Seminyak

So after arriving in Seminyak and getting settled into hotel room #2 we decided to do some exploring.  First thing first, beach.  Going by the information provided online about the hotels' location to the beach we were expecting a walk, but not near the time that it actually took.  So there was no direct route to the beach from the hotel, we were left going down alley ways and roads that wound through other hotel complexes on the way to the beach.  We managed to find the best walk to the beach on about day 3.  Paying slightly more for closer proximity to the beach for next time is definitely a consideration.

But we made it:

Walking into the light..

Happy to finally be sitting on the beach!

Bean Bag Chairs on the beach, hours could be lost here.

Large Bintang after large walk.

This was great.  We had dinner in these exact same chairs as well.  Finally a country that embraces 'partying' on the beach rather then just trying to stop it.  I got dark fairly quick, and the bars stayed open - blasting music and light shows into the night.

Looking straight down the beach.

I forgot my 'Photography for Dummies' book, and probably something better than a point and shoot camera would help too.  But you get the idea, no reason to leave the beach for hours.

Reminds me of Jurassic Park.

We walked down the beach in the direction we thought would get us closer to the hotel, but it really didn't.  We ended up tired and and lost, which put us in a bad position to haggle with a taxi but it had to be done.  Of course we overpaid for the remaining distance in the cab, and of course the cab driver did not have any change.  We got back to the hotel and enjoyed seeing a few geckos walking up the stairs as well.

In her element :)

Fire/Grinder Show - the cougars loved it.

The drinks were cheaper in Bali.

Our love is like a giant heart on fire in the middle of a restaurant. 

Not ready for bed we headed out for some drinks at a close place called Nirvana, I think.  Met the Australian owner too, nice guy with a nice atmosphere and friendly staff.  Since its so close to Australia it makes almost too much sense to find a way to open a business and help yourself to some of the tourist business.  There was a show with a fire twirling lady and a guy using a grinder on his belt.  They put on a  good show.  The lady actually emptied a full bottle of champagne on her head while twirling the hula-hoop, and singling 'Champange Showers' by LMFAO.  Funny, creepy, then funny again - so no harm done.  The show was also right on the sidewalk, no restrictions/buffer to pedestrians or cars.  We called it a night after our fire kiss and spent the first night in Seminyak.

Leaving Ubud

The days are a bit of a blur now as I'm trying to recall all the awesome experiences we had so I find myself flipping through the pictures and wanting to post them all.  But I will have to settle for a few.

Cuban in Bali - Wicked Paella

Second last night in Ubud - Yes there is a great Cuban restaurant here called Cafe Havana   They have dancing every night at 7pm and would be a great place to get really drunk.

Surprisingly great pasta with Meat Sauce.

 Mama Mia Pasta.  Conveniently right beside Taco Casa (from an earlier night).  Great food and a small wood fired pizza oven is definitely what you are after.

Hanging out in the bar.

After the pasta we decided to live it up in the tourist bars in Ubud and it wasn't a bad time at all.  There was a cover band doing English songs.  Christina had some weird vodka drink I think while I relaxed with a different liquor - 'arak'.  The arak was really nice and even cheaper than the local beer.  Some travel sites recommend sticking to the local liquor.  Beer is not always a 'native' beverage and you will usually find that a locally sourced liquor is cheaper and offer more of that 'not just drinking on my back porch' experience.  Arak isn't exactly native to Bali either, but it was good to mix things up.

Our European bar friends

We ran into these two guys at the bar.  Apparently their story is that they go on vacation every year only to places where there is great diving.  Bali was so small that even though there are no beaches near Ubud that it was easy to stay a night or two without being too far from the beach.  These guys actually gave us the plan for our last day in Bali, more on that later.  Talking to other travelers is great.  Its part of the whole travel experience.  No matter how much you think spending a week, month, or even more in a country that just amazes you whenever you open your eyes - until you get a job, speak the language, and pay taxes in that country, you are always a tourist.  As much as you would like to blend in as part of the back drop in a photo it won't happen, but that's great news as there are hundreds (or more) people in the exact same position.  Everyone is looking forward to what they are going to do next, what other experiences are waiting to be discovered.  In this case we talked about snorkeling, diving, and what is best to mix with arak.  So don't be afraid to talk to other tourists if the mood strikes.  In a foreign country you will have much more in common with them than you think.

So that's it, we finally left Ubud.  If I remember correctly I had to push Christina into the van and pack most of her stuff for her.  She really didn't want to leave.  Bit of a SNAFU with Wayan the driver though.  Apparently yesterday's guests lost their passports, so he had to drive them around again which left us with his cousin. We spent a lot of time in the car today with no country driving as it was all busy busy city driving.  For a small island it can take a really long time to get to some of the places.

