BALI!

So.... the 24 hour bus ride to Bali somehow turned into a 32 hour bus ride. It was barely air conditioned, and we only stopped at 2:30am and 6pm (that's the eating schedule of Muslims during the month of Ramadan!) The only interesting part was taking the ferry from Java to Bali. Anyways, we made it safe and sound, and started our trip in Sanur, a sleepy beach resort area in southeast Bali. Our first day was very relaxing-- the beach in Sanur caters to an older crowd and so is incredibly peaceful and quiet. We laid out on the beach and walked up and down the boardwalk, and all we could hear was the waves crashing and the birds in the trees. We got half hour massages in a tiled beach hut for about $2.50... I'm loving Bali! We quickly realized there was no nightlife in Sanur... everyone our age goes to the Kuta and Legian areas to stay and go to bars and clubs. We also realized that although our Sanur hostel was cheap (11 per person per night) we could find much cheaper, and much better lodging. So we relocated to Kuta for our third night, and stayed in a hostel room for $6 ($3 each!) Kuta is known for its little alley ways (called Poppies Gangs) that are filled with vendors, surfboard/motorbike rentals, and cheap salons. Sara and I loooove the cheap spa treatments, and have been treating ourselves like crazy. We explored the nightlife, which consisted of like 10 clubs and bars clumped together. It wasn't really our scene... it was definitely geared toward Europeans and their bad taste in music!  ;-) 

The next day we hopped on a shuttle and went to Ubud, which is the center of the island and is considered the cultural capital of Bali. It's a small town, famous for its art, craftsmanship, dance, surrounding rice fields, monkey forest sanctuary, and incredible shopping. We splurged on a nicer hotel, with beautiful landscaping and a pool. In the last couple of days we have done a ton of shopping; there is a huge outdoor market with vendors that sure are eager to bargain. I bought a lot of cool stuff- paintings, wall face masks, handbag, dresses made out of batik (the famous Bali textile), jewelry, etc. We also checked out the Ubud palace, which is beautiful (and still has royal family living in it!) Today we woke up and went to the Monkey Forest which was awesome... there were 300 monkeys running around in the beautifully landscaped park (which, by the way, encompass 14th century temples). We walked the rest of the day and explored the surrounding areas and the rice fields, which are so scenic. We walked as far as we could and popped in and out of roadside art galleries, in hopes of buying cheap paintings. 

Bali is interesting because it is predominantly Hindu, while the rest of Indonesia is Muslim. What I have found absolutely fascinating is the daily offerings they make up and leave out... the offerings are small banana leaf baskets, filled with a little bit of rice, some flowers, burning incense, etc. Women make them, and place them everywhere: on the sidewalk, in their shops, tucked into statues, etc. I feel like I step on them all the time because they are literally everywhere. And the smell of incense is perpetually in the air. I love it!

Alright, the internet cafe is closing, so we have to go.

Until next time...

xox