Bali Adventure
The following morning, our driver and guide arrived to take us on our adventure. We went to Lovina on the north coast, stopping first at Tanah Lot temple, continuing to Twin Lakes arriving in Lovina late afternoon. We stayed in the 5* Lovina Hotel which was right on the beach, and a lovely place to spend a couple of nights. We had an early start to see the dolphins of Lovina, got back to the hotel for some breakfast and then drove to see the Gitgit Waterfalls and the Pura Beji Temple.
The following day we drove to Kintamani, staying on the lakeside under the shadow of Mount Batur.
The highlight of the trip was getting up at 3am to climb Mount Batur for the sunrise. The climb itself takes around two hours and is timed almost to perfection to arrive at the summit at sunrise. At the top you can witness the volcano crater and see where an eruption caused the destruction of the original village. After returning to the hotel, we hired bikes and cycled to the Hot Springs Spa on the lakeside about 45 minutes away. Thankfully the hotel owner offered to come pick us up, and brought his two sons to drive the bikes home.
The food was simple, but very tasty, even to the point of us going to the lake and selecting our own fish for supper. We then continued our journey through the centre of Bali and noticed many children marching through villages. We were told that as Bali was celebrating its independence, there were marching competitions which were taken very seriously. We passed platoons of kids, all dressed in costumes, marching and chanting as they went.
We spent the next two nights in Amed, in a beachside hotel, the beach here is black volcanic sand. Amed is the ideal place to catch ferries to Gili Island.
We then drove to Ubud, which was our favourite with lots going on, very cosmopolitan, great food and shops to walk around, and probably the best blackcurrant smoothie anywhere served at Nomad Restaurant. We stayed in a villa here, which comprised upstairs and downstairs accommodation in the villa itself, and a bungalow in the grounds, which we occupied. It had a butler service and a pool. It was a little way outside the centre, but the villa supplied transport to ferry guests back and forth. It was a very nice way to spend four days.
We spent one morning white water rafting which was interesting, but mostly we just hung out by the pool or went browsing around the shops and restaurants in Ubud.
Lastly we made our way to Seminyak. The journey from Ubud was very interesting as we passed through several villages on the way. Our hotel in Seminyak was right on the lovely yellow sand beach. There was a very big surf, which was fun when it came to paddling.
There was a large selection of bars and restaurants both along the beach and along the road into the resort. We spent four nights here, and it was a great restful end to the holiday. Bali had changed enormously since our last visit, it is more popular as a destination, particularly for Australians. The cost of living is much lower than the UK and you can eat very well, at reasonable prices. Also a final word about the weather; we visited at the height of our summer. It was warm in Bali but there was little or no humidity, which made for very comfortable sightseeing, and it got relatively cooler at night.
I would certainly recommend Bali to anyone who was thinking of visiting South East Asia, it provides a viable alternative to Thailand and Malaysia, with lots to keep any visitor busy and interested.