Bali: A Little Slice of Paradise

In the morning, I woke up in a tent in Australia. That evening, I went to bed in a bungalow in Bali. Talk about an upgrade. 

As we boarded our flight that day, I had no feelings of nostalgia sweep over as we departed the Australian continent, only excitement. We were going to Bali!

Unfortunately, Australia decided to follow us. There were three girls sitting across the aisle from us who were on some sort of birthday getaway as they were wearing stupid paper party hats and ordered about $100 worth of airplane alcohol. Really? You decide to pay $8-10 per drink and get drunk on the plane when you are headed somewhere in which a beer costs less than $2? To each their own I guess, though to make matters worse one of their carry-on items was a blow up pool lounger. I assume they were headed to Kuta, the major low-end party town in Bali to drink away their entire weekend without actually experiencing Bali at all. 

I personally find it a real shame to try to find Western comforts in foreign countries. Where's the fun in that? As we landed in the airport in Indonesia that afternoon, the first stop on our Asia/Africa tour, we were ready to embrace the new and different!

First thing to catch my eye on arrival was the ornate wooden carvings that decorated the slightly out of date, yet comely airport. The aged wood reminded me of the smell of my grandmother's old kitchen in Memphis. 

We passed through the customs counter without incident, picked up our bags, and made our way outside. I had read in my pre-travel research to be prepared for the numerous taxi drivers hawking for business outside, but it was still a shock to the system the minute we stepped outside the doors. There were men everywhere, shouting "Taxi!", trying to approach you, rope you into a conversation so they could inevitably charge you way too much for a ride. 

I had read there was a taxi stand with set prices right outside the door, with dependable drivers and safe cars, and was a good option for first time visitors who had to travel a decent distance from the airport. 

We approached the stand with our Rupiah in hand, and took a look at the list posted to the back wall. Our destination was listed as 195,000 rupiah (or about $19 US) for about a hour's drive to Ubud--our destination for the night. We went up to the window and said we needed a taxi to Ubud. The man asked where in Ubud and I gave him the name of the street where our accommodation was located. He gave a nod and sound of recognition, "Ah, yes, Jalan Bisma." And then quoted us a price of 250,000 rupiah. 

Wait, what? 

We weren't really sure what else to say, as this was definitely more than the posted price (and in Bali a few US dollars is a significant amount of money), but we didn't want to have to haggle our way with the throngs of other taxi drivers who may or may not have been legitimate. So we accepted this inflated price and made our way to the car and out of Denpasar for the harrowing taxi ride to Ubud. 

Most people in Bali don't drive cars, but rather mopeds or small motorcycles. The traffic laws are lax and the lines dividing the lanes are more suggestions rather than absolutes. The driver wove in and out of other cars, trucks, motorcycles, all in this weird symphony of traffic--people swerving this way and that just trying to move forward. I found myself several times fearing for the safety of some of these motorcycle drivers as they came this close to the other vehicles. Some families managed to squish both parents and two kids all on the same seat! A family of four on one bike, with no helmets for the kids.

The other striking feature on the drive was the landscape. Denpasar is the governmental center, and they are planning to host a big forum next year so there was heaps of construction to further block the roads. The buildings were this eclectic mix of ancient-looking traditional balinese designs and modern, plain cement buildings with signage for different commodities. They had some beautiful, ornate statues and sculptures occupying the town squares. 

It was definitely an eye-opening experience, but we arrived safely outside our accommodation in Ubud, about 5 minutes from the city center. We had paid for our ride up front at the airport, so once we arrive we remove our bags and thank the driver. Then, probably as one last effort to part unsuspecting Westerners with as much of their cash as possible, the driver awkwardly asks "You have tip for me?"

I had already read-up on a lot of Bali culture and one thing that was mentioned was that they are not a tipping society. Many Western tourists provide tips when they feel it's warranted, but the Balinese certainly don't tip each other. 

Considering the fact that this company had already overcharged us by 55,000 rupiah, I wasn't about to give them anything else extra. We were still on a budget, after all. So, John just apologized and said we didn't have any extra cash and we walked away. 

Our hostel was down a pretty side lane, away from the traffic of the main street. We were greeted by a young girl on check-in whose English was minimal, but she had our booking and was able to show us to our bungalow and give us each a fresh towel and toilet paper for the bathroom. The bungalow was nice, the outside was beautifully ornate, and the inside was simple and clean enough.

