Last week we said good-bye to Serenity Eco Guesthouse, their dog, our favorite local restaurant (Warung Neyalan) and the Canguu area. Overall a nice stay at Serenity, but we found it a little isolated for our family. Also, the local beach, while fantastic for surfing was not the best for swimming with kids. Because we did not feel confident enough to rent scooters and drive on the “wrong” side of the road, we were stuck with the more expensive option of hiring a taxi. Not good for dad’s cheapcation.
The upside of isolation was the spa. In total, we each had 4 treatments which included mani’s and pedi’s for Lydia and I. Paul stuck to the Balinese body massage (mmm hmmm) and Callum’s fav was the foot massage. All of which ran from 7 to 10 bucks an hour.
On our transfer day from Canggu to Ubud we included a visit to the rice fields and a stop at a local farm.
The picture above the bunnies is the farm-house which houses a family of 4. A very basic, but traditional Balinese farm-house. Lydia’s favorite part of this trip was the bunnies.
After a walk through the farm and a quick visit with the farm owners (real quick, as they did not speak English and we of course, do not speak Balinese), we were treated to some traditional Balinese coffee and tea time treats most of which were made with glutinous rice flour and palm sugar. Our favorite was the fried banana.
In Ubud, we stayed steps from the market in the heart of the city at Sania’s House. A great location and for us, as we could walk to all the main attractions and had a wide variety of restaurants right outside our door. There are many things I loved about Bali, but of course with anything there is the bad and in some cases the doggone UGLY.
I could go on and on with the good list, but for the sanity of all I have narrowed it down to a few family fav’s.
The temples in Bali are plentiful and beautiful. The main religious practice in Bali is Hinduism and this cultural devotion is evident everywhere. Almost every store, home or place of business is enriched on a daily basis with handmade offerings to the gods. We were so intrigued by this practice that the kids and I took an afternoon course offered at the library on how to make these daily offerings.
Once we finished the course we quickly went back to Sania’s and placed our offerings by our temporary home.
The Food in Bali is AWESOME and very affordable. We had to eat out at least one meal every day for two weeks and we never left a restaurant unsatisfied.
The Ubud Market is a fantastic place filled with a plethora of sights, sounds and smells (Lydia wasn’t a big fan of the smells) and you can virtually find anything you need. I was happy to have Paul with me as he proved to be a master at negotiating a fair price.
The Sacred Monkey Forest in Ubud turned out to be a hit. The first time we went through we were all a bit timid of the monkeys considering our last encounter at Batu Caves, but the second time through resulted in a quiet one on one experience with a monkey. You really do have to secure your belongings while walking through this forest as the monkeys are quick and smart and know how to unzip a backpack. Luckily, there a lots of staff to unsure the monkeys don’t get too out of hand. Actually, the second time through I was having more fun watching the people’s reactions to the monkeys. Our favorite was the two beefy, lubed up Italians wearing only their shorty shorts. One bought a banana to give to the monkeys, but as soon as the monkeys approached he threw the banana and ran screaming in the other direction. Too funny.
Okay, okay, now for the bad.
As I mentioned in my last post, the garbage in some areas of Bali is quite unsightly and frankly made me sad. Some of the steps we took to try to lessen our impact during our stay in Bali was to find a water bottle refilling station. One we found close to Sania’s in Ubud was at the Library and for a nominal fee we could refill our large bottle daily. We also tried to bring a bag with us when we headed out and told merchants we wanted no plastic.
The sidewalks (when there are any) can be a bit treacherous and you are constantly faced with the decision of staying the course on the dilapidated sidewalk or take your chances walking on the road. You have to virtually watch your every step. All part of the FUN!!
The next time someone in Canada complains about the price of booze I am going to say “Aw, go to Bali”. My favorite Vodka comes in at a hefty price of $79.45 Cdn. Needless to say I have not touched Vodka since my giant Costco bottle in Hawaii. Wine, though a bit better is still very expensive. The end result….I am drinking beer!
That does it for the bad and now for the U-G-L-Y!
Never, ever, ever, leave your hotel before you hit the loo. The result can be sheer disaster. Lydia just down right refused, but you know, her well seasoned mom got the job done. To this day Lydia will not use the squatty Potty, but my child-birthing bladder does not offer me the same privilege of being so particular.
The other ugly, we had to hop on a plane and say our farewells to Bali. Such a lovely place, lovely people…lovely visit. I hope that we are fortunate to visit again one day. For now, we have safely arrived in Yogyakarta on the Island of Java and here we will stay for the next week.
Very interesting place, you saw and learned a lot of where to go and not go again. Looking forward to more posts as you continue your trip.
I love the picture of Callum and the monkey, although Callum does look a little unsure.