Day 21 - Travel Day
Today we flew out early from Phuket to Densipar, Bali, Indonesia. We had a layover in Kuala Lumpur airport which was really cool. They had an outdoor forrested area in the middle of terminal. It wasn't huge, but was nice to be able to get fresh air while in the airport. We spent about 30 minutes exploring the Lonely Planet store as they had soo many cool and convenient travel items. I really did not need anything at this point as I got free headphones at one of the hotel gyms (lost in China). However, I did end up finding a travel zippered pouch for my passport and necessary travel documents. Nothing in the store was a necessity although most things made traveling more organized and easier. This was why I ultimately wanted the zippered travel wallet. This will help me keep extra credit cards, cash, dive card, yellow fever record, etc... organized in transit and in the hotel safe. I never carry all of these items in my normal wallet, so now I will be more organized. Or maybe I just made up excuses to convince myself I needed something cool from this store. We will see.
One lesson we learned at the airport. We had forgotten to of check the local time vs our watch time as there was an hour time change despite being only an hour flight. This isn't usually a problem when we connect our phones or iPads to the internet as the time auto updates. With no free wifi, we thought we had an extra hour to kill. Luckily we realized it only 20 minutes into boarding vs 40 as we could have missed our flight. We now check the time zone ahead of time.
We landed in Bali at 7 pm and settled into a 3 hour hilly and winding road to the north side of Bali. I had no idea the elevation was so up and down in Bali. I am not sure if ether darkness was a good or bad thing. We missed the scenery, but didn't have to see how close we were to the cliffs on the winding road. Despite a day of travel, the three hour car ride allowed me to catch up on my blog from Patong (I usually reflect and organize pictures on travel days).
We were excited to reach the dive resort and to meet Toni (Kristen's sister) and Jim (brother in law who lived in Indonesia at one point in the past). They kept the restaurant open for us so could have dinner together at 10 pm. We literally ate yards from the crashing water.
Day 22 & 23 Scuba Diving
We spent the next two days diving in Bali. All in all, four great dives. This was a lot being that I have only dove 4 times in totality and all of those were done while gaining my PADI scuba license. The first day we literally walked right into the ocean from our rocky beach for a dive in their coral garden. I was definitely nervous with our first dive since being licensed. However, it was like riding a bike. I quickly became acclimated being under water again.
The way it works is that you get 200 PSI of oxygen in your tank and you scuba dive with the group until the first person has 50 PSI and you slowly surface. In all of my 8 dives now, I have always been the first to bring us up. I need to work on relaxing during my dives as you will see in some of the videos that I swim to much by using my arms and legs, thus using up oxygen too fast. Here is a summary of my four dives
Coral Wall. 37 minutes at 30 meters deepest
Tulamben shipwreck: 42 min at 24 meters deepest
Coral Wall: 45 min at 24 meters deepest
The good news is that I was able to stay down longer each of the subsequent dives. A few random thoughts and events from the dives:
1) I love diving and could go 3-4 times a day if possible. I am looking forward to Belize which is supposed to be the second best only to the Great Barrier Reef.
2) My Go Pro camera took some great video footage. I love this thing. I guess that Backstreet makes a removable lens that goes over the case that allows the colors to stand out. However, I have to order it online and don't want to bother shipping to Belize. Next time.
3) It amazes me at the diversity of life under water. We saw all sorts of crazy looking and acting creatures. I can't even describe all of them in words.
4) Kristen had problems diving the shipwreck as her asthma acted up. This is very concerning and she will most likely not dive in Belize.
5) Seeing the US World War II shipwreck was awesome. It amazes at how much life grows on the structure. You would think all of the metal was bad for the ocean, but it promotes great coral growth, which in turn supports other marine life. The ship was massive and a bit daunting when we first came to it. We got to dive through it which was a lot of fun. I can definitely see how it would be hard to find sunken ships as if you saw this at deeper depths, it could easily just be see as a coral wall. This wreck though had a few intact structures which made it recognizable as a ship.