By this time it was getting quite late in the evening, and we were quite hungry as we didn't spend any money on food on the plane, so after putting our stuff down we headed back to the main reception area. We were greeted by the man who ran the hostel (and who also spoke much better English). His name was Wayan, which is also the name of like half the people in Bali since most children are given the same name based on the order of their birth. Wayans are usually the first-born. He was very nice and, in the best way he could, pointed us toward a nice place where we could enjoy local Balinese food. So with these vague directions, we headed out into the streets of Ubud in search of our destination. But the thing about Bali is that there are not always street signs and if there are, they are not always obvious. As we walked down the street, we also had to contend with the other hawkers trying to sell us more taxi rides, or tickets to the fire dance show that was on that evening. After about 30 minutes of walking around both directions yet finding nothing but more taxis, we headed back to the hostel to seek further, hopefully more specific directions. 

Bless Wayan's heart, he tried to tell us again where to go, but it still was no good to us. We asked for a map and he said he didn't have one of the area, but drew a rough guide on the back of a small piece of paper. Just  "Ask the people,"  he said, if we got lost again, but we were a bit nervous to do so since all the people wanted to do was sell us stuff. So with our nebulous directions and our rough paper guide, we headed out once again to wander around Ubud. 

We should have brought an umbrella. 

Another 30 minutes later, still walking around, and it started pouring rain. As I was only wearing flip flops and the streets were extremely uneven and full of potholes, this made our trek even more difficult. We were becoming a bit exasperated as this was not what we hoped our first impression of Bali would be like, but we trekked on ahead because after all this was all part of the adventure! Getting lost in cities is sort of par for the course. We eventually find an overhang to hide under to wait out the worst of the rain and to our delight it was an information center with a local map on the wall! So now we at least knew where we were and where we needed to go, so we headed out to the correct road--still in the pouring rain. 

It took us another 10 minutes to find the place, a small restaurant called "Warung Keccu" (Warung being the traditional Balinese restaurants), where we arrived sopping wet and starving for some food. The two girls kindly greeted us and gave us a menu to peruse over. 

People kept saying Bali was cheap, and now we really knew why. I ordered a sprite, John ordered a large bottle of water, we got some spring rolls, and a large main to share--a traditional Indonesian dish called Nasi Campur. All for $5!

It was our first traditional Balinese meal and it was actually really tasty. Most meals always contain rice, and usually some sort of meat and some sort of vegetable. Ours had a nice mixture of sprouts, beans, and garlic--which we would find to be quite the standard, yummy fare. Our meat was a few varieties of seasoned chicken, we also had some peanuts, and what we think was a hard-boiled goose or duck egg. Plus some nice soup. After walking around for an hour, in the rain, in an unfamiliar place, it was just what we needed. 

The walk back to our accommodation only took about 10 minutes, since we now knew where we were going. Many places in Bali only advertised cold water, which is fine since the nights are balmy and hot at the end of November, but ours also had hot water which was actually a very nice luxury after walking around in the rain for ages. Ubud is more in the mountains, so it can cool off a bit more at night, especially after it rains. A nice hot shower that evening was much appreciated and it was an early bed time for us! The night before in our tent in Australia, I had trouble staying asleep--I would wake up in the middle of the night, unable to fall back asleep, and while the bed in Bali was comfortable I still had the same problem. So for some time I just listened to the rain and thunder that dragged on throughout the night, as well as some crazy loud sounds outside our window which I can only assume came from a frog. 

The next morning when we awoke it was still a bit cloudy, but also very warm and humid. Our accommodation had breakfast included, which we had chosen the night before. Coffee, fruit salad, and an omelette and toast. It was delicious!

Traditional Balinese coffee, like many places in Southeast Asia, uses sweetened condensed milk in their coffee, rather than the plain milk and sugar. The coffee on it's own is quite strong and dark, so the sweetened condensed milk gives it a nice color and flavor. The fruit salad was wonderful fresh fruit--bananas, papaya, pineapple, and watermelon. Our omelette was delicious as well and the toast came with butter and homemade jam. I could get used to breakfasts like this! We were also able to enjoy the scenery that morning since our accommodation looked out over a rice field.

As we sat at breakfast we couldn't help but note the beautiful fresh flowers that were scattered about, as well as the beautiful daily offerings placed at various locations around the complex.

Bali, unlike most of Indonesia, is still mainly Hindu and the daily offerings included beautiful little woven baskets, fresh flowers, fruit, and even a few Goldfish or Teddy Grahams! They also light incense as well.

After breakfast that morning it was time to checkout--which is also when you pay--not the night before which I found extremely trusting. However, our car to bring us to Amed was not due until 1:30, so Wayan offered to watch our bags in the reception area while we wandered around Ubud in the morning. I left everything behind, but John with his slight paranoia insisted on bringing his heavy computer bag with him. 

