Rice terraces in Bali
I decided to start my journey of Indonesia on the island of Bali since I had heard such great things about it from many people. My friend John from Santa Barbara had decided to travel with me for a few weeks and since he had been to Bali many times before he was a perfect tour guide.
Local fishing boat in Bali
I knew before arriving that July and August were the high season in Bali since everyone tends to be on vacation (or on “holiday” as everyone calls it) but I never realized just how bad it was going to be. High season means that the prices are double what they normally are and that hotels are hard to come by unless you have booked in advance.
Upon arrival to Bali we headed to Kuta which is a beach town close to the airport and also the most heavily populated area of tourists – in a way it reminded me of Cancun during spring break. Lucky for us we found a hotel and John rented a car so that we could escape the tourists and explore other parts of the island the following day.
It was only $11/day to rent a car and once we saw the car we realized why it was so cheap. The car was barely drivable and it took three cars before we finally felt we’d be somewhat safe driving. The first stop after getting the car was the gas station since they had only left us just enough fuel to make it there. John had warned me that the people in Indonesia won’t steal from you but they will try and cheat you out of money at every chance they get. Sure enough… We asked the gas attendant to give us 100,000Rp worth of fuel. By not watching him carefully he had left the meter running from his last customer and continued to fill our tank up. We figure that we probably got about 50,000Rp worth of fuel and he pocketed the other 50,000Rp.
Bali roads are extremely tiny and because there are so many people driving cars and motorbikes it makes driving (or just riding as a passenger) very nerve wrecking. To get from our hotel to the main road we had to go down an alley that was just as wide as the car (with our mirrors pulled in) and at the same time try and dodge all the people and motorbikes coming at us. There were several times where I just had to shut my eyes to calm my nerves.
Driving down one of the many tiny alleys
One night we were high in the mountains in search of a hotel. We had been following the signs to the only hotel in town and before long the road started to get smaller and smaller. At one point the road was as wide as the car. On one side there was a ditch and on the other side a sheer cliff drop-off and part of the road had broken away. Both John and I felt very unsure about crossing this piece of road but there was no way for us to backup so we had to go forward. As we were crossing I remember thinking that this could be the end of me but fortunately we made it across.
Bali is different than most of Indonesia in that the majority of the people in Bali are Hindu whereas the rest of Indonesia is Muslim. While driving through Bali we stopped at several Hindu Temples. In order to enter the temples both men and women had to wear sarongs around their waists (which could be rented at most temples) and posted signs indicated that women who were menstruating were NOT allowed to enter.
One of the many Hindu temples we visited
One of the more scenic temples is that of Uluwatu. But the monkeys there are notorious for being vicious and taking your sunglasses, hat, and camera. We made sure to leave all those items in the car and walked with a stick to ward off any monkey attacks.
Uluwatu temple
Uluwatu is also known as a great surf spot. John and I spent an afternoon drinking beer and watching the surfers tackle these big waves.
On the way to watch the surfers at Uluwatu
Surfing the waves at Uluwatu
Since learning to drink coffee in Guatemala (aka lukewarm watered down instant coffee with lots of sugar) I have never been too particular about drinking good coffee but Bali Coffee is in a league all its own. They take powdered coffee, add water, and serve it to you. The powder does not dissolve and after you finish your cup you are left with what I call “sludge” at the bottom. It takes a while to get used to this but it does grow on you. Still what I wouldn’t give for some “real” Indonesian coffee – all of which unfortunately is export
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