2017 - and surprise I end up stuck in Bali again

It has been a busy year during the last few months of 2017. 

With my Balinese friends trying to apply for visas to visit Australia and having the applications rejected twice. This to me was an eye opener and the first dealings i have had with the Immigration Department. Given that the area I live in has a huge population of refugees, I assumed that to come to Australia it must be relatively easy just for a 10 day holiday. I now have an appreciation of the freedom Australians have to travel pretty much anywhere we want to. 

Well i was totally wrong and after realising that 2017 was not going to be the year my friends would get to see Australia, i acted on plan B. 

I would go to Bali for 6 nights. (without telling many of my family and friends ) I was off on an adventure on my own to visit my friends and family in Bali again on 22 November.

I had booked my flights on 15 September and luckily travel insurance on that day as well. 

As Mt Agung decided it might like to make it known that it was still an active volcano and start rumbling for the next 3 months, with earthquakes and movement happening but not much smoke from the top. So I watched and looked at the data being supplied each day from the volcanists and Magma Indonesia and some trusted facebook pages with daily updates. 

And off i went to begin my 6 nights adventure to Bali. 

I arrived safely and was greeted by my friends at the airport, it was so good to see them again. This trip was mainly to see my friends and new friends and a few adventures and tours. But not as many tours as my May visit. 

I spent my first night staying in Ubud, at Kori Ubud. Where my adventures all begin in October 2016. Where i was greeted by staff who remembered me from my last visit. I stayed in the Luxury suite as a treat for myself. OMG it was so huge and lovely, i felt like a queen. 

With breakfast included the next morning. 

As my friends were not able to come to Australia, I organised for them to stay with me in Sanur for a few nights. 

Day 2 - Our first night was with Sanur Beach Villas, we stayed one night here, a nice swimming pool. But not quite what we were looking for in accommodation. And as it rained really heavily that night we didn't get to venture out to see the beach or night markets. But had pizza delivered which was nice.

Day 3 & 4 - We were very spoilt with my next choice of accommodation still on the edge of Sanur, but about 1 km away from the beach. The Samata villas. We had a 2 bedroom villa with a private pool, 24 hour butler service, room service and the most yummiest breakfasts in the morning either at our room or in the restaurant. I was in heaven. 

We had so much fun here, in the gym there was a boxing ring, so i was entertained for a while , while my friends reenacted a boxing match.  I joined in the staff aerobics class, and laughed through the whole class as i am so unco-ordinated and the women in Bali learn dancing skills and balance from an early age as part of their culture. Table tennis matches until we finally decided it was time for food in the restaurant. The food was delicious and has a healthy theme to it. 

We enjoyed this accommodation for 2 nights and I highly recommend this location to everyone. It is not near the shopping area or restaurants but if you want a quite place this is it. With views over the rice fields and in the distance the Sanur beach. We had the choice of 4 pools to swim in. 

Booked through www.cantikbalivillas.com an Australian website. 

During this time Mt Agung decided to let the world know that it really was active and blew a big grey puff into the air, which resulted in Volcanic ash floating towards the airport and you guessed it no planes in or out of Bali for a week. 

So what was i to do? 

Hang tight enjoy the remainder of my holiday and not stress about when i would get home, until my original flight date on 28/11 arrived then I had official confirmation that I wasn't going to get home that day, due to the airport being closed and no flights available. 

Day 3 - tour day - Goa Gajah and Tampaksiring Journey  and Tegalalang Rice Terraces 

I had a very nice day accompanied by my friends sister and my driver. We visited Tirta Goa- Elephant Cave ,this time i wanted a photo of the cave entrance which i didnt get in May. Also to explore around a little bit more. 

Tampaksiring Journey is a lovely place to visit for lunch or explore, the structures are made from  bamboo and there are turkeys and birds that populate the gardens. This place is more a locals visiting place than tourists and it has very tranquil gardens. Except in the wet season when the mosquitos are around. 

 

Our next stop was to visit a stall selling postcards and sarongs at Tegalalang Rice Terraces, this stall is a little bit lower than the road on the side overlooking the rice terraces. You can try on the yoke and the man will show you how to walk through the rice terraces. (with a donation ) and have your photo taken. I did purchase a sarong from here and it is one of my favourite purchases from Bali. Check out the smaller stalls in these towns as these people usually don't get many sales but have dependents that they must look after. Just one sale a day can make the difference between feeding the family or not some days. 

We finished the afternoon off with a late lunch at Green Kubu. This cafe had just opened in May when i did my bike ride. They have the most amazing fresh food and pizzas, and cheap meals. Surrounded by lily ponds and on a sunny day umbrellas and bean bags can be seen scattered around the grassed areas, overlooking the rice fields.

