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

Bali - first impression and monkey business

Bali - First Impressions

Our first destination is Kuta. We are at the airport without a hotel reservation, it is high season and already nighttime, so we are stuck paying $50 for our hotel. Kuta is the closest place from the airport, and Mika wants to see the beach. The roads and sidewalks are narrow and there are lots, I mean LOTS, of motorbike and car traffic. Kuta is probably great if you in your early twenties, a surfer and like clubbing. It is definitely not the relaxing, spiritual Bali that is in the brochures. So the next day we go to Ubud in the center of the island and the cultural center of Bali. Also, the second biggest tourist destination.

Bali is an amazing island in Indonesia that has maintained a type of hybrid hindu religion when the country has become predominantly muslim. There are temples, shrines and weird statues all over the place. They also have a unique dancing style and rich artisan history. The tourism industry is huge and caters to every type of traveller: surfers, scuba divers, new age yogis, backpackers, and luxury resorters. People are very friendly, but we also at times feel like a commodity. You cannot walk 15 ft. without someone asking if you would like a taxi or massage. We will rent a car soon and explore the island more ourselves. When we return to Ubud we will try to find a place away from the center and nestled in the rice fields. Since it is high season people are less-inclined to bargain with us.

It is hot and humid. There is no lack of sweat in Bali, though the Balinese do not seem to perspire. It is also dry season, but rains often. Big downpours which actually cool everything off. Many of the guesthouses are people's homes which is like a compound with extremely lush gardens. My hand washed socks never get dry.

We finally settle for a room in the center of town for 120,000 Indonesian Rupiah (US$13.50), including private bath with hot water and a light breakfast. Our stomachs and bowel systems have also adjusted to the new country and we have found - not as easily as we imagined - some restaurants catering to locals, not just tourists.

Monkey Around

Our first tourism excursion is to Monkey Forest just a short walk down the main road from our hotel. At the entrance is the "official Monkey Forest" banana seller. There are also some monkeys hanging about waiting to be fed. Interestingly, you do not see the monkeys around town, like in India. However, one night we heard a monkey rumble on the roof of our room.

In the forest are long-tailed macaques. Macaques, after humans, are the second most successful primate. They are supposedly wild animals, but I would say just half-wild. They have no problems climbing on people to get some food while some people have no problems with monkeys climbing on them to feed the monkeys. However, Mika was not so delighted the two times that the pesky critters jumped on her when mistaking her water bottle for food.

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