After having wanting to visit Bali since ya know, I watched Eat, Pray, Love, I have knocked this destination off my travel bucket list. Although to be honest, it wasn't as great as I had imagined it. It was still beautiful and fun, but I definitely had some high preconceived notions of what it would be like.
We arrived in Kuta on Wednesday night and stayed there (beach town) for two nights. My first morning I had a surfing lesson in Canggu, about 35 km away. Surfing was the one thing I really wanted to do in Bali, because it's always been on my bucket list of things to try, and Bali has some of the best surf spots in the world. It was hard! I knew it would be difficult, but standing up on the board as you ride down the wave it difficult. In a little over two hours of being out in the water, I only managed to get about 4 really good waves where I stood up and rode the waves into the shore. The hardest part about surfing had to have been the paddling, though. It was easy at first, but having to paddle way back out in the water after every wave was hard work. And you only use your arms to paddle, your legs are completely useless on your board, so it's one hundred times harder than just swimming back out that deep after every wave. But regardless, it was so much fun, and I definitely want to try surfing many more times. I would love to come back to Bali and just stay in the be achy surf areas for a week or two to surf every single day. My instructor was also really cool. He's such a stereotypical surfer dude. I actually invited him and his roommate out that night but unfortunately we were in two different beach areas that we couldn't find each other.
Three of my Nonsi friends were also in Bali at the same time, so we managed to meet up with them a few times. We were hoping to get together on night one, but Jakub missed his flight from KL, and I was just tired so we made plans for night two. We went to this buffet for dinner where we had all you can AND drink for only $10. I brought mom, and she might have gotten a little tipsy with my friends. It was a good night, and I was surprised how much my friends liked my mom and wanted her to hang out with us. Mom did head home a little before us that night, and in all honesty, I should have gone home then. I got in a slight fight with one of the guys, because we are both so stubborn and say stupid things to each other, especially when we are drunk. But don't worry, we called a truce like we always do.
Day three mom and I headed for the cultural town of Ubud. It was a lot less busy than Kuta, but still just as touristy. The famous thing to do in Ubud is visit Monkey Forest, so of course we went. Although I don't know how much mom liked it. There are over 600 monkeys in the few acres of land that constitute the forest, and they roam wherever they please. I had two of them climb all over me, and after I tried to pull my arm away so they wouldn't rip my bracelets off, I quickly got a slap in the face to let me know that he is in charge here, and not me, and that he can do as he pleases. But no worries, no bracelets were stolen, and only a slight amount of hair was pulled.
There are also tons of markets around Ubud (like most SE Asia towns), and we did our fair share of shopping. I got a bracelet, like I do in every city, and then I bought really cute tote bags that I plan to use as my grocery shopping bags. We also found some beautiful paintings that we bought to put the finishing touches on our newly decorated spare bedrooms. I also got three small paintings for my room in my apartment.
On day four, we met up with the guys again when they arrived in Ubud. They actually showed up at our hotel room door one night to come steal me for some drinks. I was so surprised to hear a knock on the door and look out to find them. Sometimes they really do surprise me. So that night we just went across the street to a little Mexican joint for some sangria!! Mhhh, I love sangria, and so do the boys. The next day we made plans to visit the rice fields outside of Ubud. I haven't actually seen any really nice fields in any of my travels so far, so I had nothing to compare it to. But I knew the views were beautiful regardless. We took a bit of a hike down into the fields while enjoying an ice cold Bintang Radler. I haven't had a radler since this summer, and it tasted just like Moose Light Radler, so it was almost a happy reminder that I'll be able to enjoy my summer drink of choice in just 10 days with my childhood friends.
We also headed to the Hanging Gardens back in Ubud, but as soon as we made it into the entrance it started to pour. So three of us headed to a coffee shop to wait while two of the guys still ventured off in the rain.
Today was our final day in Bali, and also my final day with Sven. I didn't even realize that I had to say goodbye to him today. He was one of the harder ones I've said goodbye to so far, and thank god I'll only have to say goodbye to just the few remaining stragglers next week when I actually leave. Mom and I spent the morning and early afternoon checking out more markets before we headed back for the airport. While Bali definitely wasn't my favourite destination that I've been to during my last five months, it was still a great experience, and I could definitely return in the future, although I would prefer to stay near the beach if only just to surf more. Next destination: Singapore. Only five more days of travelling and eight more days until I board that plane headed for Canada. Seems too soon still to be going home.
~Ally xx
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