First stop was Sanur.  East coast of Bali with lots of hotels and lots of beach front.  Though as you can see form the pictures below the beach was mostly unoccupied.  The sand was harsh and the seaweed gathered up at the waters edge.  Definitely a beach, but compared to Seminyak it was easy to see why it was less busy.

Looking down the beach in Sanur

Lots of boat traffic in Sanur too so it was hard to find a good spot to lounge out and really relax.

Sanur Boardwalk

Nice place to go for a run or bike ride.  Some shops along the path, near the street entrance exits, but mostly crossing in front of hotel bars and huts.  Places in Sanur are a cheaper alternative to the West coast and Seminyak, but there is no feeling of rush here, just calm and relaxed.

DELIVERY McDonalds.

 Picture worthy for us North Americans.  I think it's the only one on the island outside of Denpasar, but strategically located near Kuta.

Biggest KFC I have seen.

Again note worthy.  Rumor has it that KFC has live bands on Friday and Saturday nights.  We saw another one that was two floors, and offered delivery.

So the driver was a lot less talkative and fun than Wayan and made the car rides extra long.  We said the word "snorkel" once and we ended up on some tourist trap beach that just packed tourists into boats and sent them off to Turtle Island.  Not our cup of tea so we passed on snorkeling this time and made our way to Jimbaran for lunch.  Jimbaran is known for, and packed during, awesome sunsets.  We went at lunch time because we where there and didn't feel like dealing with crowds.  It was a little cloudy for lunch but not too bad.

Our seat, right in the middle.

The one thing the driver did right was bring us here.  The service and food were great, though they were really slow with the french fries.  (It seems french fries are served with everything here.)

Looking SW - the bottom of Bali.

Yuo can see the difference in the beach already.   Jimbaran is on the west coast along with Kuta, Seminyak and Legion.  Though the beach towns are slightly north, the sand here felt way nicer on the feet than Sanur, and getting in the water was not as steep of a drop.  Also only a fleet of small fishing boats were visible, nothing motorized hauling around hoards of people.

Looking North.  Boats and the airport runway.

Surprisingly the airport was close enough to watch planes take-off and land, but the engines were barely noticeable.  A reminder that we are only here for a short time, but also that we had several days left to make the most of it.

Awesome red snapper

 So once you decide what you want to eat the employees ask that you walk up to the front and pick your seafood.  Most of the fish is already dead and on ice though some of the lobsters, crabs and other random fish were swimming in tanks.  I picked a fish and they weighed it right there so you know how much it will be.  They then ask you how you want it prepared.  (Extra hot was my call for the snapper).

First taste of the water

So after we devoured the snapper and had a few more drinks, it was time to go.  Though we figured a walk up and down the beach was in order.  No one here to get in our way with the weather and time of day it was  all but deserted.  We had not touched the water in Sanur as the sand (read: small sharp rocks) didn't fill us with the urge to run at the ocean, so this was the first taste of the Bali waters for us.  Looking forward to more beach adventures, we were off to Seminyak.

We were originally going to head out to see some more temples, specifically Tanah Lot the water temple, but it had been a long day and we were templed out after leaving Ubud, so it was straight to the hotel in Seminyak.

How could you have a face like this in Bali?

Same as Ubud, the hotel entrance was off the street and displayed with a big sign and long driveway.  Much larger than the Inata, the traditional feel of Bali was definitely starting to fade.  Seminyak was a much busier place with brand name stores all over the place, but the sidewalks remained an interesting challenge to navigate.

The main pool at Amadea

 The view from the bar at the Inata hotel.  We had to be driven back to the lobby via golf cart from the road entrance as walking with luggage was way to far.  Passing the villas along the way the place looked very nice.  Getting to the bar we received a welcome drink voucher at check in and decided to put it to good use while they got our room ready.  I joked with an Australian couple about the voucher being almost useless for all but a glass of OJ.  But little did I know he was being serious.  If I wanted a beer I would have to pay extra, SO pineapple juice was all we got.  It's the little situations like this that make you appreciate Ubud a lot more.  This area was clearly tourist driven and they didn't mind taking us for as much as possible.  Oh and drink prices were back up to what you would expect to pay back home,  $6 - $7 mixed drinks and $4 beers.

Can you tell Christina booked the hotel before the wedding?

Once we got to the room this wonderful cake greeted us.  Christina had a good couple hours of fun with this as they called me Mr. Wolthers.  The room was nice with a large bathroom and big shower but no tub. Maybe slightly bigger than the one in Ubud, with a few modern touches.

Looking straight off the balcony.

