Canggu

After a short ferry ride, we arrived in Gilimanuk, at the western tip of Bali, also known as the Island of the Gods. However, our reception was far from divine, as we were harassed by the bus mafia, whom we had cleverly avoided in Probolinggo. We had read on the internet beforehand that we should insist on the local price and only pay the bus driver directly, otherwise we would be charged a much higher tourist price. So we stuck behind two Balinese people who had also arrived on the ferry and bypassed the first "mediators" who lead you to the bus and then charge you. Unfortunately, the two of them had already reserved seats, so we ended up in another very rickety bus without fans or air conditioning. Before we set off, one of the bus mafia even tried to throw us out of the bus because we hadn't paid yet. We stood our ground and paid the driver. A little more than the price we had found on the internet and probably significantly more than the locals pay, but at just under 4 euros/person for several hours of driving, it wasn't really a rip-off 😉 In the bus, every square inch was packed with passengers, extra seat cushions were installed in the aisle - in short, we sweated like pigs and our buttocks fell asleep due to a lack of legroom. We had the pleasure of enjoying the comfort of the seats for 5 wonderful hours, as that's how long the journey to Denpasar took due to the heavy traffic. From the bus station, we ordered a Grab taxi, which eventually took us to Canggu and to our accommodation. Hallelujah, what a ride. But it was rewarded with a beautiful, peaceful villa with a great pool and a large open living room. Canggu itself is a pretty hip and lively place with many nice cafes, numerous vegan restaurants, and chic shops. Unfortunately, we couldn't find any dream beaches like the ones you imagine when you think of Bali. The beaches were more suitable for surfing than swimming - good for Philip, who borrowed a surfboard and rode the waves, but not so good for Jana, who was knocked down by the waves while trying to splash around 🙈 We also took care of some necessary things like doing laundry, cutting hair (Philip), and getting a pedicure (Jana). Our only serious tourist activity was visiting the Tanah Lot Temple, which is cut off from the rest of the island by the tide. However, we were there at low tide, so it wasn't quite as spectacular, as the temple itself is quite small and not accessible. In order to be allowed to climb the few steps at the edge, you are blessed. So we were sprinkled with holy water, had rice stuck to our foreheads, and a flower tucked behind our ears. The landscape around the temple is very beautiful. We watched the sunset - unfortunately, as is often the case in the current rainy season, it was cloudy - and at dusk, hundreds of bats flew out of their Batman cave. On the second-to-last day, we finally went for a little jog, barefoot along the beach, which has a really beautiful backdrop for running. In the evening, we had delicious vegan food and an amazing one-hour foot massage.

All in all, the days in Canggu were pretty relaxed. We slept in, ate well, Philip did a bit of surfing, we enjoyed our beautiful accommodation, and otherwise didn't do much. Bali is definitely very different from Java, you can feel a big difference in the religious influences, almost only Hindus live in Bali. There are small temples everywhere, almost every family has its own small shrine, and small offerings in the form of flowers and candies are constantly laid out on a folded banana leaf in front of them. Additionally, it's much more touristic here, so far no one has wanted to take a photo with us 😜