18 June 2009, 10 pm local time. After two power outages at our hotel, I'm finally able to log back on to the computer and start writing! What's impressive is that the pianist at the hotel bar continued to play undisturbed in the darkness!

Salam! A warm and sunny hello from Bali!

First things first... HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! This blog is especially dedicated to you, papa bear, so hope you enjoy our tales from Bali!

Two weeks in Bali have come and gone in the blink of an eye. Our beach break cure will come to an end this Saturday when we depart for Singapore. Fortunately we'll take with us many fond memories, unique experiences, and most importantly... golden crispy tans!

Apart from bumming around on the beach we actually did manage to leave our loungers a few times in pursuit of some adventure (and exercise!). Within the first couple of days of arriving we rented a car (a bright green boxy looking Dadone Xenia), and braved the Balinese motorcycle-dominated roads. It was crazy to see up to 4 people on a bike... often two parents and two children... one child would be standing up front "driving," and the other sandwiched between mom and dad sometimes secured in place with a belt! First on the agenda was to visit the infamous Kuta, Legian and Seminyak areas, which are all connected, and are located just north of Nusa Dua on the West Coast. We expected to see pristine, white sand, postcard-like beaches wherever we went, but I'm sad to report that it's not like that at all! To give the area a "second chance" we ventured back to Kuta for dinner one night, and found it to be even more tacky, gaudy, and dirty than it was during the day. For those looking for a relaxing break on a beautiful beach (that hasn't been commercialised to the nines!) steer very clear of Kuta!

Being completely dumbfounded by what we found we decided to take the car out again the following afternoon and explore Sanur (northeast of Nusa Dua) and Jimbaran (west of Nusa Dua), which are two other very popular tourist areas. Again, we were slightly disappointed as we found very mediocre beaches in both places. The beach at Jimbaran is slightly better than at Sanur; it's fairly long, and clean, but the downside is that you can see and hear the airport. At night, however, Jimbaran turns into a very charming dinner spot as tables are set up right on the beach and lit by candlelight, and fresh seafood is served hot off the grill! Sanur actually has BLACK sand, and is full of litter so (along with Kuta) we give it two big, fat thumbs down!

The good news is that when we returned to Nusa Dua it looked even more beautiful than when we first arrived! Having explored our surroundings beyond Nusa Dua we decided it was time to discover Nusa Dua itself... ALL of it. We walked for hours and hours on end over many days North and South of the Melia Bali (our hotel), and found some truly stunning beaches with crystal-clear waters. We spent a few days at the "local's beach" (right next to Melia Bali), which is especially quiet during the week when everyone is at work, or school; A few days at Gerger beach, which is the southern most point (that we could access by foot, anyway) of Nusa Dua. There we found fisherman, loads of seaweed pickers, cows, and roosters!; Spent a few days at the hotel St Regis' beach, which is one of the MOST BEAUTIFUL stretches of beach that we found in Bali. It's lined with tall palm trees, has incredibly white sand (that's clean!!!), and clear, fresh water that's just the right depth. What's interesting about Nusa Dua is that the high and low tides really affect the water levels. In the afternoon the tide is so low that the beach literally empties out so it's impossible to swim past 4 pm. When the cycle reverses itself the opposite is true... it's impossible to swim in the morning because there is no ocean!?

Also worth mentioning is the famous surfer beach Padang Padang, which is 30 minutes or so west of Nusa Dua. We did our best to blend in despite not having an 8-pack washboard tummy, or surf board! It's a small beach, but absolutely lovely, quaint, and clean. The sand is white, the water is clear (just watch out for the many rocks!), and the food served at the "Warung" (food stall) is actually quite tasty and very inexpensive; $US 6.50 buys you a plate of noodles, a grilled sandwich, two bottles of water, and a banana-pineapple pancake with lemon and honey! The locals (actual Balinese and foreigners who've taken up residence in Bali) are all ridiculously friendly. We met all sorts of wonderful people that day. Most memorable was the ski instructor from France who taught us a bit about "duck diving", wave patterns, and how the beaches in Bali are actually named (after waves!), and the sarong seller who flirted her way into our wallet! We ended the day by watching the sunset at Uluwatu Temple, and while I was taking photos of the pinkish, orange-y, purple sky a very cheeky Balinese macaque stole my earring and nearly tore a hole through my ear in the process! My ear is fine (mom!), and now I have an excuse (as if I need more!) to buy a new pair of earrings!