We once again wandered off into Ubud in search for a forest sanctuary that was also a Monkey Forest where heaps of local primates inhabit the area and snatch any lose belongings or food from unsuspecting passers-by. We had looked up the location online, but once again after walking for a good hour or so we were still unable to find it. Bali is not the most direction friendly place in the world. Where we did end up wandering though was quite nice--higher up in the hills where you found quiet homes surrounded by beautiful rice fields. It was a nice walk, even though it wasn't what we were looking for. After a while John said his shoulder was killing him (go figure), so we headed back to the hostel to just rest for an hour and use the internet a bit more while we waited for our car.

As we headed out front waiting for our car to arrive, we had our first glimpse into the strength of Balinese women. See, in Bali, the women do all the heavy lifting while the men are off . .  .doing whatever. There was a high pile of mortar along the main road, and these women would pile it into a basket which they would then lift and place on the top of their head. Each women had a towel or clothing of some sort wrapped around the crown of their head to provide a cushiony-flat surface with which to carry any number of things. One by one they would fill their baskets to the brim and lift them onto their heads and walk confidently down the side street. It was incredible!

Right at 1:30, our driver showed up promptly outside our accommodation in Ubud. We had arranged a car to Amed through our accommodation, which was much simpler than trying to navigate Bali transportation or the roads ourselves. He was a nice young guy named Nonong and we would end up befriending him over the course of our stay. We loaded our stuff and headed out on the three hour drive to Amed. It was nice to enjoy the AC in the very clean and modern car for the afternoon!

We had originally just planned to head straight to Amed, but Nonong offered to make a small detour to one of the two main volcano/mountains on the island, Mt. Batur, the second largest, so we could enjoy a bit more of Bali. We decided to make the detour and it turned out to be a great suggestion on his behalf. We climbed up a winding, mountain road until we reached the top where you got a great view of Mount Batur and the surrounding valley. Even in the perpetual cloudiness that hangs over the mountains this time of year, it was still a beautiful sight. Nonong knew a place where we could stop for lunch that would give us a delicious Balinese buffet and great views. We pulled up to the restaurant and had a delicious Balinese feast while enjoying a stunning dining view:

Our second stop was back down the mountain as we headed toward Amed to a small plantation that grew all kinds of Balinese plants, fruits, and spices. A young guy met us as the car pulled up and took us around the plantation, allowing us to smell and taste many of the fruits and spices. Cinnamon, Ginger, Cloves, Ginseng, Lemongrass, and Cardamom were among the plants. We were also introduced to a very interesting-looking, but ultimately very delicious fruit called snake fruit. The outer casing for the fruit indeed resembles the skin of the snake, but it's easily peeled away to reveal the fruit inside. It reminded me of a mix between an apple, with that starchy texture, but the flavor resembled that of a pear. I had never heard of or seen this fruit before, but it was delicious!

The end of the tour was the plant that the plantation is most known for--coffee. We had already experienced Indonesian-style coffee with it's sweetened condensed milk, and now we were about to try something else--Luwat coffee. Or you may know it as Civet coffee. 

A Civet is a small Southeast Asian animal whose favorite food is the coffee bean. They eat only the best beans while they are still inside their red protective casings and eventually pass through the animal and are deposited on the ground. The beans are then cleaned and removed from their outer casing and processed like normal coffee beans, only they have now undergone a fermentation process while in the bowels of the Civet. It's considered a delicacy and we were keen to try it. We even got to see the animal who had pooped out our coffee!

It was served with a cinnamon stick to give it extra flavor, and we also got to try, for free, the wide variety of coffee and tea flavors they sell--which too were delicious and not as off-putting as Civet coffee sounds. While the brew was quite strong it was actually quite tasty. We were also able to try their local Arakh, a Balinese spirit distilled from coconut that is very popular among locals but can be a bit dangerous for the foreign stomach.

Both stops we made were great additions to the trip and we were thankful that Nonong suggested them to us. It was a much better way to spend the day rather than just driving, but by the time we finished our tour of the plantation it was getting late so we headed to Amed to our accommodation at Geria Giri Shanti Bungalows!

Along the way we struck up more conversation with Nonong, ranging from various topics like America, Australia, politics, Balinese culture, and even learned a few Indonesian/Balinese words for hello, good day, thank you, and the like. Not that I actually remember them or have any idea how to spell them.

But yes, we finally arrived in our beautiful, sleepy dive town of Amed on the coast in the early evening--our Bali vacation had now really begun!

From the moment we arrived in Bali, our tip-hawking taxi driver not withstanding, we had found the Balinese to be very hospitable people. The owners of our Amed accommodation, David and Liselotte, could not have been more wonderful. From the moment we arrived, Lise had someone bring our bags to our room, showed us around, gave us a refreshing drink, assured us that we could ask for anything and that anything was possible, and then sat us down to talk about what kind of diving we wanted to do. She and her husband were both European--she's from Belgium and he's English, and they were just the kindest, most laid-back people. I knew even from the e-mails we exchanged about our booking prior to our arrival that our stay in Amed was going to be great. 

