Back to Bali

Editor's Note: This is the last post from Asia for 2010. I apologize if it feels a bit rushed because it is. I am writing from the US and will be leaving soon for Columbia. Stay tuned and thanks for reading.

On the long bus ride from Surabaya to Denpassar we finally decide where we are going once we get to Bali - Gili Islands. The Gilis are three small islands in Lombok which is another main island in Indonesia and another island tourist destination that benefits from runoff from the throngs of foreigners visiting Bali.

The Gili Islands were recommended to us several people though none of them have been to Indonesia in over a decade. When we were first in Bali this July it was peak tourist season and we knew that these small islands would be swamped and anything but idyllic. Now with about seven days left in Indonesia, we are greedy and want a few more at the beach. We choose Gili because of the previous recommendations and for the chance to see some sea turtles though worry a bit that it could be really busy.

Sea Turtle and Me

Our bus stops in Denpassar, Bali and we take a shared taxi to Padangbai. Padangbai does have some beaches, but the main reason that this town seems to exisit is to take people to Lombok and the Gili Islands. There are many guesthouses, tourist restaurants and agents selling boat tickets. The good news is that it seems to be quite empty here and lots of accomodation options.

The next morning we take the ferry, bus and boat to arrive at Gili Air. From the pier heading east there seems to be one guesthouse after another and a lot of construction, but again the first noticeable thing is that there just are not so many tourists right now. It is quite pleasant. There are no motorized vehicles on the island. People walk, ride bikes or take horse drawn carts. It takes around 45 minutes to walk completely around Gili Air. We spend three relaxing and uneventful nights on the island and one day on a snorkel trip with the worst guide imaginable but with an extreme close up of a sea turtle and long distance view of a very large one.

View from the horse taxi

We leave the Gilis and head straight to Ubud. Since this is the very end of our stay I have decided that I will accept Bali for what it is (a huge tourist destination) and try to immerse myself in the tourist culture.

Our Bali style room

Banana Pancake dyed naturally with local flora

We spend the last few days in Ubud - the cultural center of Bali - doing what tourists do:

Shopping...Bali is the center for Indonesian nick knacks.
and they have cornered the world market for wooden cats.
We must have seen thousands on one day shopping trip.

Culture... Balinese dancing. They tell stories with their eyes.
On deciding which dance troop to see a local taxi driver tells us that all the groups are the same (not true) so it just depends on who has the most beautiful girls (maybe true) 

Eating... Fish sate is delicious and actually hard to find. Chicken and goat sate is everywhere.
For a meateater's view on Bali duck checkout this link