Incredible Indonesian

After a busy 2 weeks in Japan it was back to the beach in beautiful Bali, Indonesia.

A seven hour flight from Tokyo took us to warmth and sunshine in the capital city of Denpasar. We found our driver, amongst hundreds waiting at the airport. He took us to our villa in Sanur, which was about an hour’s drive away. The villa was amazing (and an amazing price too!) with a private pool and lots of space. We took some time to rest and relax. We also discovered Goddes Bakery -an awesome bakery and cafe to enjoy some Balinese coffee and eats. Our travel agent had recommended a tour guide to show us around the island so after a day at the pool we were picked up by Mr. Bali Driver and headed out to see some of the sights.

Sanur

On our first tour day we visited the somewhat tourist trap feeling Tanjung Benoa, also known as Turtle Island. Interestingly it is not an actual island but rather a green turtle conservation where we were able to get up close to green turtles, iguanas, and various native birds.

Tanjung Benoa

Later that morning we took in the magnificent views from Uluwatu Temple on its cliff top setting overlooking the Indian Ocean. That afternoon we visited Padang Padang beach where we watched dozens of resident monkeys torment the vendors and beach goers by trying to steal their food and drinks. Very amusing!

Uluwatu Temple and Padang Padang Beach

Our evening was capped off by a visit to Jimbaran beach where we watched the sunset while enjoying a seafood feast on the beach. Stunning!

Jimbaran Beach

On day 3 we packed up (again!) and headed to Sanur beach to take the 35 minute ferry from Bali to nearby Nusa Lembongan, known for its scuba diving.

Nusa Lembongan is part of a three-island group, that also includes Nusa Penida and Nusa Ceningan. It was incredible and had a much more laid back vibe than busy Bali. There are no markets, no busy streets (in fact cars are not allowed), no chain restaurants, no loud nightclubs. Food, water and daily necessities must be brought in from Bali by boat. Throughout the day you could see the boats come in with people wading in the water carrying supplies on their heads to the shore.

Mushroom Beach, Lembongan

Our accommodation was really nice and had the feel and service of a family owned business. It was shoulder season in Bali so we had the place to ourselves and enjoyed the pool and nearby Mushroom Beach area.

A good deal of our time in Bali was spent swimming, snorkeling and scuba diving. The diving was very, very good and the reefs were teeming with sea life. We did trips to Crystal Bay, Manta Bay and Manta Point. David was finally able to see the illusive manta ray – something he has been looking to see since getting scuba certified over 20 years ago!

Water activities galore

The rest of our time was spent touring Lembongan and neighbouring islands by scooter and discovering relaxed beach side cafes and vantage points of the white sand beaches and surrounding huge cliffs and rock formations. We also managed a few Balinese massages which were awesome!

Nusa Lembongan and surrounding islands

After 4 night on Nusa Lembongan we ferried back to Bali and on to Ubud for 4 nights. Our plan was to stay here for the remainder of our time in Indonesia but after checking in to our somewhat disappointing and cold accommodation and discovering it was going to rain and rain in this area we changed plans. We loved Lembongan and the diving so much we planned a trip back there. We did stay for 4 nights in Ubud and took day trips with Mr. Bali driver to various places on the island including:

  • A trip to see to Kintamani volcano, which ended up being a drive to see nothing due to heavy fog surrounding the volcano
  • A stop at the massive Garuda Wisnu Kencana statue
  • A visit to a Bali coffee farm and an unplanned lesson on how luwak coffee is processed (which we did not try and would not recommend!)
  • Some tea tasting at Pacung/Jatiluwih, which has one of the biggest rice paddy views in Bali

  • A traditional Balinese meal at a local restaurant
  • Some tastings at Pod, a local chocolate company
  • White water rafting on the Ayung River
  • A day trip to Munduk, including stops at Munduk and Melanting Waterfalls

Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary and temples

It was a busy action packed few days, despite the weather!

Moving on it was back to Lembongan for 3 more nights. This time we stayed at Pandana Boutique Hotel, a true gem run by a New Zealander who made us feel so welcome. We truly loved the atmosphere on Nusa Lembongan!

We love Nusa Lembongan

Finally, it was back to Bali and our 2 final nights in Kuta. This was a busy tourist area which felt to us very much like being at an all inclusive type place in Mexico except instead of Canadian and American tourists there were many Australian families. We much preferred the quaint and quiet Nusa Lembongan but the hotel was good, with a big room for our family and a nice pool.

We thoroughly enjoyed our relaxing time in Indonesia. We discovered if you venture from the highly touristic areas you can discover a rich culture shaped by Hindu celebrations, traditions and ceremonies. This culture also influences the homes, which all have an area for religious statues where residents give offerings to the gods. Some are simple and others more ornate and elaborate. Another facet of Balinese culture are the Canang Sari, a shallow basket made of leaves, with incense and an offering inside. These are a daily ritual and you see them everywhere; in front of shops, restaurants and they were even placed outside of our rooms each day.

Canang Sari

There are many tropical beach areas in the world, but Bali has them coupled with a spiritual and traditional culture you won’t find elsewhere. It felt like so much more than “just another pretty beach” and was one of our favourite destinations to date.

With Love,

The Travelling Babins

“Travel the world. Understand different cultures. Be inspired by beauty everywhere. Make friends all over. Become a citizen of the world.” – Unknown

3 Replies to “Incredible Indonesian”

  1. Sarah Cox says:

    Great recommendations for us, as we’re there in December! Looking forward to your next chapter!

  2. What wonderful memories, sharing this trip with your family. And us, back home, too.

  3. Roland Jamieson says:

    Wow! This stay sounds and looks so nice. Seems like a place to see. Thanks for the great review. Love it.

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