Our driver Nonong, who lives in Amed, even left while she was showing us around--without us paying him! When we mentioned this to Lise she said not to worry, that we could pay him later as many people do. 

This inherent trust and goodwill within the Balinese culture was something completely new and wonderfully refreshing. Lise even said that while we had a lock on our doors, we didn't have to worry about anything getting stolen even if we didn't lock them--she said she hadn't locked her house a single day.

This, in part, may be a reflection of the Hindu influence in Bali and the belief in karma, and it could also be due to the fact that many of these places are small towns where the locals are all friends. But the simple fact that these people simply don't have that kind of devious mindset, that they would never think to steal, that they perform their services to their best abilities before ever getting paid, was both inspiring and uplifting.

Life in Bali was also wonderfully noncommercial. Aside from the few hawkers, which is basically people trying to earn a living, the emphasis on stuff is not really part of daily life in Bali. Most Balinese can live on $2 US a day, while I read that most tourists spend around $100 per day. It's a lifestyle with people practicing common decency and manners. All the places we went we were warmly greeted and escorted, everything was served on trays, everything was done with a smile.  Even while they drive, the Balinese use their horns as a means of communication. Whenever they pull up to the motorbikes, or turn a corner, they always toot their horns to alert everyone of their presence. Their outlook on life seems so rare in comparison to most of the places that we've lived and so to be able to encounter this in Bali was a true pleasure. 

But yes, the start of our vacation in Amed could not have been more lovely! The place itself was also beautiful. A lush garden setting with beautiful flowers, a nice pathway that wound around the area, all situated directly across the street from the beach. Here was the view from our bungalow porch. 

The inside was absolutely spotless, and everyday the staff would re-make our bed and give us fresh towels while we were gone. Oh, and the shower! It was an open air shower with both hot and cold water, so whether you were bathing in the moonlight or underneath a sunny blue sky, the shower was just fantastic.

That first evening we made a short walk to one of the local Warungs in town that Lise had recommended called Pantai. It was right on the beach, a really beautiful spot, and really delicious, really cheap food! It was the final flourish in our almost perfect day and we headed back for a shower and some sleep! We returned to find some friends waiting for us. Their dog, Maxime was waiting on our front porch--she was a sweet black dog that they had rescued from a shelter in Ubud. Apparently dogs have become a problem in Bali as they had an outbreak of rabies, but they culled many of them the previous year to try to eradicate as much of the disease as possible. Maxime was a sweet dog and when we went inside we found their cat, Tigger, cuddled under my bedside table.

She then later moved to our wardrobe before stalking off for the night.

We were up early the next morning to enjoy our delicious breakfast of fresh fruit, egg omelette, toast, and a yummy balinese-style cappuccino (which is basically the instant powder stuff but still very tasty) before we headed off on our dives for the day!

The dives we did in the Great Barrier Reef, while very nice, definitely came second to our Bali diving experience! The next day it was just the two of us, plus our dive master, a very friendly Balinese guy named Ketut. He greeted us at the dive shop that morning, got us all fit with our equipment, and then gave us a briefing before heading down to our dive site. It was a gorgeous day, and we were able to get a clear view of Mount Agung in the distance.

In keeping with the Balinese hospitality we had received, members of the staff carried all of our tanks and BCDs down to the beach for us--the only thing we had to carry was our fins, mask, and weight belt. We got down to the shore before loading all of our gear onto our little jukung--a traditional Balinese fishing boat. Fishing, at least for the locals, is still the main industry in Amed and the colorful little wooden jukung boats would stretch all the way down the black sandy beach.

They were quite beautiful, actually, and affixed with a motor they were a very handy means of transportation to get to our dive site! So we headed out in our boat for a short trip to the area called Jemeluk just off the coast. Ketut helped us put our gear on in the water and down we went! 

The clarity and warmth of the water in Amed was just amazing. Even from the boat at the surface you could see all the way to the bottom, and even in our shorties we were very comfortable in the water. Ketut was great and it was basically like having our own private dive! He was able to spot a lot of special things in the water, and we saw lots of beautiful coral and fish. It was also noticeably healthier than many of the sites in the Great Barrier Reef. It was a great first dive, and nice to be back in the water after a 2-month gap. In between dives we were treated to a nice break of coffee and cookies while the staff re-filled our tanks and we were briefed on our second dive.

They once again carried our tanks down to the beach for our other dive of the day. This one was different from the first. The previous had just been an area of a beautiful, natural reef near a drop off. This one, not as deep, was reef that has grown around man-made pyramid-like structures that were dropped in the water long ago. It's called Amed wall and it was different from any other dive that we had done up to that point. The structures were really cool and very beautiful in the water, with a plethora of plant and fish life calling them home. Toward the end we had a semi-exciting moment when a nesting Trigger fish decided John swam too close to it's nest and started attacking his fins! He managed to alert Ketut, who used his underwater prod to scare away the rather large fish, though it took a couple of tries before the fish finally swam away as it was quite persistent! Luckily John escaped unscathed. 

