The Honeymoon pt5

We now have arrived to the supposed “highlight?” of our trip, Denpasar, capital of the beach paradise of Bali.

 

Here we are greeted by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, better known as SBY.  With presidential elections scheduled for July  8, there was a definite aura of excitement in the air with posters everywhere touting either SBY or Mega-Pro (Megawati Sukarnoputri, daughter of Soekarno & her running mate Prabowo Subianto).  Being able to watch before my very own eyes this young democracy in the process of maturation from its notoriously corrupt roots is something that just lacks a pricetag.  All thanks to this man, General Sudirman who helped lead the country’s fight for independence from the Dutch.  In every city we visited there was a statue paying homage to him, and in fact 3 of the hotels we stayed at were even located on General Sudirman road.

And at last we make it to the very South East tip of Bali, Nusa Dua (literally twin eggs).  Although a bit out of the way from the rest of Bali’s excitement, Nusa Dua is distinct in that it is home to only private resorts where one can almost completely disconnect from humanity in favor of all-inclusiveness. 

Here we are at the Bali Tropic Resort & Spa, right beside Club Med and the Westin Nusa Dua.

Although certainly magnificent, I think that we would elect in the future to stay closer to the more crowded, dirtier, sketchier, more exciting part of Bali near Kuta.  Michelle and I did not come to Bali just to lounge around, which is exactly what Nusa Dua is perfect for.

Still, you do get to experience tranquil beauty here unlike most of the rest of the island:

And we arrived just in time for a spectacular sunset

Perhaps our frame of reference was a bit skewed after 4days in Isla Margarita but I can’t honestly say that I found Bali to be any more spectacular.  Beautiful beach sure, and definitely a different style with more temples and history… but just how does one judge beauty?  It’s not exactly like Bali has a cup size (man am I glad that nobody is actually going to read this blog).

 

Bali does however have the jackfruit tree… tasty at first when in a curry, though the flavor/texture started wearing thin on me after a while.

And now here do we have the real sunset

No this scene is not meant to evoke any images of drug abuse… recall the sign from Maiquetia airport?  Well many a Canadian hippie will you find roving the jail cells of Bali.

What else have we here?  Of course, another performance of the Ramayana this time beachside.

And just as impressive are the lack of city lights permitting a bright moonlit nightline

Anyone else tiring of beautiful beachfront pictures?  How about back at the resort now

With goodies collected, we’re ready to roll out… just don’t come back with any of that durian

As tourists coming from Nusa Dua of course we’re prime bait for the taxis (everything about Indonesians being so friendly and genuine falls mostly out the window here in this Western tourist-corrupted Island).  It took quite some time to convince our taxi driver not to bring us to this purported great seafood restaurant, though in the end he carried through big time to a delicious Balinese restaurant Ketupat in Seminyak. Just look at the smiles!

Balinese cuisine was every bit as tasty as some of my Javan/Sumatran favorites

Especially when served in our own little house!

Next off for the infamous club scene on Double Six road

Aside from the scantily clad beauties on the prowl, not quite so hopping on a Wednesday night… or was it Tuesday or Thursday?  If there’s one great thing about taking a 27day vacation, it's to have the ability to not wear a watch and at no point have any idea what time or day it is.  Just eat when hungry, drink when thirsty.  Score one for Siddhartha!

Next morning, 4 or 5 days (maybe 16? we talked about this already) after spraining my ankle why not give it a go in the gentler South Pacific…

It may sure look like I’m getting it, thanks to the marvels of still photography.  And Michelle’s gracious nature in not doing as I was trying to get shots only of Guillermo wiping out at El Yaque.

Canoeing is quite a bit easier

I’ll need some more practice back in Cincinnati at Adrian’s windsurfing simulator before heading out again.  Why not give the basement half-pipe a whirl while out there?  Time for a refresher at the swim-up bar now.

Who needs a waterproof camera? (note to self, yes I badly want one like Hildebrand’s now… though Olympus will need to work on making it Ankur-proof.  Until then, good ol’ Samsung Digimax it is to supplant Mr. Nikon D60)

With the morning spent, we make our way up North to visit Ubud, passing by Kuta-Legian once again on the way, Surfer central

I’ve started coming to the realization that I have far too many hobbies.  Coming out to Bali I very badly wanted to get some revenge on the waves for getting my ass kicked in Costa Rica, North Shore, Long Beach, etc… but just how does one go about balancing so many fun things to do?  New realization from 27days off – the retired life is awesome, especially when you’re still getting paid!  Now just how do I go about getting a pension to help me retire by 30… physical dismemberment?  Oh wait damn you O’Henry!  I’ve created my own personal Gift of the Magi!

Ever wonder where all those statues at Club Tao, Buddha Bar…. uhh Lantau Island come from?

The road en route to Ubud of course!  Coming from a predominantly Hindu Island?  What???  This stuff’s made in New York City???

Who am I kidding, all of these statues probably just came off a boat from Guangzhou, along with fabricated 150million year old dinosaur bones meant for the sole purpose of screwing with the heads of creationists.

