#10 - Bali, Indonesia
| R2 Must DOs...
R2 PASSes...
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R2 Thoughts...
We visited Bali as part of our one month trip to three (3) South East Asia countries -- Philippines, Indonesia, and China. Despite the warnings and protests of friends about it being "dangerous," Bali was the most anticipated destination for us and we could not wait to get there. However, if we had to pick one word to sum up Bali, it would have to be "over-rated."
The beaches we'd heard of for so long, hailed as some of the "most beautiful in the world" in all of the travel books and websites we'd read, were less than magnificent. I don't know if it's because we live in California which is home to some pretty awesome coastline/beaches or if it's because we'd all been to Hawaii and seen their pristine beaches but we found ourselves wondering whether the writers of the books we'd read had been to ANY other beaches before writing about Bali.
Even in the off season, Kuta (the city and the beach) was crowded, dirty, and filled with drunken coeds (think Waikiki). But it was the first time in weeks that we were able to get an authentic American meal -- at the Hard Rock Cafe -- and for that we were grateful. So unless you collect HRC pins like we do, want to shop at the same shops you have back home at your local Westfield, or enjoy partying with other Western tourists, PASS on Kuta.
Ubud, the island's art and cultural center, was the best of Bali. From their art shops to open air markets to the sacred monkeys - it was the most fun we had outside of our resort.
The most enjoyable part of the trip to Bali was meeting Made (pronounced "Mah-dee") - one of the drivers @ the Aston Bali Resort - who became our guide/driver for the rest of the week. BTW, hiring a car and driver for the day or week is common practice in all of the resorts and is a lot easier/cheaper than going to an "car rental" outfit. Made was great because he drove us around to any part of the island we wanted for one flat rate. Also, he made sure we weren't ripped off by telling us when something was not real or overpriced. He was a good guy - a scuba diver turned driver because of some kind of damage to his ears. The driver we had before him was not. :). Made also took us on the normal "tour" of the island (Ubud, Jamboran, Batik making shops, Java coffee plantations, etc) and when we tired of those, to some local beaches off the beaten path where there were no other tourists. And when (just hours before we were to catch our departing flight) Dora decided that she had to "touch" the water from the Bali Sea - rushed us through Bali traffic to the other side of the island to fulfill her quirky wish.
Bottom line: For non-divers like us, Bali is simply a cheaper alternative for those who want to vacation and spend all their time in an all inclusive, luxury resort/spa.