As we headed back to our bungalow for an afternoon of rest, we ran into David, Liselotte's husband, and were able to talk to him much more. In comparison to most British people we meet, David couldn't have been more different. He was more Australian in his mannerisms and personality. Extremely laid-back, casual, he was a very nice guy and between the two of them they ran a spectacular business.

All of our dive trips were all inclusive--equipment, dive master, any transportation, and lunch! We were served a delicious Balinese lunch of rice and chicken curry that afternoon in the lovely dining area, where we encountered our first American in ages! Her name was Sophia and she too was doing a fair bit of traveling, having come from NZ and was in Bali to get her dive certification. Naturally, we had a lot in common so we had lots to talk about and spent a fair amount of time chatting through the afternoon. 

She had to begin her video/classroom portion of the course that evening, and we headed out for an early dinner as we arranged to do the 5:30 a.m. wreck dive the following morning! It was also technically Thanksgiving so we opted to head to the restaurant that Lise considers the best in town called Warung Enak. It's the family restaurant of one of the staff at Geria Giri, a lovely man also named Wayan, and indeed it was a delicious dinner. As it was Thanksgiving we decided to splurge and get a sprite and beer, a spring roll entree, one main each, and a dessert. All for $15! It was delicious food and the young man who served us did a really great job--repeating back our order, checking on us when we received our food, clearing when we were finished. As we sat there enjoying our meal our friend Nonong rolled up on his motorbike! A testament to how small Amed is though, as he was just heading down the street and saw us sitting at the table (all the Warungs are open air since it's so warm). We had another lovely chat with him and made it a point to mention to him that we knew we still needed to pay him! Even he said it was no big deal, as it happens all the time with guests, and that we could pay him whenever. He left us to enjoy the rest of our meal, which included a delicious dessert of fried bananas with chocolate and ice cream!

There was another American couple who sat next to us who rocked up in a van, which we found a bit strange since Amed is not that big and it doesn't take long to get there. So either they were really lazy or they came from a further town and really wanted to come to this place to eat. Either way, after looking over the menu of delicious Balinese food, the guy rationally orders the fresh fish of the day while the girl orders tea and a bowl of tomato soup. . .  . Um, I'm sorry but did she not realize she was in Bali and that it was like 75 degrees outside??? To the restaurant's credit, the tomato soup was homemade and included fresh tomatoes and other spices, but still, typical American adversity to trying something different. Once again, to each their own, but it just seemed so ridiculous to me that she would come all the way to Bali, pay a driver to bring them to the restaurant, and all she orders is tomato soup! I really shouldn't let these silly things bother me. . .  I'm working on it. But either way, John and I very much enjoyed our yummy Balinese dinner and made the short 7-minute walk back to our bungalow for an early night!

The next day was as close to a perfect day as you could get. It started early, as we awoke around 5:00 a.m. to the sound of the rooster crowing! We woke up,  put our swim suits on, and headed out to meet the rest of our diving party for the day. It was a decent group for such an early start--John and myself, our dive master Ketut and Liselotte, another guest at the resort--a dutch guy named Beau, and his girlfriend Rose and David's lovely Irish step-father Dennis joined us as snorkelers. We loaded up into the van and set along the coast, 20 minutes north to the small town of Tulamben, The drive that morning was amazing--Mount Agung in the distance was crystal clear and we got a beautiful view of the sun coming up from the ocean horizon. We made it to the dive site to find very few divers had attempted the early start.

This is one of the main reasons while Lise always likes to take her guests in the very early morning. The wreck of the USTA Liberty is one of the most popular dive sites in Bali, hence, by mid-morning once the companies start arriving from across the island, the site can get quite crowded (during peak season numbering 200), diminishing the experience and scaring away a lot of the aquatic life. Luckily for us, we were only one of two groups that morning--the other being a group of about 10 advanced divers with fancy photo equipment who entered the water a good 10 minutes before us, giving us plenty of space so we had the 120-meter wreck mostly to ourselves!

We were once again spared the effort of carrying our own tanks and BCDs. The local Balinese women managed to pile them TWO high on the tops of their heads and walk down the rocky path in flip flops to the beach! The strength and poise of these women was just unreal. So after donning our gear it was an easy beach entry  into the water. 

