Our Love Affair with Bali

For the past seven days, we have been experiencing a little piece of heaven (hence no blog posts and total disconnection from the world). Bali was more than we possibly could have imagined. From the incredibly nice and always happy people to the mouthwatering food to the culture that goes back for thousands of years...Bali was exactly what we needed to end our time in Southeast Asia (crazy right? five weeks have already gone by...but let's stay focused on the positive).


My dad travels to Bali quite often and introduced us to one of his business partners in Bali, Dewi, who was an absolute doll and was our saving grace. Dewi graciously arranged a driver for us during our time in Bali which was such a blessing because Bali is wayyyy bigger than either Kyle or I imagined. Arriving at the airport, we were greeted by our driver and new friend, Leo. We made our way to The Laguna in Nusa Dua beach that would be our home for the next week. Thank you Uncle Bain! All of Kyle's countless days on the road has paid off because we were able to stay at one of the nicest resorts we have ever seen for "free". Needless to say, our cutoff shirts and not so clean clothing didn't fit in but we could care less because the place was phenomenal. For the next seven days, we made the most of Bali! Many of our friends recommended going to the Gili Islands which are only a boat ride away but after hopping around so often and realizing how much there was to see in Bali - we stayed put and couldn't be happier that we did! We explored all different parts of the island (as you can tell from the novel below) and will absolutely be going again because there is still so much to see. Now it's time to say dada (bye in Balinese) to Southeast Asia and hello to the Kenya for the next part of our trip!

Nusa Dua

Nusa Dua is on the far southeast side of the island. It has some of the most beautiful beaches in Bali...not very many people, crystal blue/turquoise water and the perfect breeze that you just want to put in a jar and take home with you. Nusa Dua is definitely one of the more touristy parts of Bali and trust us, the prices showed it...we made sure to hit happy hour every night to get our beer for the day. It was built a few years ago and is primarily comprised of really nice, huge resorts but they still infuse Bali culture and do not make it too cliche. We spent a couple of days throughout the week just enjoying the resort and the Nusa Dua beaches. Ventured over to Geger Beach as well which was a great change of pace. Kyle rented a paddle board while I soaked in as much sun as possible and enjoyed my sunbathing buddy...an adorable pup who stayed by my side the enter day...pretty hard not to pack him up in my suitcase.

We were lucky on our last night to come across more local part of Nusa Dua and found a perfect restaurant with a guitarist. We had forgotten how much we missed live music! It was the perfect ending to our trip.

And speaking of perfect....time here is flying by and to be honest, I totally forgot that my birthday is right around the corner…but of course, Kyle didn’t. On the evening of our first night, he let me know about the grand plans that he had been preparing since we will be in some remote part of Tanzania and he wouldn’t be able to spoil me. Such a lucky girl. He planned the perfect Balinese birthday surprise that consisted of a special dinner at one of the best restaurants in Bali and a moonlight couples massage on the beach. Spoiled, spoiled, spoiled.

The dinner was a degustation menu at Kayasuki…something I have never done before. I didn’t think that you could ooh and aah over every single bite at a meal but you can! The restaurant was set close to the beach and of course all of the wait staff were amazing. They appreciated our use of the few Balinese words that Leo had taught us since most people only speak Indonesian now. The dinner was pure perfection and I think the huge smile on my face says it all.

The massage was a little bit of a different story. In theory,  a couples massage under the moonlight on one of the best beaches in the world sounds like it would be to die for…well, it wasn’t quite as it was described. They came to our room and asked us to change into the world’s weirdest underwear and put on our robes. We then made our way to a cabana that sat smack dab in the middle of the resort garden which was surrounded by other visitors enjoying their cocktails. I think for some Europeans (the ones who kids were twelve years old and running around naked on the beach, this wouldn’t be a problem), but for us, it was beyond uncomfortable. Nothing like having your right butt cheek out for the world to see while you open your eyes and see another guest starring right you. Kyle and I laughed about it later, but at the time, we both wanted it to end as quickly as possible!

Jimbaran Beach 

Sunsets that paint the entire sky and the best seafood you have tried in your entire life…what more could you ask for. Dewi introduced us to the awesomeness of Jimbaran during our first night in Bali. We ate like kings while watching the sun set over the dancing Pacific ocean. Needless to say, we had to repeat this magical evening for just the two of us. So we made reservations at Menega Café for our second to last night and once again it did not disappoint. With our expansive spread of lobster, jumbo prawns, clams, calamari, Balinese vegetables and of course, rice, we stuffed ourselves with huge smiles on our faces. Even the roasted peanuts here are phenomenal. So much so that we bought a kilo…little did we know that Dewi bought us some as a gift because we were raving about this so much. Kyle’s backpack is now 3 kilos heavier…we pretty much haven’t stopped eating them.

