Bali

Before it only existed in name. In reputation. I would see it on every “Top 10 travel location” or “World’s best Islands” TV show. Travel and Leisure magazine rated it the best island in the world in 2009, and Lonely Planet ranked it #2 of all travel locations in 2010.

Would it live up to the hype? Read and find out.

Our Chinese New Year trip was over two weeks old at this point. We had been to 3 different countries, and several different locations in each country. Traveling for this long does strange things to you. It changes how you see things. It makes you a better person. Rather than looking forward to what the next day holds, you live in the moment. You enjoy that day. That’s why it didn’t hit me until well after our plane had landed. Until well after we had gotten to our hotel. To be honest, I don’t think it hit me until the sunset of our first day. But when it hit, it hit hard.

I’m in Bali!

Our first stop was the beach town of Seminyak. Our first day consisted of lying on the beach and swimming in the Indian Ocean. (Never thought id be able to say that) The first thing that helped me realize I was in Bali was the intensity of the sun. The rays of the sun near the equator can do some serious damage to the skin of a white boy who refuses to reapply sunscreen after playing in the ocean for 2 hours straight. The pain reminded me how stupid I am for the rest of the trip. But the sun did have some redeeming qualities later that day…

Beach in Seminyak

Our first Bed and Breakfast. It was about $20 per night. Same room in the states would have gone for way over $100

Real life

Okay, enough sunset pictures

 On the second day I went on a temple tour with Nika. We saw several of the most famous temples. The first one is only accessible during low tide. The one later that evening was perched on the edge of a cliff. It was there we saw the Kecak dance. Each person makes one specific sound. When put together with everyone else it turns into a rhythmic melody that puts you into a sort of trance. With the sun setting in the background it was a pretty spectacular sight. It was here when I finally understood the phrase, “No monkey business.” Monkeys will literally run up to you and steal something from you; your watch, your camera, your ear rings. And they won’t give it back until you feed them.

Maybe the best fish I have ever had. Cant compare with Balinese spices

Love the hat?

Bali style temples

A local guide told me it was 45 degrees C without heat index. That's 120 Fahrenheit. 

Tourist harassing monkeys are my favorite type of monkey.

Baby monkeys are ugly.

At the last temple of the day

We had to wear those yellow strands around our stomachs to prevent having any hate. Because hate starts in your stomach. Or something like that.

Kecak dance

 The next couple of days were spent in Kuta, the famous surfing town. So obviously I had to try surfing. Lets just say I do better on water when it’s in the form of snow. With about 50 failed attempts to stand up under my belt I finally “rode” a wave for a few seconds. When the beach bum who rented us the surf boards came out to help, I got much better.

Speaking of beach bums. That is literally what 90% of Balinese people are. They sit on the beach and rent out surf boards, or sell drinks or bracelets or clothes or art or crossbows (really!). Ladies will walk by offering to give you a foot massage, manicure, or pedicure. Typically I would not get a foot massage, but when it costs $5 and your laying on the beach in Bali drinking a Bintang beer at 11am, why not. If you walk up to any random Balinese person and say, “I want to go (fill in the blank) and do (fill in the blank) tomorrow” They will hook you up. Every person is a tour guide. The island lives 100% off of tourism. 

 We then went to Ubud, the cultural capital of Bali. We stayed in an open air cottage complete with lizards on the walls and ceiling. The open air shower was pretty great too. We went on a bike ride through the rice terraces. Saw some wood carving. Drank some poop coffee(more on this later). Drank tea and played Balinese instruments at a families living complex. The next day I stupidly decided to do yoga with Sarah. There are a lot of things my body is capable of, but yoga isn’t one of them.

Poop coffee aka luwak coffee. The luwak is a type of cat who only eats the best coffee beans. It then goes through the digestive system and is pooped out. People collect these pooped out coffee beans, clean then, roast them, and then grind them into coffee grounds. When compared to normal Arabica Coffee, it is clear how much smoother and less bitter this coffee is. Only drawback is less caffeine and cost. ($50 for one cup in NYC, I only paid $5) 

On the left is the poop, and on the right is after its cleaned.

This poop coffee oddly enough doesn't taste like poop.

Rice terraces in the background

Roasting coffee beans

Mt. Batur 

I want to go back already

99% of the kids were nice and said hello. The other 1% made various inappropriate gestures.

House complex is comprised of three sections; sleeping, eating, and praying. This was a "fancy" complex where several families lived. In Bali, instead of buying insurance, they have a family pig. If something goes bad, they sell or trade the pig.

Every house had some sort of entrance like this. Not a bad front door!

Open air shower

Ibu Oka. Claimed to be the best pork in the world by Anthony Bourdain. (Arthur Bryants is better)

Flesh eating fish 

They eat all of the dead skin. It tickled 

After nearly a week in Bali it was time to say goodbye. Goodbye to very friendly people who smile all day long. Goodbye to some amazing food. Goodbye to beautiful scenery, beaches, and cultures. It felt wrong to leave this place. There were so many more things I wanted to do and see. Maybe someday I will be fortunate enough to go back. Until then its, "Sin can gen an matuuuuu suksuma!!!!!!!!" (No worries and thank you very much!)

This was the end of my Chinese New Year trip. Ignoring an awful experience with Tiger Airways, I would say we saved the best for last!