The wreck of the USTA Liberty occurred during WWII when it was bombed by a Japanese torpedo. The wreck was then towed towards an area northwest of Bali but they were unable to make it that far and set it down on the beach near Tulamben. However, in 1963 Mount Agung, the largest volcano on the island (and also still active), erupted, shifting the sands of the coastline and the wreck slipped beneath the water where it has sat ever since. At the most shallow, the wreck is only 5 meters beneath the surface, making it a great snorkel site, and at it's deepest it's 28 meters making it also excellent for diving!

It was our first wreck dive, and also our deepest to date (25 meters!) and it was truly memorable. You could still make out certain parts of the ship, even though it's now been overgrown by algae and coral. We saw so many awesome sea creatures, including a big family of the giant bumped parrot fish, which only hang around in the early morning hours.

We managed to stay under for 55 minutes, which was also the longest dive John and I had to date, and made it back to the surface with air to spare. In between dives our whole group enjoyed a breakfast of banana pancakes prepared by the Geria Giri staff and they were delicious! We had a wonderful chat during our hour break, talking about all sorts of things from travel to how David and Lise came to own the dive shop, and we discovered that Dennis' best friend in Ireland has two sons who went to the same boarding school as John. Dennis was so tickled and thrilled by this discovery, and he was such a lovely, charming man. He has traveled extensively (even to Antarctica!) and was so thrilled with our travels and was such a fun person to talk to. After our wonderfully entertaining break, and with a nice breakfast in our tummies, we were ready for our second dive where we would actually penetrate the wreck!

The amount of diving we were doing over these two days was great practice for John and I, and we were able to improve on our diving skills. Working on our buoyancy, kicking/movement in the water, and conserving air. By the time we went down for the second dive, I was super comfortable in the water--getting into a great breathing pattern where I really started to focus more on my surroundings rather than worrying about my breathing or buoyancy. Check out some photos of we burgeoning dive pros:

Penetrating the wreck was just so cool--though it was wide enough that you didn't feel claustrophobic. But penetrating the exterior of the wreck and then turning around to look back out into the open water--it was such a cool experience. For this second dive we didn't go as deep, only 19 meters, and we stayed under for 66 minutes! I was really, really pleased when we surfaced and felt like I could have stayed under longer (and indeed I could have as I still had 70 psi left!)

Though we didn't compare to the free diver we encountered on our second dive. We were pretty deep, around 15-18 meters and I look down to see this guy in just a snorkel mask, fins, bathing suit, and a camo-print rasher shirt just idly swimming by. It took me a second to realize--he had no air! No tank, no nothing--and he was deeper than us and just taking his sweet ole' time checking things out. It was crazy! Every several seconds you would see him release just a few bubbles as he very slowly exhaled the one breath he took before diving under! I could never, and would never attempt such a thing. This guy was hardcore!

But anyway, it was a magical start to the day and we saw some really amazing sea creatures.

But the day wasn't finished! 

We headed back to Amed to relax for the afternoon--enjoying a wonderful rinse off in our open air shower before enjoying lunch with the other guests at the bungalow. We had a lovely conversation with Dennis and David's mother over another delicious Balinese meal. We had a nice rest that afternoon, before gearing up for our last dive in Bali--a night dive at Amed Wall! We had never done a night dive before but had always wanted to--so when Lise offered the chance we decided to take it! We once again met with Ketut that evening and made our way down to the beach, underwater torches in hand.

Lise chose the nice, relaxing spot for our first night dive, as Amed wall has a lot of open space so you don't have to worry about getting caught or hitting coral, or losing site of the other divers. Indeed, once we got underwater it didn't take too long to adjust to following each other in the water and were able to witness the beauty of the ocean at night. The highlight of the experience was when Ketut managed to spot a blue-ringed octopus on the ocean floor! These are very small, elusive but highly poisonous creatures so it was really special that we were able to see one! Ketut said he has only seen 3 in all the years that he has been diving. We got close enough to see it really well, but not too close! 

It was a great way to end an already fantastic day, and we headed back to the bungalows to change and headed out for a quick dinner at a nearby restaurant, before swiftly passing out for the night!

It was two magical days of diving in beautiful Bali and we caught a lot of the action on the GoPro. Check it out!

Bali Dive Adventures!

The following day was a much needed day of rest. Sleeping in, enjoying the peace and tranquility of our bungalow, and going for a nice afternoon swim was the only thing on the itinerary that day. That evening we headed back to the restaurant we went to on the first night, Warung Pantai, to enjoy another tasty (and super cheap!) meal. As we were enjoying another round of fried bananas the owner came over and just started chatting with us. He invited us back the next night saying that he had a special that John would really enjoy--barracuda cooked in banana leaves and he could make it really spicy. It really was a nice little restaurant so we said we would return the following evening for our last night in Amed. 

