Kuta
So it turns out we took the longest way possible to get to Bali. After getting on our flight which we thought was going to Jakarta, but was really stopping first in Singapore (where we had to get off the plane, wait 20 minutes and then re-board) we landed in Jakarta and had the hardest time ever finding our connecting flight. The airport had multiple terminals, which thankfully I found out from an Indian man I sat next to on the plane. We tried to get to Terminal 1, but it wasn't easy. We had to check in again, try to find out if our bags were going straight to Bali or if we had to pick them up and recheck them (in the end we didn't), go through another 2 security checks, buy a Visa into the country (25$, which we also were unaware of) and finally we emerged outside. But we didn't want to be outside, we wanted to find our connecting flight. We asked someone how to get to Terminal 1 (unlike every other airport in the world, there was no staff helping you get to where you had to go and no airport shuttle train system to get you there) and they replied by telling us to take a Taxi (how convenient that this man was a taxi driver). Ok, enough of this sh*t, there was no way I was paying for a taxi to get me to a connecting flight that I had already paid 200$ for. Finally we found out about a yellow shuttle bus that was supposed to mysteriously show up and take us to where we had to go. After waiting 20 minutes, and the anxiety building up about whether or not we would get to our flight (there is an hour difference between Jakarta and Bali so we didn't really know what time it was) the bus showed up and actually did bring us to where we needed to be. Finally. After arriving at our terminal I relaxed a bit and we boarded the last flight from Jakarta to Bali. After getting off the plane in Bali at 11:30 we found another Belgian couple to share our cab with and we were delivered to Poppies Lane II on Kuta beach. We quickly found a room for 250,000 rupiah (more expensive than we had paid at any other crap hole we stayed at, and that's what this place was) and by that time (1:00AM) we decided to try and concur Kuta tomorrow and not venture out sober. The next morning I woke up and saw Katie's fear stricken face. She had gone to the bathroom in the middle of the night and had seen a "mini-tarantula" as she called it, so we obviously could not stay there again. We strapped on the backpacks once more (now heavy with all the stuff be bought in Vietnam) and found somewhere else for a little bit cheaper (200,000 rupiah, which is about 25$). We woke up early and hit the beach. Kuta is known to be very loud and boisterous and we didn't take other traveller's advice and stay away. The beach was lined with stores like Top Shop and Billabong and fast food places like McD's and KFC (they really love the KFC, I think we saw like 5 of them). We ignored all the offers for "transport" and "motorbike" and finally found the white sand beach that is Kuta. The sun was out and the breeze was nice so we didn't feel the heat. The waves were big and most of the beach had the red flag "do not swim" warning (perfect for beginners learning to surf). After chilling out for a bit and being glad to be back on the beach Katie and I had our first surfing lesson. A group of Balinese surfer dudes taught us how to get up on our boards and then brought us out into the waves. They helped us get out and choose a wave to take and after a few tries Katie and I were able to surf into shore. After an hour or two of surfing (and a few breaks in between) we were exhausted and called it quits. Who knew surfing could be so exhausting? We explored the town for the rest of the day and then went out to the local hotspot Skygarden that night. The place was cool, located 4 stories up and on a rooftop. We had one of their free drinks, then threw it out (pretty sure it was not vodka in there) and continued to drink Bintang. We had a few more drinks downstairs and then headed to Bounty (known to be full of teenage Aussies). This place was weird. There was a mix of young and old, and a Balinese woman with her baby boy trying to get money from tourists. Katie and I were turned off by the fact that there was a baby in a night club at 1AM and decided to go to bed. After buying a pack of Tam Tams and sharing it between us we passed out.