First stop in Ubud, the museum of Antonio Blanco… the famed eccentric Philippine-born Spaniard who settled in Bali in order to abstractly paint young naked Indonesian women. And love birds.

Good thing I was not wearing a flower in my hair (for other reasons of course, let alone at a place like Blanco’s museum).

 

 

Still I somehow felt a little funny walking through the entrance.

 

 

 

 

On to the Indiana Jones-style Temple of the Dead, with warning not to bring small children lest they feed these hungry monsters

Is it wrong that as a married man I still find it funny that this guy is choking the chicken?

All this talk about eating children makes me hungry… Circle K ramen stop

Hmmm, anything wrong with walking through a temple while carrying a bowl of steaming hot ramen?

Good thing they put this poor feline in stone.  Were I a predator I  totally would have gone after her younguns… what kind of protective credibility do you get wearing a hat like that?

 

Time for the Mandala Wisata Monkey Sanctuary!  Cute little guys right? Wrong! Totally vicious little buggers make these horrendous shrieks while battling for food.

But I guess any creature at this age looks cute

 

I’m sure glad I didn’t have to shield Linus’s eyes from this scandalous canine

Naturally, Rama’s buddy Hanuman is here to welcome you

And it becomes a race back to Kuta for the sunset… yay! We just barely made it!

We finally decided to let a driver take us to this glorious seafood place which was nice to have a beachfront dining locale… though not quite worth NYC prices for fish when you’re jonesing for some more tasty Indonesian eats

So back south to the Garuda Wisnu Kencana park housing the giant statue.  Ultimately, mission successful!

 

 

Sorry to Michelle’s parents… what a bad influence I am!

 

 

Day 3 comes, and yet another 4:30am wakeup for some Nusa Dua sunrise action.

Where’s the Farmer’s almanac when you need it?  We totally could have slept in an extra hour.  Bye bye moon!

At last we’re getting somewhere

ok that’s enough fun.  I guess when you wake up at 4:30am you really need to justify it.

Here is where a waterproof camera would have come in handy as we set off for a snorkeling adventure… we did pick up a generic underwater 35mm camera for $30 (the Kodak 1-use disposable was $35… go figure).  Of course it will likely be a few years before I get around to having the film developed, so no pics here.  Maybe in the meantime I can see what this thing will fetch on ebay?  Then again having taken only ~15pics, I am curious to see how the other 12 filled with the combination of Josh + Connie + Puerto Ricans + alcohol.

Just as with surfing, diving is another hobby that I think I could really get into funneling a lot more time and money into.  This trip, snorkeling was the closest that I get… not quite a fair comparison of the South Pacific vs. the Caribbean and Red Seas.

Time to stop off for a lunch of babi guling (suckling pig)

And away we go towards Kuta-Legian for the day... Oh no, on the road too!

Here we arrive to pay our respects at the memorial in commemoration of the 2002 bombing in Legian 

When your country is a conglomeration of thousands of different cultures spanning across multiple islands, it’s really no wonder to come across a separatist movement.  Sadly (or however you want to look at it), since 2004 Indonesia has been almost completely from domestic terrorism as the Aceh separatists were essentially wiped out by the tsunami.  Telling this story to a friend in Cincinnati, I couldn’t help but laugh at his response: ”I wonder how we can get a tsunami to hit Pendleton?”

A few famous spots in Kuta – Tubes, the top surfer hangout

and finally the beach!

 

To close out the day with a view of the sunset from Ulu Wata temple back South close to Nusa Dua.  Let me see that sarong!

Then back to dinner here at the same place as last night… hey it’s close by, plus that Indonesian pizza looked mighty scrumptious

Treated to more than just dessert, we also were entertained by two Indonesians singing with a Southern twang.  Check out their rendition of Jimmy Buffet and the Beatles.  When they broke into Redemption Song, I was just about ready to eat the sun again.

Margaritaville - from 2 Indonesian guys with a Southern Twang!

Let it Be - From 2 Indonesian guys at the Garuda Wisnu Kencana restaurant

So all the end, we had an incredible time in Bali but I have to admit that I likely would not come back here.  There’s just too many great things to see in this magnificent country world that I really can’t imagine justifying another trip , unless to visit other cities such as Padang or Solo… or a trek around the wild lands of Papua/Kalimantan/Sulawesi.  It does make me appreciate more Isla Margarita and some of the other gems of the nearby Caribbean that we have at our disposal so nearby. 

But unequivocally, I have to recommend Indonesia as a must-visit for all.  Sure it’s a bit far away, but the dollar goes very far, there are loads of interesting stuff to see, food is incredible, a very high English-speaking ability among the people (for all I had heard about this strong Chinese immigrant community, I did not meet a single Chinese speaker), and most importantly of all, the happiest most friendly people I have ever met in my life.  Being that I did not see another single American out here (few Canadians), a few Indonesians actually asked why this beautiful land is not on the radar screen of most peoples’ travel maps… I have no good answer to that, but let’s just say that now you know.  For anyone looking for their next exotic vacation spot, I cannot think of a place more worthy of earning your hard earned tourist cash.