Aside from Ubud and Amed, we wanted to explore a bit more of Bali as it's not that big of a place and hence easy to do. As it was the slower season, Nonong was free the following day to take us more into the mountains to enjoy some more Balinese natural beauty. It was a bit of a drive, about 2 hours, just to get there, and as we headed further inland the sun gave way to clouds and rain, but that seemed to be the standard weather during that time of year. Our first stop was a pair of twin waterfalls called "Gitgit", but I would soon re-name it the" $20 Waterfall." As we pulled up to the entrance a "local guide" came to greet us at the car and to take us along the path to the falls. This wasn't actually necessary and I would have preferred to do the walk on our own, but it was a bit too hard to avoid. He brought us down to the entrance station where a guy was waiting to apparently rip us off as much as he could get away with. When we arrived up to the counter the man wrote out a hand-written receipt for our entry fee into the waterfall area in which he charged us 200,000 rupiah for the entry plus a local guide! This doesn't sound like much ($20), but in Bali this was the same amount for one night's accommodation at Geria Giri! It didn't sound right to me at all, and was about to protest, but John pulls out the $200,000 rupiah and hands it to the guy and so after that it was too late. But from that point forward the whole experience was soured for me as I knew we had just gotten swindled. Aside from this one experience, the rest of our time in Bali was lovely, so I guess we escaped with pretty good odds for Westerners in Indonesia. 

The local guide did try to give us information about the area and took plenty of pictures of us, but he also led us past stalls where locals were trying to sell all sorts of goods, and little girls were trying to sell baskets full of cheap, bead bracelets. He also had us stop at his own family's stall and try to persuade us to buy something, but we firmly stood our ground and at this point I was in no mood to be polite. It was not exactly what I had imagined. The path to the falls was short enough, and I saw several tourists walking around without guides and I was very curious to ask them what they paid to get in but I never did. The falls themselves were nice, but certainly not worth $20 and in between photos with fake smiles I knew I had a scowl on my face as the whole thing just didn't sit well with me. In the end, I hope that kind of money is at least put to good use, but the whole situation was not pleasant. 

When we arrived back at the car after the $20 waterfall, I informed Nonong of what had transpired. He was genuinely apologetic and told us that we should have come and got him when they charged us that amount, as they would have never dared to pull such a trick with a local. He said the entry fee should only be $1.50 each. Instead we paid $10 each. He told us repeatedly it wasn't right at all what they did and I think he genuinely felt bad, though we assured him we did not blame him, but told him just so he knew in the future if other guests wanted to visit. 

Indeed, at the next site that was a famous Balinese temple complex situated at the edge of a lake in a beautiful valley, Nonong escorted us to the ticket window and inside to make sure we weren't ripped off again. It had started to rain as we left the waterfall and headed down a winding mountain road to the valley called Bedugul that contained the famous temple, but we were lucky with the weather once we arrived as a patch of blue sky appeared during the 30 minute time frame in which we walked around. Even for a mid-week off-peak day, there were still many tourists in the area as it was a beautiful temple. After the wet, when the water level in the lake is higher, the water covers the low-lying land that surround the temple making it look like it's floating on water. Some of the land was exposed during this time, but it was still a nice site to see and we wandered a bit more around the complex, also checking out the beautiful flowers surrounding the area.

We made it back to our car just in time, as the rain started to come down. After a quick buffet lunch we headed back up the mountain to start the drive back to Amed. When we reached the top we were treated to the site of several monkeys hanging out beside the road--feasting on trash and food thrown from car windows. Since  our one effort to find a Monkey Forest in Ubud turned out to be unsuccessful,we were excited to get a glimpse of these cheeky creatures on the side of the road! Apparently in the area around popular temples the monkeys are prone to stealing whatever objects and food aren't tied down to your person--but we were able to view them from the safety of our car. 

On our way back to Amed we made a short stop at another Balinese temple, more specifically a Hindu temple. The entry fee was only whatever you wanted to donate and they provided free sarongs for you to wear as they are a mandatory garb for visiting sacred sites. We were the only ones there so the guide took us around and told us a few of the stories behind the carvings.

As we left, a woman approached our driver in the empty parking lot across the road to charge him for the 10 minutes we  spent wandering around the complex. He gave her a 2,000 rupiah note, essentially .20 cents, before driving off. This seemed to be the theme of industry and economics in Bali--everything is cheap, but nothing is free. 

As we made our way back into Amed, Nonong stopped at the small roadside stall that is run by his wife. We enjoyed a small snack of a delicious, fresh and juicy mango and some water before he dropped us back at our bungalow. This small snack was actually, indeed free and he even gave us each snake fruit as well to enjoy! We did pay him for the day though, but at $60 for about 8 hours worth of driving, it was still wildly inexpensive for Western standards (considering the taxi ride to the airport in Perth was about 20 minutes and cost $35 AUD). 

