinary highlights as well.

We went on a trip to a Buddhist monastery that replicates the temple in Borobodur, which we visited 6 years ago. We took a Bemo, the public bus in Indonesia, for part of the way and then walked nearly 3 km uphill, which was quite sweaty. But it was definitely worth it, as we had a great view of the sea and the landscape from the top, and luckily there was a pleasant breeze.

The beach in Lovina was not particularly attractive, but we still spent a morning there, finally testing out our snorkeling equipment. We had to navigate through shallow water to reach the reef. It was definitely worth it, as we saw colorful corals, bright blue starfish, and several interesting fish. It was a beautiful experience. Our time on the beach was often interrupted by beach vendors who engaged in small talk before trying to sell us something. Fortunately, they left us alone when we made it clear that we were not interested.

Our three days in Lovina passed by leisurely, and then we continued on to Ubud.

We had been to Ubud six years ago and have mixed memories. Back then, we had one of our most beautiful rooms of the entire trip. We especially loved the green rice fields surrounding the city. But it is also one of the most touristy places in Bali. Therefore, it is no wonder that it has become even more crowded in recent years. We were a bit shocked by the number of people there. Unfortunately, we made a slightly questionable choice with our hotel, but it was still okay. We were happy to find that our favorite Nasi Campur place from before was still there, and we enjoyed the many good cafes that the tourism industry has brought along, which also use Balinese coffee beans. And overall, Ubud is just really beautiful.

We spent the afternoons taking walks through the surrounding rice fields, which are still breathtaking.

On the second evening, we had a special highlight. We had a reservation at the restaurant 'Locavore' for their 9-course menu. It's a fantastic fine dining restaurant that focuses on regional ingredients and has gained international recognition. And what can we say, it was delicious. We easily had more than 9 courses, and there were some real highlights.

On our last evening in Bali, we attended a benefit concert in Denpasar organized by the Denpasar Collective, where 12 Indonesian punk bands performed. We hadn't been to a concert in a long time, so it was great timing. We met some nice people and experienced a very pleasant concert culture.

The next day, we headed to the airport early in the morning to begin our semi-surprise visit to Austria.