Stop Eleven, Bali - 18/06/2015 to 2/07/2015
(Written by Her)
(Written by Her)
After months of adventure our bodies were feeling a little tired and weary. We tend to build in rest days so that we can catch up on writing, uploading pics and resting the legs! Day 8 in Ubud was a designated 'rest' day. With work due, it was time to catch up on the mundane tasks like washing!! Rising early, I got stuck into work but booked an appointment in a spa as an afternoon treat.
Spa Treatments in Bali
| Bali is synonymous with award winning beauty rituals. I booked a Javanese Lulur and Mani-Pedi. 3 hours in total, costing 280k rupiah (it actually cost me more because I felt sorry for my pregnant manicurist who has to work right up until her due date in order to afford hospital treatment for the birth, so I tipped her the equivalent of a days wages...but for everyone else it cost around $22). The Lulur was traditionally a ritual performed on Javanese royalty in the 9th century. It was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before and I am a bit of a spa junkie, so its worth describing (without trying to make you jealous of course). My treatment started with a 1 hour full body Balinese massage using the oil of your choice. This was followed by a full body scrub using papaya and brown sugar to rejuvenate the skin. Afterwards, natural yogurt is spread over the skin to make it silky smooth. Finally, to clean away the yogurt and get the full benefit of the treatment, I was popped into a freshly drawn flower bath. |  |
Flower baths are very popular in Bali and absolutely worth a try if you have a spare hour. It is a bath of warm water (or sometimes milk), topped with a full layer of colourful and fragrant flower petals. Of course my bath wasn't complete without a nice cup of herbal tea. Overall, a fabulous afternoon, although I was brushing flower petals out of my hair for about a week afterwards!
 | After my relaxing afternoon, we still needed to hit the post office, this time with a heavier box than last time (must be that stone sculpture...oops). The staff were amazing and very well used to tourists shipping Balinese arts and crafts all over the world. We rocked up with a box and a tube of paintings both of which were carefully packaged in front of us. Firstly, the boxes were sealed and taped, then wrapped in white tarpaulin that was stitched around the box and labelled in large bold print. If these don’t arrive in Ireland I will eat my hat (crosses fingers). |
Pod Chocolate Factory
On our second day of rural sightseeing with Wayan, we ventured further afield into Northern Bali. Starting early, we arrived at our first destination Pod Chocolate Factory, at 9:30am. Surprisingly (given that it’s me we’re talking about), this was my first ever chocolate factory visit. What we didn't realise was Pod also has its own elephants, shipped from their native Sumatra and 2 sun-bears from Borneo (where we saw them in their natural habitat). The chocolate factory was great with huge vats of white chocolate being mixed, aerated and set when we arrived. We saw how the cocoa pods are picked, the beans dried, roasted and processed to make the chocolate I so love. Then there was a free tasting of about 20 flavours with varying cocoa percentages before I had the opportunity to make my own chocolates. It was a fun hour. I was literally like a kid in a candy shop!
| Next we had a long drive to lake Bratan, 1200m above sea level Lake Bratan, in the mountains near Bedugul, is an iconic Balinese image with its over-water temple complex appearing on the 50k rupiah note. Built in 1663 the temple is still used for ceremonies celebrating the water, lake and river goddess. When we arrived we were lucky enough to witness a ceremony just finishing and got some photos before heading down to the water's edge. The temple itself was closed to the public (as usual) and again the area was filled with tourists and local touts. |  |
Lake Bratan, Northern Bali
We rented a peddle-boat in an attempt to get away from the hoards. To our dismay (but not surprise) the raft's steering and front peddle didn't work at all. After 15 ridiculous minutes of floating and going backwards in circles we finally got the thing back to shore and vowed never to get on another one. As we walked around the gardens surrounding the lake and temple we found a small deer enclosure, some weird looking statues, a petting zoo and an animal photo-booth. For us, it felt like the locals don't think the temple was enough and the extras were a must to keep the tourists coming. To be fair, we were pretty chuffed to see the largest bats in the world even if they are from Australia. Unfortunately we couldn't take a photo (there was a charge for that) but we did see them!