 

My originally planned 2 last nights were spent back at Kori Ubud, where i returned to my Luxury suite again and 2 pools to choose from for my daily swim. 

I attended the English speaking church service on the Sunday night at Hill of Shalom, Ubud. 

It was a good service and the community are very welcoming for any foreign visitors to join in. Followed by mexican restaurant in Ubud. 

Then came the time to downgrade my accomodation , so that i could stay for however long i was going to need to. 

Part 2 to be continued....... 

#thesamata #greenkubu #tegalalangriceterraces #ubud #tampasiringjourney #elephantcave 

May 2017 - Bali -exploring Ubud

Day 11-13 Ubud
The time in Bali just seemed to go by so quickly, but during the last couple of days I was very busy visiting more interesting sites around Ubud.

I finally  gave in and visited Monkey Forest, and quite enjoyed it. I watched the monkeys jump onto other visitors and run away with drink bottles they stole from unsuspecting visitors. They have very sharp teeth when you watch them break open a plastic water bottle so that they can get a drink from the bottle.
It was an experience to be done once and i am glad i have done it now. The temple in the middle of the Monkey Forest is pretty amazing and to watch the monkeys play in the water is quite fun.

I visited the ARMA art museum and viewed my favourite painting I have ever seen in Bali. Depicting the rice terraces, but on closer inspection this painting is 3D, with paint applied in thin noodle like strokes. I love it and can sit and look at it for ages.  We also had the pleasure of meeting the owner of ARMA while enjoying a nice cool iced tea in the cafe. This is a beautiful place to visit. It is very tranquil and is also very community orientated. With the local children learning the traditional dancing and music here, providing the community with the traditions to be passed to the next generation. 

NEKA Art Museum - I loved this gallery as well and it had on show by Arie Smit , he lived in Bali and passed away in Bali in 2016 aged 99. 

sorry photo goes the wrong direction 

UBUD Food festival - having been to the Writers Festival in 2016 I was keen to see what the food festival was all about. 

I enjoyed a lecture on waste management and the discussion on Bali needing to reduce the usage of plastic bags and plastic bottles, creating rubbish that does not break down in the environment. 

There was discussion about plastic bags that are bio dynamic and less harmful to the environment and how does an island like Bali get these out to the shops to be used. Start with the airport. 

We watched a cooking demonstration and sampled some gelati. There were food trucks set up for the evenings entertainment with live music. An event worth checking out if it is on while you are in Ubud. 

And just like that the rain came down and we got wet , had fun with the stall holders from Studio Dapur, and went to visit some friends for lunch. Before it was time for a last massage for the holiday. 

And the last supper with my friends and off to the midnight flight out of Bali back to Melbourne - Garuda Indonesia flights - i cannot fault them and found them to be reliable and decent meals and entertainment supplied with a few quite wines to make the flight go  by quickly. 

So that is the end of my May 2017 adventures, but not the final 2017 trips to Bali. more to follow  :)

#armamuseumubud #nekamuseum #ubudfoodfestival17 #monkeyforestubud #visitbali #ubud

#blissspaandresortubud #balikudive

Bali you are in my heart forever ....... Day 10 May 2017

Well it has been a while since i added to my blog.

And the ending to my wonderful holiday in Bali in May 2017.

Day 10 May 2017

We had a lovely time in Amed, where we hired a boat and driver and snorkelling gear and had 2 hours of exploring under the waters surface.

We actually saw some coral and some fish and swimming below us some more experienced divers  with full diving gear on.
This was so much fun and my friends joined me. They had never been on the small boats before or had the opportunity to go snorkelling. So to see the smiles on their faces after the had experienced the snorkelling and the boat ride was heartwarming.
We stayed at Baliku Dive Resort and had a lovely stay there. We had the pool all to ourselves and the view overlooking the bay. The rooms were very comfortable and the breakfast was amazing.
We had fun playing a game of Scrabble from the selection of board games and books, during our breakfast.
I found this part of Bali to be very laid back and refreshing, except for the motorbike going up and down the road, it was mostly very quiet and traffic pretty quiet. The beaches are either black volcanic sand or the beach we went to had coral on it.
And the friendly reminder when the sun is rising from the local roosters. Ready for another day.
This place is on my too do list on my future visits to Bali.

Our stay in Amed was way to short and I would recommend at least 2 nights in this relaxed area of Bali. Mt Agung in the distance . Prior to any eruption or indication that in September 2017 it would start to become active.

And the return trip back to Ubud. 

On the return trip to Ubud we visited the Justice Buildings, Kerta Gosa, in Klung Klung. 

I was pleasantly surprised to learn about the history of this building and the design of the building with text and stories and rules depicted under the roof of the building. There is a museum which is well worth visiting to see some of the history of Bali. 

There was also a man painting fans, depicting some of the rules from the ceiling of the building.