Uluwatu temple right down the south point of the island is breathtakingly beautiful (and full of cheeky monkeys!).
The Balinese Cultural Centre is quite awe inspiring with its two magnificent statues of Balinese gods. This one below is Garuda.
This one is yet to be finished....
See, here's his arms, almost ready to be attached.
See, here's his arms, almost ready to be attached.
We got up early one morning to watch the sunrise on Sanur beach......
After the sun was up we had a delicious breakfast at a hotel right on the beach. Heaven!
The rice paddies up around Ubud are absolutely breathtaking. This photo unfortunately doesn't do them justice.
We saw a number of magnificent, ancient temples, set in luscious tropical grounds.
The Balinese bathe at this particular temple because it is said to wash away your problems.
We visited Kintami, an active volcano in the north of the island. It was a spectacular view and there are a number of restaurants to eat at and take in the view.
Just for fun, I've included a couple of photos of the main mode of transport in Bali - scooters. There are hundreds on the street at any one time, with up to four people on them. We saw a person on their scooter carrying huge bags of rice, two were carrying a ladder and another two were carrying a window pane!
We also took an elephant ride, went swimming, ate out every night, saw a couple of bands and did lots of shopping. The shops in Bali are many and varied, ranging from little stalls selling shell jewellery and designer t-shirt rip offs, to rather exclusive shops selling sophisticated resort ware or homewares.
After the sun was up we had a delicious breakfast at a hotel right on the beach. Heaven!
The rice paddies up around Ubud are absolutely breathtaking. This photo unfortunately doesn't do them justice.
We saw a number of magnificent, ancient temples, set in luscious tropical grounds.
The Balinese bathe at this particular temple because it is said to wash away your problems.
We visited Kintami, an active volcano in the north of the island. It was a spectacular view and there are a number of restaurants to eat at and take in the view.
Just for fun, I've included a couple of photos of the main mode of transport in Bali - scooters. There are hundreds on the street at any one time, with up to four people on them. We saw a person on their scooter carrying huge bags of rice, two were carrying a ladder and another two were carrying a window pane!
These people in the image below soon took off and were hurtling down the freeway at 60km per hour!
We also took an elephant ride, went swimming, ate out every night, saw a couple of bands and did lots of shopping. The shops in Bali are many and varied, ranging from little stalls selling shell jewellery and designer t-shirt rip offs, to rather exclusive shops selling sophisticated resort ware or homewares.
I think that if you were building a magnificent brand new house, and wanted to fill it with asian antiques, curios and modern asian furniture, a trip to Bali would be worthwhile, even when you include the shipping expenses. You can get everything from giant stone buddha heads to beautiful mother of pearl photo frames.
Like any country, Bali has the good, the bad and the ugly. There appears to be a lot of poverty, and many people work incredibly hard just to eke out a living. But having said that, the Balinese people seem very content, and from what I saw, are incredibly gracious people with the biggest, warmest smiles I've ever seen.
If you are planning to go to Bali here are my tips -
Like any country, Bali has the good, the bad and the ugly. There appears to be a lot of poverty, and many people work incredibly hard just to eke out a living. But having said that, the Balinese people seem very content, and from what I saw, are incredibly gracious people with the biggest, warmest smiles I've ever seen.
If you are planning to go to Bali here are my tips -
1. take good walking shoes because the footpaths are treacherous or non-existent!
2. spoil yourself by taking in the sunset over the beach at Ku De Tah or the Oberoi at Seminyak, while sipping one of their delicious cocktails
3. watch the sunrise at the beach at Sanur
4. take Travelan tablets with every meal to avoid Bali Belly
5. book a hotel for a few days overlooking the rice paddies at Ubud.
Ok, I hope I haven't lost you with my travel log. My next post will be back to business as usual, I promise!
Ok, I hope I haven't lost you with my travel log. My next post will be back to business as usual, I promise!