6) Staying at the dive resort Tauch Terminal was great. 3 of the 4 dives we literally right off the beach. The other was a five minute boat ride out. I highly recommend them when traveling with the purpose of diving. It makes it soo easy.
7) We got quite a bit of rain here. The best place to be was underwater. You could not tell it was raining when we were underwater.
I have really enjoyed the food thus far in Bali. We are on the resort, but the prices are very cheap. Meals have been 50,000-80,000 RHB with a conversion of 12,000 RHB to $1. Mi Goreng has been my favorite thus far: stir fried rice with eggs and chicken or vegetables.
It still amazes me how quickly time flies by on the resort. Our two full days came and went in a flash. It was been enjoyable having Jim and Toni with on this leg of the trip. We have fun together and It is the first time we have traveled with another couple. It was been more difficult thus far on our trip than I expected to socialize with other random travelers.
Day 24 - Today we got an early start on the day. It is a schedule 3 hr drive from the coast to inland Ubud, home of Eat, Prey, Love. We planned four stops along the way to break up the very hilly and scenic drive. However, we just finished our two hour hilly hike up the temple, Atur Piuning, when the rain just unleashed. We tried to move on two stop two, but the roads were starting to flood and the drive was miserable in the down pour. We decided to cease the other stops and head straight to the resort.
The views were gorgeous on the hike, but it was too cloudy see the two volcanos on the island. We are starting to realize that hat a return trip to Bali might be in the cards.
Bambu Indah was our Eco resort in Ubud. It was a bit difficult to find, but once we did, holy moly was it just perfect. Everything is constructed out of bamboo with lush gardens and the most calming landscape. We rented the house on the small resort which was beautiful. They contained two outdoor showers, which I find to be very relaxing. I tried to capture the beauty of the resort in pictures.
Despite being about 5 pm, we quickly learned that there was a special festival that evening starting at 8 pm. This festival only occurs every 15 years in the village. I was a bit skeptical as I thought it might be a touristy attraction as no one could seem to explain its importance and it's meaning well. However, the temple was packed with locals dressed in their traditional garb. We eventually learned that the festival highlights the good and the evil in the world through song and dance. Eventually the good kills the evil through many different dances. The dancing started at about 10 pm, but we left at about 130 am. It went on until 4 am. The different dances moved very slow for my liking, but I learned the nest morning that the priests in the back of the temple are controlling the pace based on when the appropriate spirits come into the temple. There are various ways that the good and evil spirits come to the temple, which I did not fully understand. All in all, a good experience to be a part of, but difficult to stay for the entire festival.
I do wish I had taken a picture of my meal today. Grilled Tempe with corn fritters and mixed vegetables. The best meal I had at Bamboo Indah.
Day 25 - Today started early at 7 am with a phone interview for a job in Portland. Call went well and I am setting up an on sight interview the week we arrive in January! After a failed attempt to call via local SIM card, the internet signal was weak (no skype or FaceTime), and my iPhone not working, I had to use Jim's US cell phone for the 90 minute conversation. Not exactly sure how expensive that call was, but will soon find out. Either way, worth it to get the interview lined up.
We spent today exploring Ubud. We started the day off with a hike through the rice paddies. This was a very intimate hike as we were able to actually get in the field and watch closely how they harvest the rice. We have seen rice fields for three weeks now and we really wanted to get up close to see how it is grown and how it is harvested. We learned that they plant the seeds in one plot and once they germinate they are replanted in the fields. Almost all of the fields are planted and harvested by hand. An extremely hot, humid, and itchy job.
We also learned that some of fields have been killed from a Monsanto modified seed. What we were told is that Monsanto worked a deal with the Idonesian government to get their modified seeds in the country that produce higher yields. Many farmers tried the new seeds for a few growing seasons, but it did not grow in the fields. The farmers went back to replanting the old seeds, but they won't grow either. It is a big current problem for many of these farmers with no clear answer at this point. The farmers do not make much money on the crop as most of it is eaten within the family compound and community.
The people we met along the hike were very happy people despite working in the hot fields. They smiled and all stopped to say hello when we passed.
