Bali

Among the incredible surfing, clubs, and malls (none of which I took part in) lies one of the most incredible destinations on earth; the island of Bali. I have been fortunate enough to be able to spend just under two weeks on the island throughout the month of June. I spent nine days traveling around with my Mom in the beginning of June, and have just recently returned from a three day volunteering trip through EF and UNESCO.

Bali has an abundance of touristic amenities but venturing off the beaten trail (gotta love that expression) will help bring the local culture into a much better perspective as well as lead you to sites, views, temples, and people that will undoubtedly make a lasting impression on you.

As I often do, perhaps because of excitement or because I can’t imagine waking up so early, I stayed up all night for my 6 am flight. There’s no remedy for exhaustion like sleeping on a beautiful beach all day while your Mom brings you beer. It really helps you appreciate Mother’s day.

The next morning I’d say we fell into what you may call the “proverbial tourist trap,” you know ‘Oh this sounds awesome!’ We’ll go to an island called Turtle Island and swim with turt… Oh It’s the most tourist friendly, mini zoo in the world. Oh and it isn’t even an island! We just drove there on a boat so most people would feel it suffices as an island in some capacity, though  I assure you, we were still on the mainland. However, playing with animals is fucking awesome so I wasn’t too bothered. Not to mention anytime you can have fish eat the dead skin, callouses, and other disgusting bacteria you’ve accumulated on your toes, you just have to do it. Oh, and it feels AMAZING.

After relaxing on a beach nestled in between rock formations, a photo from the bridge seemed more than appropriate.

Having a sunset dinner on the beach after the second day.

This is Kuta. Known for being extremely busy with vendors, tourists and too many people. Perhaps we came on a good day, but it was fairly calm and although the vendors were quite frequent, it was never too bad..

These two photos from below are from Blue Point Beach. This beach is just North of the famous Uluwatu Temple. The trail to get to the beach was incredible and at the bottom there were small pools of water that were perfectly refreshing.

We left Blue Point and headed to Uluwatu, oh and we found some of these guys on the way.

Sure, they look cute...

I got really lucky to capture this guy, mid yawn, with the holiest part of the area in the background. 

Uluwatu Temple is on the most Southwestern tip of Bali with the Indian Ocean on one side, and the Pacific on the other. If you headed due south for a fair bit of time you could also run into a place some call “Antarctica.” You must wear a sarong before you can’t enter and they had a number of sarongs that you could borrow without having to purchase one.

Uluwatu is filled with monkeys. They really are a bunch of savages, cute perhaps, but they can be horrendous.  At one point my Mom and I were posing for a photo and her friend Traci was about to snap a photo when My Mom let out a yelp:

“Traci!”

Traci turned around and saw a half dozen monkeys next to her feet. She jumped and the monkeys promptly stole one of her thongs. On cue, an Indonesian lady selling fruit to feed the monkeys walked over threw some fruit at the lot of them and stepped on the sandal. She proceeded to pick it up, and say ‘Dua ribu’ (two thousand rupiah, or the equivalent to about 23 cents) no need to negotiate lady you got yourself a deal!

Uluwatu with the sunset in the background, truly amazing.

Rice paddies are seemingly everywhere in the Balinese countryside.

Pura Tanah Lot temple...

Renting a motorbike is an absolute must in Bali. I rented one in Nusa Dua which is in the Southeastern pocket of the island. From there I headed up through Kuta, Denpasar and then veered left to see one of Bali’s most famous sites ‘Pura Tanah Lot.’ This temple is not always accessible from land. Depending on the tide, and the season, you may have to settle for a picture from a restaurant with a view overlooking the temple. Though not a bad alternative, and a must, walking up to the temple and exploring its inner beauty is phenomenal experience. This was actually my favorite temple in Bali. The area is filled with tiny shops, and restaurants, and more but as you walk down the stairs onto the beach it feels as if you’ve removed yourself from that entirely. 

Central Bali

We left Nusa Dua, I don’t know perhaps the 6^th of June and arrived in Ubud. Ubud has long been known as Balis cultural capital. It serves as a mini metropolis for the people residing in villages, and towns throughout the center of the island and away from the coasts. Woodcarving, painting, sculpting and more types of art can be witnessed as you walk through the streets. Ubud is an amazing area. Seemingly millions of miles from Kuta or Nusa Dua beach yet in reality, just north. The rice paddies, lakes, mountains and temples that surround this region are nothing short of breathtaking.

We took a car up near Lake Batur and Kintamani Mountrain. Though at the time we wereblanketed by a thick fog we recommitted to cycling from Kintamani to Ubud. Through local celebrations, small towns, and wonderful countryside, we made our way 20 km down the mountain to Ubud. Giant Spiders, friendly people, and of course sunshine, helped pave the way.

The following day I again elected to rent a motorbike. From here I drove North to Kintamani, and then East around Lake Batur, South to visit the Besakih mother temple of Bali, and then south west through Denpasar and finally north to Ubud. Besakih is the oldest temple in Bali. The collection of temples and buildings within Besakih are gorgeous. The ancient Hindu architecture in Bali truly is astounding. 

On the UNESCO trip we were constantly busy. First we arrived at the airport at 7 am on Sunday June 24^th

We headed directly to the beach where we did some team building activities. Later in the day we released baby turtles from the beach and planted coral. I was more enthusiastic about this than the kids were because baby turtles are cute as hell. I didn’t have my camera on me but, trust me, they are. It was also fantastic because all of these girls in my group were like “Mr. Tony I don’t want to touch them, can you put them in the water” and as if I’d been waiting my whole life for the opportunity I started freeing the **** out of those turtles.

The next day we visited what will hopefully soon become an UNESCO World Heritage site; the Rice Paddies in Jatiluwih. There we witnessed a Hindu prayer, learned how to harvest the rice, and witnessed a wonderful display of Balinese dance, music, art, and food.

On the third day had us playing games, and laying around the beach. Two things I am very good at. All in all it was a fantastic experience and I appreciate the opportunity that EF, and UNESCO put together for the volunteers.