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| Surf Lesson |
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| Kuta Beach |
The next morning we woke up to the sound of a tour driver knocking at our door (we had hired him the day before to take us around Bali). We quickly dressed and despite our hangovers followed him to his car. The day was a bit of a let down, there was a lot of driving involved and little sight seeing; we hadn't realized Bali was so big and the roads were small, windy and filled with traffic. First we drove to Monkey Forrest in Ubud and wandered through a sanctuary of hundreds of monkeys. One of them even stole a cracker right out of my hand. Next we drove to Kintamani, a volcano that last erupted in 1969. We ate lunch at a restaurant that overlooked the volcano. The place was beautiful, but it was a bit disappointing to see that the lunch was buffet and was more than expensive. We were starting to get the feeling that we were being pressured into things we didn't want; its hard to know what your getting from a private tour. We thought we would be in control, but it didn't seem to be the case. Driving a little further, we came to rice fields on a hillside which were beautiful. We talked to a local and found out that the rice crop was harve3sted 3 times a year and took one month to plant. The rice grown in these paddies was enough to feed one family all year. The Balinese eat rice for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Back in the car, we drove another few hours to Jimbaran beach. Our driver dropped us off int he parking lot of a restaurant and again we felt pressured. We walked out, along the beach in search of a restaurant that we chose, only to be followed by him. We told him we were going to choose where we wanted to go and we would meet him in one hour. I didn't eat because I was still full from lunch, but Katie who hadn't felt up to eating at the volcano ordered fresh seafood. We sat on the beach and watched the sunset which was beautiful. Our driver then took us back to Kuta and we thanked him, glad to be back to making our own decisions. Having booked a trip for the Gilis the next day (we had to wake up at 6AM) we decided not to go out. Instead we went for Indonesian food (now I was hungry) and watched a movie until we both fell asleep.
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| Monkeys in Monkey Forrest |
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| Kintamani Volcano |
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| Rice fields |
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| Sunset at Jimbaran beach |
We took a ferry (round trip 700,00 RP = ~80$) to Gili Trawagan early the next morning. We were picked up and driven the hour and a half to the pier. this place was in no way organized. Trying to keep an eye on where our bags where being taken, trying to get tickets for the way there and back and trying to buy breakfast was no easy task. Just as we got our tickets we saw our bags being wheeled away so we ran after them. As the boats were being loaded it started to downpour. We waited under a rooftop and as the last bags were loaded onto our boat, no one has told us what to do so we decided to try to get on the boat ourselves. Someone from the docks told us we weren't allowed but we yelled "our bags are on there!" and we were allowed to board. We squished 3 people into the small seats on the boats and finally took off. The ride was bumpy and the inside of the boat was hot. After an hour and a half, and after dropping off passengers in Lombok we arrived on Gili Trawangan. We dropped our bags of at a homestay (150,000 RP a night) and headed for the beach. Now we were in paradise. We stayed on the beach until we were shaded and then went back to our room to shower. the place boasted having fresh water showers, but after using it we decided the salt content was slightly less than ocean water. We walked along the beach until we came to a seafood restaurant that had what we were looking for (Fortuna Cafe). We took advantage of the all-you-can-eat salad bar and were then served fresh grilled squid and prawns. Dinner was more than delicious. We headed back to our room (didn't seem like there was much going on on the Island due to Ramadan) and watched The Tourist. We fell asleep to the sounds of Ramadan prayers being blasted over a loudspeaker next to our hotel (even earplugs couldn't block out the noise) and then were woken in the middle of the night when their prayers started before the daily fast.
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| Happy to be back at the beach |
The next morning we woke up early again and headed to the beach. We had breakfast at a small cafe (Cafe Gili Trawangan, really good eggs Florentine) on the beach that had huge bean bags instead of chairs. We chilled on the beach until noon then decided to rent bikes and bike around the island. After starting out we soon realized that the paths on the quiet side of the island were mostly sand and we had to walk our bikes half the way. After touring the island and realising that we really were on the best beach we parked our bikes and rented some snorkeling gear. The beach sand drops off quickly to coral reef and fish can be seen all round. The current was really strong and we had heard a story of a snorkeler being swept out to sea so we stayed close to shore. A little disappointed that we didn't see any turtles we gave up and read our books on the beach until the sun was gone. We ended up at another seafood place that night, choosing a huge squid that came with rice and salad. They grilled the fresh squid for us right there and we ate and had a drink for around 6$ each. I wish seafood could only be that cheap at home! After dinner we watched Bad Teacher which was planing at a makeshift outdoor movie theatre by the beach and then headed to bed. Tomorrow we head back to Bali to check out Uluwatu.
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| Sunset in Gili Trawangan |
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