GitGit Waterfall, Northern Bali
 | Hoping back in the car, we drove even further North. The roads in Bali scale volcanoes and as such are the windiest and hilliest we have ever seen (and that’s saying something because we’ve driven the Conor Pass on more than one occasion). Going over the slopes and through villages, we drove along cliff edges and down steep valleys. Our driver was excellent but I still got very nauseous. We arrived at GitGit waterfall near Lovina at 3pm. Telling our driver we wouldn't be long as we didn't want to swim. He must have been laughing hard to himself as we headed off on what we thought would be a quick pit stop. GitGit is the most famous waterfall in Bali, located just 70km from Denpasar, but given the road quality, about 3 1/2 hours drive. The waterfall itself is 60 meters high and is surrounded by tropical rain forest. Looking at this pic, I still can't believe I crossed that footbridge...Fear of Heights being Conquered?!? <-------- |
Like everything else in Bali, to get to the waterfall was a serious trek! Tourists follow a winding path down into the river valley below. There are uneven steps, many of which have no handrails and a drop of hundreds of feet down one side. If you are afraid of heights (like me), it will be a challenge. We rejected the offer of a guide for 200k rupiah and set off alone as usual! Along the path we were met by little children selling bracelets and beads. One of them was so cute we couldn't resist stopping and buying something small. I ended up buying something off two more small children just so they wouldn't feel left out. They ran off delighted, to tell their mother, who shouted thank you after us. I was chuffed that I had made their day!
There were also older children selling bracelets as well, however they really annoyed us with their obviously put on "please buy something, we need books for school" routine. We decided to ask them where they learned their English, ‘in school’ they said. Oh, so you have books already? we suggested. They looked at each other, giggled and walked off! Nice try ladies! One girl, about the age of 13, later even pretended (very obviously) to cry at us when we refused. Anyway, past all the sellers, down 150 steps, over 10 narrow walkways and one flimsy looking bridge (situated directly over the gushing waterfall), we arrived. While the waterfall was lovely, to be honest after putting in so much effort to get there you want spectacular! By the time we trekked all the way back up steep valley wall, we were exhausted.
  | Although the scenery was amazing, on the way home I again was feeling nauseous from the windy roads, Wayan offered me some local medicine. He said he too feels sick when driving up North so he always brings a bottle of this stuff. You rub it on the back of your neck, behind your ears, on your chest and on your stomach. I gingerly rubbed some on myself, wondering what the stuff actual was. Clearly not having put on enough by myself he decided to douse me in the ‘medicine’ saying "you must put more, more". After a few minutes sitting back in the car, my neck started to burn (or freeze, I wasn't sure). The ‘medicine’ was some form of Vicks. Strong fumes filled the car, my eyes began to water until I actually couldn't open them. I was looking at Cian, laughing but not able to tell him what was going on. It certainly distracted from the nausea until I made it home! |
A word about the Gili Islands
Before leaving Ireland, we had planned to visit the Gili Islands (off the coast of Lombok) before getting the ferry to Java. In fact, I was supposed to finish my PADI course in the Gili’s and go diving. The most direct route to Gili Trawangan is by fast boat from Bali, taking a couple of hours and costing about $75 return pp. However, before booking the boat I decided to read up on the route and safety standards. As it turns out, crossing the Lombok strait (from Bali to Gili T) is one of the more risky journeys in Indonesia. The Lombok strait is a narrow channel which separates Bali, Java and Sumatra from Lombok and Eastern Indonesian islands. It is also the point at which the Indian and Pacific Oceans meet. It is extremely deep, at 250m, which creates strong undercurrents.
It is also along the Wallace Line for any of you who are interested in the origins of flora and fauna. Naturalist, Alfred Russel Wallace, drew a boundary line between what he found to be two ecozones in Asia. According to Wallace, different flora and fauna could be found at either side of the line suggesting that fauna did not cross the line. Naturalists believe that it was the hazardous conditions of the Lombok Strait that kept animals from crossing thus creating a different ecosystem in Australia and Java for instance. If the animals wouldn't chance it then surely its a bad idea!? I might also mention that the Java sea and Lombok Strait were also added to the list of the most dangerous waters in terms of pirate attacks on merchant vessels in 2006 due to the lack of security personnel guarding the waters.
