Indonesia: Soaking up the sun in Bali

We flew from Sydney to Denpasar on Bali. During the approach to Sydney, we could already see the smoke from the bushfires, and we could even smell it at the airport. The visibility was also limited due to the smoke, it was hazy gray. There we planned what we were going to do in Bali (uhhh, nothing?) and also planned our next destination. We don't have much time for that.

We flew from Sydney to Denpasar and when we stepped off the plane, the heat hit us directly in the face. Wow! Someone turned on the sauna here. The sun was blazing with temperatures above 30°C, so we headed to the air-conditioned terminal!

When we left the terminal on the other side, we quickly learned how things work here. One thing we read beforehand: Don't trust the taxi driver without a meter (everyone is a 'taxi driver' here), only one taxi company will get you and your luggage safely to your destination: BlueBird. We avoided all the other taxi drivers (Good Price! Good Price! Special Price, just for you! Yeah, right) and found a BlueBird taxi that took us to our accommodation. (20 minutes drive for €2.70). Our accommodation (€15/night) had a pool, a small kitchen, an air conditioner, and everything was clean. Can't complain about that! Plus, no neighbors in sight, a private pool with a swan! :-D Additionally, there were frangipani and mango trees in the garden...

We went for a walk, enjoyed our first sunset in Bali (the sun can actually completely sink into the ocean without a haze!) and then went to a Warung (that's what they call restaurants here). We ordered some food and drinks. It was delicious and only cost €4.70. We could get used to this :)

Although we lived close to the water back home, we haven't tried all water sports yet. We even know people who could give us tips on surfing and stuff. But you can also surf well in Bali, at least there's a surf school after surf school on the beach. We booked a beginner's course! After a bit of theory and practice standing up (a little workout), we were already in the water. Our instructor pushed us along the upcoming wave and we just had to stand up. Marius got the hang of it quickly, Cerina also managed to stand up on the board after a few more tries. Yeah! After a break, we had to paddle ourselves to catch the wave, but that didn't work so well anymore. We watched the sun disappear behind the horizon and then disappeared ourselves in the Warung to eat Mie and Nasi Goreng. Yummy!

For the next day, we hired a private driver to visit some sights on the island. We could have also rented a scooter or a car, but the traffic here is pure chaos. Rules are more like guidelines and every opportunity (to overtake/to turn/to cross/...) is taken. You just can't stop or make unpredictable changes in direction. The scooter is a vehicle for the whole family here. At the same time! Dad drives, the smallest one sits in front, the mother at the back, and the older son sits between mom and dad. Nothing unusual here! We didn't want to drive ourselves in this traffic.

Our driver Madi maneuvered us out of the city to our first destination, the Monkey Forest in Ubud. Many macaques live in the forest, referred to as 'semi-wild' by the rangers. The monkeys can do whatever they want, but they are fed. In addition, there are several temples located in the forest, which can be seen at least from their gates.

Nearby are the Tegallalang Rice Terraces. We knew that the rice fields have to be flooded during a certain growth period, but where are the rice grains actually located on the plant? You'll see it soon :-). Rice can be harvested twice a year, and we were there shortly before the harvest. It was scorching hot, and we were sweating from climbing the stairs!

Our next destination was another Hindu temple. Hindu? A little detour to the observed practice of the religion. The majority of Balinese people are Hindus. Besides countless large public temples, according to the taxi driver, almost every family has its own private temple, or at least a shrine. We believe that. There were temples everywhere, and smaller ones nestled against houses. The religion is celebrated lively. There are small woven offering baskets with fresh flowers and offerings (from candy, crackers, rice, cigarettes, to soy sauce...). And of course, always with extra incense sticks and placed ceremoniously everywhere (no limits there: driveway, fence, sidewalk, refrigerator, shrine, counter,...). You have to be careful not to step on one.

The Hindu water temple Pura Tirta Empul (962 AD) has a sacred spring where believers can undergo a ritual/spiritual cleansing. Holy water flows into a pool from 12 spring pots, and the believers line up to cleanse themselves. Each individual water fountain is used, as each one spiritually cleanses a different area. Next to it, a ceremony was held, and in a water basin there, we actually saw water coming out of a spring in the ground. That made the place very special. Sarongs must be worn to enter any Hindu temple. A sarong is a large cloth that is wrapped around the waist and covers the legs.

After having lunch at probably the most expensive Warung in Bali (recommended by our driver...), we went to a coffee plantation (also on his recommendation). We walked through the garden of the plantation and saw cocoa plants, coffee plants, lemongrass, a type of ginger, and a cage with three civets, called Luwaks. They told us about coffee cultivation in Bali, I got to roast coffee, and then we had a free tasting of cocoa, tea, and of course, coffee.

So what's the deal with the civets? These nocturnal animals produce the most expensive coffee in the world! They eat the coffee beans from the plants, digest them, poop them out, and then a few poor people have to collect, clean, and roast them. And tadaaa! Luwak coffee. We ordered a cup to try it. A bit acidic, but definitely coffee. They also call it Cat-Poo-Chino.

We then continued to another sauna session, oh wait. The sweat was running down the body worse than in the sauna, and the air-conditioning in the car cooled us down again. Pura Gunung Kawi or the Royal Tombs (yes, Hindu, this time from the 11th century) were 268 steps down in the valley. Large shrines/tombs were carved into the rock walls, near rice terraces. Also nice to look at, but without a guide, we missed out on the history of the place and its significance.

Cerina went diving again and dived in two dives to the USAT Liberty, which sank in World War II and measures 120 meters in length. The shipwreck was full of corals and colorful fish. Meanwhile, Marius went snorkeling in the Blue Lagoon.

The next morning, we snorkelled together in the Blue Lagoon. Many excursion boats were dropping off snorkelers and divers there, but the visibility was quite poor and most of the corals were dead. At least we got to see some colorful fish (the picture above is still from the wreck diving).

Despite being the rainy season, we didn't have rain at all, but we had over 30 degrees Celsius every day in the shade, and it didn't cool down at night either. What we will miss: the delicious food (from Nasi Goreng to Mi Goreng, noodle soups, banana pancakes, papayas, etc.) for little money, the many temples and all the offering baskets, the traffic, which is a sight in itself (how much can fit on a scooter!), the good weather, the surfing

What we won't miss: The chaotic traffic in general, where you constantly have to be careful, the trash in every corner and even in the dry riverbeds, the constant heat, and the many approaches in front of souvenir shops and taxi drivers.

Oh yeah, we were millionaires here! 1 million Indonesian Rupiah is equal to 64 euros ;-).