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We finally arrived in Bali after 3 flights, 30 hours of travelling and an 18 hour time difference. It's safe to say we weren't really sure of anything by that point apart from the fact it was so hot from the moment we stepped off the plane.
We spent our first couple of nights in the Kuta/Seminyak area which is on the west coast. We caught up on sleep and relaxed by our hotel pool, having to take a dip every few minutes as the heat was almost unbearable (especially after a very chilly California). We ventured down to the local beaches too, but were disappointed as they were strewn with rubbish and didn't exactly look appetising. We were confused as this is the main tourist area of Bali and the guidebook raves about these beaches being stunning. A bit of research soon told us that because we are travelling in rainy season, the sea is a lot more choppy and therefore churns up all the rubbish in the sea onto the shore on the west coast.
So in search of a beach up to our high standards our next stop was Sanur, on the east coast of the island (but only 20 minutes from where we'd been staying before). Sanur is a more laid back area as it isn't quite as developed so was more up our street. We stayed in a nice little hotel (where our room was upgraded to a 'garden view' room even though they all had a garden view) a short walk from the beach which had white sand and blue sea. Success! We whiled away a few days here with Tom practising his handstands in the pool and buying watches from the local sellers (current count is 2).
We decided our next stop would be the Gili Islands, which are just off the coast of Lombok. A pleasant minibus journey and a very unpleasant boat ride later (the sea is really choppy) we arrived on Gili Tramwangan, the largest of the 3 islands. You'd be able to cycle around the whole island in under 2 hours so not exactly big. They also don't have any cars on the islands so if you need transport it is via horse and cart.
We checked into our accommodation which we'd booked before arriving and unfortunately booking.com had let us down on this occasion...by my standards it was gross and by Tom's it was ok. We agreed that we'd need to stay the first night we'd booked but would try and get out of the other 2 nights and find somewhere else. We spent the afternoon looking at some other places and found one for pretty much the same money which was amazing. On the beach, our own massive bungalow... we were moving!
One evening we decided to go to a yoga class that we'd seen advertised nearby. We'd both thought it would be quite basic and probably not that busy. Well we we're wrong on both counts. After more than 2 months of not really doing any exercise this was a shock to both our systems. A very sweaty hour and a half later we emerged and Tom's first question...'what is a downward facing dog?' She kept saying it, but I know dogs and they don't look like that!
The next day we went on a snorkelling trip that lasted 6 hours and cost us the princely sum of £6...not bad. A glass bottom boat took us around the 3 islands and at various points we jumped off to snorkel and see the amazing fish and coral of the area. At one point they gave us bread to feed the fish and a few even ate it from Tom's fingers. He was very excited by this until one bit him.
On our last evening on Gili T we decided to indulge in some pampering. I went for a pedicure while Tom put his feet in a fish tank full of hundreds of mini fish that nibbled the dead skin off his feet. Lucky for Tom this tank was at the front of the open-fronted shop so he became something of a local celebrity for the 15 minutes it lasted. One woman asked if she could take a photo just of his feet, then just before she took it she said 'actually I might as well take one of all of you'. So expect to see a photo of Tom with his feet in a tank in the next issue of Ok! Magazine.
We then went to the local night market on our way back and got a very tasty dinner. A 75p BBQ corn on the cob followed by a £2 plate of pretty much everything... You can't say fairer than that.
After a few very hot and occasionally rainy days and being offered magic mushrooms 5 times a day, we're ready to hit up the next island, Gili Air. Maybe the mosquitos won't be able to follow us there.
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