With the golf cart taxi driveway just below our window, we had a great view of some trees and the property next to the hotel Definitely not quite the rice paddies of Ubud but we were in the city now.

Much more to come from Seminyak but we finally made it and although it had a different feel it was not all bad.  The streets where clean and I could get Viagra on every corner :)  The Beach is next..

Bali Bike Tour

So for a day in Ubud I managed to sneak away from Christina and spend a few hours riding through the less touristy areas of Bali.  I contacted the great people at www.balitrailblazers.com  and for about $100 CDN they hooked me up with a guide, transportation and food/water for the duration of our ride.  Normally there would have been more participants than just myself, but I guess it was a slow week, and I did pick the most advanced one-day tour they had.

For those of you know us as only words on the internet, I ride a lot.  I moved to Vancouver a few years back explicitly for the quality and proximity of the trails.  The adventure in Bali was definitely not the typical day on the Vancouver trails but its was an amazing experience just the same.

We started off at the top of Tukad Bungbung, south through Rendang, and I think we finished off around Banjarangkan.  The video is about 10 minutes long and I filmed it all with a chest mount HD Hero 1.  I hope you enjoy the music too :)

Bike Tour in Bali a Mountain Biking video by allanm

Next up is our transfer from Ubud to Seminyak, with some detours along the way..

Not Done Yet! 'bud Round up and Tegallalang.

Yes I know it has been a while since the last post but we are going to finish this off.

So things are getting a bit out of sync with the timeline but missing any of the great experiences is not an option.

So after getting attacked by Monkeys, the next day we spent back with Wayan traveling through the country side of Bali.  There may be some duplicate photos but they're all good enough to show twice ;)

The day trip included many awesome stops like the typical Balinese home.

In front of the family temples.  Nice new shiny one on the right.

One building of the compound.  I think this was the Uncles residence.

The super wicked waterfall that I wanted to jump off.

View before walking down to the river.  I swear that's natures diving board halfway down.

Down at the river looking downstream.  See where the Balinese get the grey rock from?

Looking at the water fall from the river.  Diving board still visible.

The stairs had a view too.

45 Cents Per liter gas and the Water Temple.

Insane.  And they say gas is hard to transport to Vancouver.

Water bubbling up from below.  Going in this pool is a big no no.

Big Koi pond where the 'used' spring water filters into.

The Oka Agriculture stop.  Caffeine turned out to be a good thing that day.  This was one of our favorite places of the day!

Christina getting some time in the kitchen.  Roasting coffee.

The view from our coffee 'bar'.  Quiet and green.

Best sign we saw in Bali,.

The unreal views from the mountain top restaurant in Kitanmani.

Its a big Volcano called Mt Batur.

Really Big Volcano.

I had to hold on to her so she wouldn't fall off the edge,

A really big temple and more full moon ceremony prep.  This was actually the only place on the trip where we were approached by kids looking to trade.  One even followed me to the bathroom on his bike.  Once we parked the car, just across the street form the temple, they found us pretty fast.  Though it definitely did not take away from the experience in the least.

Temples with doors, only to be opened during the ceremony.

Looks the same doesn't it? but different.  Wayan showing up nicely in the foreground.

This was a big compound.

When one roof is just not enough.

Shiny and new, with some colour thrown in.

Then finally, one of my favorite stops, the rice terrace of Tegallalang .  There are a few pictures of this place, and to be honest you really can't take a bad one.  Great views for us westerners any direction you turn your head.  We stopped at the city, which is on one side of the terrace, and walked down to the very bottom. This is were Wayan and I left Christina and walked to the top of the 'green' side of the terrace.  Tricky to work here I must say, but I would find it hard to complain otherwise.  Sorry the pics are a little out of order.

At the bottom they were handing out fresh coconuts.

Wayan graciously picked this one up for us.  Only condition was we had to wear the hats. 

On the way down we stopped for a photo.

View from the top on the city side.

Looking back down at Christina on my way up the 'green' side.
Its a good 8 foot drop into a rice patty if you slip. 

On the way up with Wayan. Again horrible pictures.

Good view of the paths and scale here.

Almost at the top.  Great exercise that's for sure.

View form the 'green' side.  Lots of traps to lure you in and
you have a drink to enjoy the view.

So that's almost the end of the 'bud.  This day was not the last in Ubud, both the Blanco museum and cooking class were still to come before we headed for Seminyak.  But that should get you all caught up on our great experiences in and around Ubud.  It's much easier uploading pictures on the home computer than over Bali WiFi.  We will have to find an app to shrink the pictures on the tablet to keep the blog more interesting on our next trip.  Great experiences and lots learned about the culture in Bali.  There was an Allan only bike trip with video somewhere too, I should be able to post that next.  But once that's done - Off to Seminyak!