I transferred from Cambodia to Bali on 2 flights, changing in Kuala Lumpur. When I book my plane tickets, if it’s not included, I always pay the extra so I can get the window seat. On my 2nd flight from KL to Bali, I took my seat and was waiting for take off. As usual I was at the back of the plane in the cheap seats and it was very full. There was a family of 2 adults and 2 children, who were probably aged 3 and 6 years old, and weren’t sitting together. At this point I want to comment, that if you have very young children why would you not pay the small extra amount for choosing your own seats together ??♀️. The air hostesses were trying very hard to swop people around so they could sit together. I was asked if I could move seats!!! I said I would only move if I could still have a window seat. I subsequently got moved to a ’hot seat’ in a very empty cabin, up front….winning for me, but I can’t understand why they didn’t just move the whole family there, and save the mother all the stress?? I had another excellent flight ?
My first destination, in Bali, was a seaside town called Sanur on the east coast. At this point I would like to state that it appears I have come to Bali during the rainy season ☔️. The mornings would be lovely and sunny but by 2pm the heavens would open. My 1st day here, I learnt a very wet lesson……never go out without a coat!!! I literally looked like I had jumped into a swimming pool, fully clothed.
Like the other countries I’ve visited in southeast Asia, Bali is very humid. It doesn’t take long for my face to look bright red and sweat to be running into my eyes..all very glamorous. I actually quite welcome the rain. Sanur has a long beach path to walk along, which I did several times. The actual sea/beach didn’t look that inviting, so I didn’t swim.
While in Sanur, I hired a driver/guide because I wanted to visit the Lempuyang Temple ‘gates of heaven’. It was quite a distance away, but the journey would also give me a chance to see some of Bali’s countryside. My driver Gebe, was brilliant. Really nice family man, safe driver, excellent English and not pushy at all regarding extra trips etc. He told me loads about Bali and Hinduism (the island’s main religion). We stopped and admired Bali’s active volcano, Mount Agung, that last erupted in May 2019!!
The Lempuyang Temple was beautiful. As you enter, you are given a number, which is your place in a queue for getting your photo taken in front of the ‘gates of heaven’. You also have to wear a sarong, out of respect, because it’s a holy place. It took nearly 2 hours for my turn, but I was really happy with the pictures (although certain friends/family had an issue with me not being central…Louise, Julie, Sue and Jake ?….I’m naming and shaming you ?). Jake even took it upon himself to ‘adjust’ my photo, so I was central!!!
Original 
Tampered with!!
It was quite cloudy on the day I went so you couldn’t really see the mountain in the background (see below, not my photo). As well as the ‘gates’, there was also a Temple to visit if you wanted to pray.
Not my photo 
Following the Gates of Heaven, we went to the Tirtagangga Water Garden. Oh my goodness, just as we got there the heavens opened. I had the choice to not go, but it seemed silly not to, after coming all that way. The Tirta Gangga used to be a royal palace, but the king moved after it was nearly completely destroyed by a volcano eruption in 1963. It has since been restored and local people can go there to swim. Another beautiful place…even in the rain.
I’m actually on stepping stones across a pond, it’s not flooding.
That evening I had a really lovely dinner. I thought I had just ordered a shish kebab, but lots of little ones came, all on a mini BBQ. Really tasty. I also found a place that did orange squash!!! I haven’t had squash since I left home…I had 2 ?, I really miss it ?
After a few days staying in Sanur, I transferred to Ubud, which is more central Bali. It is promoted as an arts and culture centre. I booked Gebe again, and on the way to my new accommodation with did some sight-seeing.
Our 1st stop was to see some traditional Bali dance/story-telling. Apparently what we saw, is authentic and done in the temples, but unless you are a Hindu you are unable to go into the temple, so they do special shows for the tourists. It was very interesting and the ‘story’ was a different take then just watching some dancing. I even made a ‘friend’.
Next stop was to a waterfall at Gianyar. Very nice looking, and you could walk down some steep steps to swim in the river/pool, but I didn’t have my swimming stuff and couldn’t be arsed ?.
3rd stop was to another temple, set around a water spring. Here you could hirer special robes, give an offering and get into the water to be blessed etc. Once again I just admired from a distance….it looked cold ?