We also visited the monkey temple in Ubud which was interesting in two of ways:
1) the temple had huge, and I mean huge Banyon trees, which were cool to see in person
2) monkeys were everywhere. People fed them bananas and they monkeys were not shy to guests. We saw monkeys climb up various people who had treats. We saw a monkey climb up the back of one tourist, take the water bottle out of the bag, open it, and drank it. Right before we left, a monkey jumped on my backpack to grab my water bottle. We couldn't get it on camera quick enough. Luckily Jim, Toni, and Kristen quickly got it off.
We spent the rest of the day walking around Ubud. It is surprisingly better than I imagined. It is easy to walk to walk around. Great shopping and food. The people are very laid back and friendly. There is definitely a sense of calmness about this town.
We had a late dinner and I was able to get an hour massage in our room at 8:30. Indonesian massage is the best style I have ever had. It is a mix of applying direct pressure to certain stress points while still rubbing through muscles. The lady I had was excellent as she always had her second hand starting to massage before the first was lifted. The massage was on a regular massage bed vs floor in Thailand. However, she still was able to "crawl" on your legs and back. I kind of wish I could have seen what it looked like from afar. A well spent $23!
Day 26 - Today we spent the bulk of the day cycling down a hill with Banyon cycling tours. I was afraid it was going to be similar to the hike the day before, but it was much better. Having a great local English speaking guide is priceless. We were able to learn soo much from him. We got to see a local family compound. There were six families living there, I think about 24 people total. Each family has one room with one mattress! They all share the same kitchen and bathroom. It was in four separate buildings. This family interacted with us and they seemed very happen. The guide said that most people in Ubud are happy despite not having much money. They grow and raise all of their food, so they never go hungry. They get everything that they need, just not much more than that. The female traditionally moves into the compound of the males family. The siblings help raise and support the elders in the compound. A very self sufficient community. A common theme between China and Indonesia. Similarly, the guide did say that people were slowly moving out of the compounds and into the cities to give their children better education and opportunities.
The countryside in Bali is outstanding. They get so much rain and sun, that everything grows! We ended the tour with locally cooked Bali lunch. The chef was the wife of the guide! The food was outstanding. Their peanut sauce and tempe is amazing.
We finished the afternoon off with a private yoga class overlooking the valley and river. Very Eat, Prey, Lovish. After about 30 minutes of slipping and sliding, the instructor got me a pool towel for my mat. I forgot how hard yoga can be!
We spent out last night in Ubud downtown in search of Nasi Padang. I can't exactly describe this type of Idonesia food. It has been hard to find in Bali as it is more common on other islands. Nasi Padang was Jim's favorite food when we worked in Indonesia, so I was excited to try it. While shopping, we asked one of workers and she pointed us to the "best." Boy was she right. Despite not being the warmest meal ever, the flavors were delicious. I had rice, some sauce that was to die for, a spring roll, fried potato, Tempe, corn fritter, and a "pancake." Not exactly sure where it ranks on the best food we have eaten on the trip, but I most certainly would eat it again!
We finished the night having drinks at an outdoor bar reflecting on our amazing "holiday" (or vacation. No one but Americans seem to use vacation. Everyone traveling is holiday). We passed one of the best smelling bread stores on the way to the bar. I left and got us a sampling. The "rugby" at Breadlife was delicious.
Fairly early to bed as we had to leave at 6:00 am the next morning for Singapore.
Reflecting on Bali: we most certainly would love to come back to Bali. There is a ton of things to do here. We could have easily spent another two weeks exploring the island. What is great about Bali is that there seems to be this calmness. Most people are smiling and they generally appear to be happy. Life is good on this island. You can explorer, hike, dive, swim, trek, bike, shop, or simply relax on the beach or in an Eco lodge or villa. Bali is the first stop that Kristen and I both agree that it would be great to come back and in fact we want to come back. It is affordable to vacation to (once you get here). Australians are all over the island as it is a quick get away for them. The food was great. The people were great. The whole island was great! I am going to miss Bali.
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