It was our last evening in Amed, and we only wished that we could have stayed much longer. Enjoying sunshine, open air showers, and delicious cheap food everyday--diving all the time, meeting all the international guests who pass through--it's definitely the good life, and we were just happy we got to spend 5 blissful days in beautiful Bali.

We met up once again with our American friend who was now a certified diver and planned to do the early morning wreck dive the following day. We decided to go to dinner together and headed back to the small warung on the beach where we told the owner we would return. Indeed, he cooked John his special, spicy fish meal and we enjoyed one last dinner looking out at the lovely sunset.

As we packed up our belongings that night, Lise came by and we had a lovely chat with her talking about our travels and all sorts of things. She was telling us all about the time that she lived in Egpyt, working as a general manager at high end hotels and B&Bs and was giving us lots of information. She and her husband really were some of the loveliest people. For being considered budget accommodation in Bali, we received A-class treatment from beginning to end from both her and the staff. She was even telling us that the following night she was taking the whole staff out for dinner and drinks--and was determined to get them to try the delicious Irish whiskey that Dennis had brought with him! I wish we could have been there to see that!

But the next morning we had our last delicious breakfast of banana pancakes and cappuccino and had to bid goodbye to our beautiful little paradise. She told us that we could have stayed, and we really wished we could have. But our adventures were only just beginning and we had 14 more countries to visit! (though a return trip to Bali will definitely be scheduled in the future).

We enjoyed the nice, 2-hour air conditioned ride to the small beach town of Sanur, located a short 20 minutes from the airport.

As a last stop on the way out of town, we drove past some beautiful terraced rice paddies and made a short stop at a water palace just outside of Amed.

We actually didn't have enough rupiah on us for the entry fee, which was posted this time on the window as 20,000 (or $2). We only had about $14,000 on us, but the guy at the window said that was fine and let us in anyway. It was a wonderfully well kept pond with beautiful flowers and sculptures. They also had a small local pool where we spotted several children splashing around, but we didn't have time to enjoy the cool water with them, unfortunately.

We made it to Sanur in the early afternoon without incident (or so we thought) and bid goodbye to Nonong before settling into our room for the night. About 2 hours later I get a call at the hostel--it's Nonong telling me that he found my small point and shoot camera underneath the front seat of his car! I hadn't even realized this whole time that it had been missing! As he was already back in Amed, I told him to give it to Lise and David and that I would organize something with them. Several e-mails and a phone call later, Lise said that Nonong's brother would bring the camera back to Sanur on his motorbike for $25 USD, which would be much cheaper than trying to ship it somewhere. Plus, I would have it for the rest of my travels (and have made sure to keep good track of all of my belongings ever since!)

We waited for Nonong's brother to arrive before heading out to dinner that evening. As we walked around Sanur, which is considered the other nice and cheaper beach town resort in Bali (and much less trashy than Kuta) I was still convinced that Amed had been the perfect place for us. Sanur was considered to be a quiet beach town, but it was still flooded with Western-style restaurants and tourists, though luckily our accommodation was down a small alleyway so we didn't hear any of the street noise. We opted for the cheapest room we could find at $12, which included a fan, a cold water shower (which was fine since it was so hot anyways), and free Wifi. 

We had a very early wake-up the next day, so it was early to bed and early to rise for us. We organized a taxi to pick us up a 4 a.m. to drive us to the airport for our 6 a.m. flight. He arrived on time and in the very light traffic of the early morning the trip was quick and only cost us $75,000 (about $8). 

Going through check-in and customs, however, took much more time. The inside of the airport wasn't air conditioned, so while waiting in line to check in there was a large family with several children and lots of baggage in front of us who held up the line for quite some time. Once we got through that, we head upstairs where we had to pay a departure tax of $15 each, but had to pay in cash in Indonesian Rupiah. We knew this beforehand so we were prepared, but other foreigners we not so lucky. Once you go through that, another guy stops you to check your boarding pass. THEN you finally pass through the customs box where they give you your exit stamp. But you still have to then line up at the gate and put your bags through security. 

We made it though, and boarded our flight bound to Singapore. 

Bali was our first real introduction to a developing country, and was our first major test as world travelers in our ability to be flexible, open-minded, and street smart. After our one instance of getting ripped off we said we had learned our lesson and would deal with such a situation much better in the future. But we also really appreciated the beauty of such a relaxed, casual lifestyle. In most countries we lived in, laws and rules were enforced and adhered to (for the most part). In Bali, the harmony we found in daily life didn't come about from rules or laws, but it was simply their mindset. Sure people tried to earn a living, but from what we encountered in Amed, this was not the centre of their existence. It was about family, traditions, culture, community. 

It was a small slice of paradise. I know it captured a little piece of my heart, and I can't wait until we get the chance to go back.