My final stop was a visit to the rice terraces. Another beautiful spot, but interestingly, a whole tourist industry had built up around it. At some point, someone must have realised that tourists were going there for photos etc, and now the terraces are surrounded by shops, cafes and ‘jungle swings’. I quite fancied going on a swing, but Gebe said its wasn’t for me’ ?Still not quite sure what he meant by that!!! But I obeyed ?
And so to Ubud. What a strange town this is. Lots of people ‘finding themselves’ which is fine….but not really me. I was also staying at a hostel but in a private rooms, and I don’t think there was anyone over the age of 25 staying here. Again not really a problem, but I felt like a ’mother’ and wanted to give advice on sexual health and drugs to keep them safe!!! Also the town was really spread out, and quite expensive to get a taxi if you wanted to visit a different part, (I again resisted the temptation to hire a scooter ?). I think probably my time here was tarnished by the coronavirus travel restricts all kicking off, which played on my mind for a few days, trying to decide what to do for the best (please see my coronavirus special for more details). Moaning over………
One of the days I was in Ubud I went to The monkey forest, which was a lovely visit. Really nice safe walk in the jungle, enjoying the sounds and sights on offer. My stand out moment, probably of my whole trip, was a monkey that had stolen someone’s hand sanitiser. Even the monkeys are scared of catching the coronavirus ?. It’s good to practice regular hand hygiene….be more monkey.
Another of the days in Ubud, I went and visited Ubud Palace and Art market, which is nearby. I also enjoyed a long walk back to my accommodation, pass numerous vegan restaurants!!!
For my last day in Ubud, I decided I would go for a walk and find a geocache (if you know, you know). On the way, I stopped in a cafe for a cold drink. While I was there, I noticed another woman on her own. As usual I didn’t say anything to her, but after a while, she did approach me….Thank goodness for Moana, from Las Vegas, USA. We literally chatted for over 3 hours, sharing stories and laughs. She thinks all British people are posh, because of the way we talk, and that Americans believe everything we say, because of this ?. We parted ways, but agreed to meet up later for dinner. I went on and found my geocache, which had a trackable in, that I grabbed to move on.
Later that day, because I was where I was, I decided to give meditation a try. I messaged Moana, to see if she wanted to join me, which she did, and while there, we met Debbie, from Newcastle. The meditation was ok, I didn’t quite manage to shut up the chatting going on in my head, about flights and hotels etc, I guess it all takes practice. Was it for me ??♀️, it didn’t do any harm, and the guy taking the class had a nice calming voice. I had also wanted to try a bit of yoga while there, but never quite got around to it (too humid). I did do puppy therapy at the hotel ??
After the meditation, Moana, Debbie and myself went to a vegan restaurant for dinner. Lovely evening with a couple of great girls. We chatted until closing time. The following morning I was moving on to Seminyak and Moana had to go to Kuala Lumpur to renew her visa, as she was planning on staying in Bali for several months. We meet for breakfast and goodbyes….new friend ?
My time in Seminyak was quite brief, just 2 day. Nice town, full of tourists, mainly Australias. Lovely long beach, but the sea was a bit more rough, so lots of surfers. I paddled…very warm.
And so to my final Bali night….17th March…St Patrick’s Day ?. I’ve always loved Paddy’s day, and always try and celebrate it. I think most things back home had been cancelled, but Bali was still open for business. A little google search found me 2 Irish bars fairly nearby. I thought I’d go to 1 and if it was rubbish, move on. By 2am, my moving on, was back to my villa ?? The bar I had chosen had a live band playing, and although they didn’t know any Irish classics (except 1 U2 song), they were brilliant musicians and the ‘rock’ just kept coming. I also embraced my inner Moana (and Faith…back on Zanzibar) and approached some ‘lads’ about joining them. They were brilliant fun. All from Scotland, but now healthcare workers with the aboriginal community, in Australia. A bit later on, we were also joined by Jackie and her daughter from Essex. We were a mixed up bunch, but laughed and sung so much. Ross even told me off for being cross with my mum, for getting on the bus still, despite the risks involved. He said she was a legend and should carry on. We then started sending my mum videos!!! I’m sure she realised I was on the jaeger bombs at that point!!!
And that was my time in Bali. I have loads to add regarding my on going travels, but I will do that in a separate post because I don’t want Bali ‘ruined’ by some disappointment.