The way that they grill, or as the Balinese say “barbecue”, the seafood is insane. There is a massive pile of dried coconut shells outside of the restaurant which they use as their form of wood. Then 4 – 8 men stand around a huge grill grilling all of the food. The smoke that this grill creates is just insane. Even sitting at a table all the way down by the water, you are bound to take the smell of barbecue home with you. We were both fascinated with how they did and how they managed to stand there all night without any eye protection or anything. My eyes were burning and watering after .5 seconds. So our hats go off to them. 

Uluwatu

Aggressive monkeys! Nadia, we were thinking of you the entire time! So Uluwatu is actually a Balinese seaside temple with views that no words can describe, but does have a ton of aggressive monkeys that have declared it as their territory. So much so that you can't wear sunglasses because the monkeys will take them right off your face. Thankfully, we had Leo and a stick he made sure to grab on the way in so we didn't have any crazy encounters.

Aside from the monkeys, Uluwatu is magical. The closest reference I can make is to Cliffs Moher in Ireland (for all the ladies and sensitive gentlemen, the beautiful cliffs from the movie PS I Love You). Kyle hasn't seen something like this before so being able to see it together was perfect. It is the kind of view where you feel yourself holding your breath for a moment because it is just that beautiful. We spent a couple of hours just walking around and going from vista to vista trying to get every shot possible.

Instead of staying at Uluwatu for sunset like most do, we headed towards a particular surf spot near by, Bluepoint Beach. To say that Kyle was like a little kid in a candy shop is a complete understatement. The swells were at least 10 - 15 feet and the surfers were incredible. So I sat back and enjoyed the view of watching my husband stare in awe and complete joy at the surfers. I think if I wouldn't have been, he would have been out there with them in a heartbeat but I quickly reminded him that he hasn't been in awhile and I would like no injuries. On a next trip to Bali, maybe he will be out there with them.

Ubud/ Tirta Empul

Ubud is by far one of the most well-known areas in Bali and rightfully so. The landscape and ambiance is completely different from the Balinese beachside towns. We unfortunately only had part of a day to experience Ubud but have added it to our return list. Dewi actually lives in Ubud so we started off the day meeting at her house....um, no words. Absolutely beautiful. It was extremely unique because we were able to see a traditional Balinese home which is generally comprised of four buildings based on the cardinal directions. The north building is for the elders/owners of the home and the east building is specifically for any religious ceremonies. Within these homes, they have their own temple as well. So there is quite a lot of pressure on their eldest son to choose a wife that will be able to care for the temple next.

After visiting Dewi's home, we headed to one of our favorite activities: eating. We ate at Ibu Oka which is famous in Bali for their suckling pig. It was started by a women about fifteen years ago with  just a table underneath a banyeen tree. That same tree now sits at the middle of the restaurant. As soon as we saw the food, we knew it was going to be treat. Balinese food finally met our spice level and it was amazing!

Our day trip to Ubud was all about trying to experience as much of the Balinese culture as possible so a road trip to Tirta Empul was a must. Tirta Empul is Hindu temple in the middle of Bali and is famous for its holy water springs where Hindu Balinese go for purification. There is a large rectangular pool that has 12 fresh water spring fountains that each have a different symbolic meaning, all revolving around self-purification. Many people also travel to the temple to bring the holy water home for special ceremonies. Thanks to the help of our good friend, Leo, Kyle and I were able to experience the holy water of Titra Empul. After giving an offering the temple (special flowers in a woven basket), you put on a sarong and make your way through the different fountains. It was like no other experience we have had and will be something we always remember. One woman behind us could tell that we were not Hindu but was so helpful and explained the meaning of each fountain. So we made our way through the pool, saying our own prayers along the way.

Padang Bai

You cannot go to Bali and not go snorkeling or diving. Since we didn’t have much time and both of us would have to do a refresher course, we looked into the best snorkeling on the island and we got so lucky! Blue Seasons Bali Diving was making a special trip to Padang Bai. They only go there about once a month because of how far it is. From Sanur, which about 30 minutes north of Nusa Dua, it takes about an hour and a half by boat to get to Padang Bai. So I loaded up on the Dramamine and tried to enjoy the ride. The boat ride out was actually beautiful. Being able to see all Bali’s different terrain as you made your way up north and getting just a glimpse at some of the small beach villages was amazing. Of course, another thing we added to our list for next time. Most of the beaches up north have black sand beaches and with the vast mountains in the background, it is a sight to see.

Once we made our way to the dive sight, the diving was unreal. Parts were similar to Ko Tao but had even more fish...and sharks! We had our first shark encounter...a white-tipped shark. Of course as soon as the guide pointed it out, I started swimming frantically in the other direction while Kyle dove down with the GoPro to get a better view. At first it was just sleeping but then it started swimming around and that was definitely my queue to get some distance. 

Shark Sighting from Kyle Simmons on Vimeo.