Furthermore, there is no regulation in terms of what vessels can take passengers (and poor unknowing tourists) across the strait. Many post-trip reviews of the journey slate the boat companies, saying the journey was one of the most dangerous, scary and sick inducing journeys they had taken. Many boats are too small for the journey. They are regularly overcrowded, with people even being asked to sit on the roof. Bags and people on deck get soaked. Windows have to be closed to keep the interior dry meaning the boats cabin fills with fumes from the engine. Many of the boats have run aground, broken down and even gone on fire. Unfortunately, there is no rescue team on standby for boats making the crossing, so if any vessel does get in trouble, help is not on the way. There are a number of people online who are trying to encourage tourists to make the trip via flight to Lombok and then public ferry to the Island but I fear that the ease of a fast boat from Bali will win over the safer option every time. Luckily, to date, no tourists have been killed making the crossing but given everything we read, we decided it wasn’t worth the risk. Plus, we had met some people who had just returned from the Gilis and mentioned that it was very crowded with tourists, further compounding our decision to stay on the island of Bali for the extra few days.
Kuta & Legian
 | Having spent 8 days in Ubud, we decided it was time to move out of our very expensive Honeymoon Guesthouse and opt for cheaper digs. The cheapest hotels on the island are located in the not so classy Kuta and Legian regions of South Bali, where night life and beach life are never ending. We made our way from Ubud to Legian and checked into the Akmani Legian Hotel (highly recommended). |
We were lucky that for our budget we found a nice hotel away from the main action with 2 swimming pools, 2 restaurants and a rooftop bar for enjoying the sunset. In other words, we didn’t have to leave the hotel unless we really wanted. Ideal for a few down days to get over the disappointment of not making it to the Gilis.
Of course we did leave the hotel! We headed firstly to Kuta beach for a look around. The beach itself is nice, not quite the fabulous white sands of Borneo but certainly an ideal beach for anyone wanting to top up their tan. The beach stretches for miles, all the way from Jimbaran to Seminyak along Bali’s South West coast. We sat for a while watching surf lessons being given on the beach and the more experienced surfers catching waves at sea. As we sat, we were approached by numerous very thoughtful men, telling us we’ll get sunburn and offering to sell us hats!!
We declined and powered on, spotting the Kuta branch of Jamie Oliver’s restaurant. We love Jamie Oliver and have been to his London restaurant Fifteen so we obviously HAD to go in. Seated in the back, under the air-con, we were handed the menu. Our faces dropped. Were these prices for real. In Ubud, we had been eating well – 3 course meals with drinks for about $15, this was $15 for a main course (not including the 10% tax and 11% service charge). For two bottles of water it was going to cost the same as lunch elsewhere. We don’t make a habit of walking out of restaurants but I’m afraid that’s just what we did. Nothing could justify us spending two days food budget on a salad…sorry Jamie!
| On the way back from Kuta beach we were the subject of a very popular scam in Kuta. Walking along the footpath we were stopped by a guy who had scratch cards. We kept walking but he followed us. Eventually he scratched them for us. Of course, as if by a miracle (not) I won a t-shirt which apparently included a free meal. Amazingly himself won as well, what a shocker! This time, he won an iPad, $1000 in cash, $500 off Bali activities and 1 week’s holiday in Bali. We laughed and kept walking. He was disgusted, he followed us asking us to go with him to claim our prizes. He said he had to accompany us to the hotel. Obviously we declined but insisted on keeping the scratch cards. He argued but eventually gave up and let us go. It turns out that this was a timeshare scam. If we had accompanied him to the hotel (like so many Australians had before us), we would have been subjected to a 3 hour hard sell to buy a time share apartment (which presumably doesn’t even exist). One couple said they even had to spend $77 to sign up for membership before they were allowed to leave. And what’s more, they never received their prizes! A bit of cop on, and the internet are wonderful things. |  |
 | Later in the evening we headed to the rooftop bar for a cocktail and an amazing view. The hotel looms up over the red tiled rooftops of surrounding houses, shops and restaurants. Luckily we found a quiet secluded spot with just 2 stools at the edge of the building looking directly towards the sea. The sunsets in Bali are among the most beautiful in the world. Photos don’t do them justice. We returned to our spot every evening to catch the last glimpse of the sun and appreciate everything that we have. |
Kuta itself is a hard place to like. The streets are soulless, filled with shops, bars and restaurants. You can’t walk 2 feet without being hassled. Even people from across the street shout at you. On our first day walking along the street at 7:30pm we were offered Hash and Prostitutes. The second day, at 12:30pm Viagra! Charming! That says it all really! We were happy to be boarding a flight bound for Yogyakarta the following day.
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