To see a little more than just beaches we also took two tours into central Bali. The first was with Mr. Krishma who took us to see Kitamani Volcano and Lake Batur where we had impressive views of both from the restaurant where we had lunch; Various shops producing local goods including textiles known as Batik, spices (which they consider to be coffee and tea mainly), wood carving known as Mas, and paintings (we bought a huge painting of a Balinese woman's face... let's see if it survives the trip home!); To see two traditional Balinese dances known as Barong Kris and Kecak (Kecak was performed at night, and included a dancer running through fire!); The monkey forest in central Ubud where we encountered Balinese macaques for the first time, and fed them a combination of bananas and grapes; And, the rice terraces that cascade throughout the countryside.

A few days later we embarked on tour number two with a Spanish-speaking guide (who spoke like a gosh darn native for peets sake!), Kardi (as in Bacardi), who gave us the inside scoop on the Balinese culture and lifestyle. With Kardi we visited the monument/museum of Independence in Denpasar; An actual, traditional Balinese home, which comes complete with a temple and pig sty (the home and land are passed down from one generation to the next, and cannot be sold); Ubud, the arts and cultural center of Bali (visited the royal palace and various street markets); Another monkey forest (more Balinese macaques!) located outside of Ubud; And, Tanah Lot Temple to see the sunset. All in all it was a brilliant day... especially for Daniel and Kardi who joked the entire way swapping sexist, dirty jokes and riddles like two school children!

Other curiosities encountered in Bali:

- Bargaining is part of the sales process; in fact, it IS the sales process. You are NEVER quoted a realistic price so you must negotiate everything to at least 50% off! DO NOT pay more than 35,000 Rupiah (about $US 3.50) for a sarong or beach dress, or more than 20,000 Rupiah (about $US 2.00) for shell jewellery! This back and forth haggling can go on for a good 10-15 minutes (if not longer) as they'll chase you down the street to find out what you're wiling to pay. If you really want the item in question, and they won't back down on price, use this tactic that we discovered that works 90% of the time... pull out the amount of money that you're willing to pay and simply put it in their hand. It's that easy, and 9 times out of 10 they will take your money in exchange for the good.

The Balinese people are true entrepreneurs, and jacks of all trades. They will make a business out of nothing (or several businesses out of nothing!). We met a lovely lady at Padang Padang beach who owns a small petrol stand, gives massages, sells sarongs, and is a part time chef (she cooks brekkie for the local surfers)!!! We've lost count of the number of times we've been approached and asked the following from one individual on the street or beach: "Transport!? Banana boat?! Massage?! Jet ski?! Day trip?!". If they don't personally provide the good or service you can guarantee that their friend, brother, or cousin does; they all work together to capture as much business as possible! We didn't see a single beggar (it's actually illegal according to Kardi); the Balinese people will always try to make an honest living even if it means selling pencils.

- Not sure the 3 R's slogan - Recycle, Reduce, Reuse, and close the loop... you can clooose the loop! - has reached Bali yet. There is a lot of garbage strewn about on streets and on the beaches. Kardi explained that there's simply a lack of awareness among the Balinese on the effects of littering, and polluting. He also told us that the Balinese used to believe that demons inhabited the ocean, and therefore, along with not swimming in it, have no remorse for throwing their garbage into it.

- Balinese are very religious, and there are approx. 20,000 temples in Bali alone! The predominant religion in Bali is Hinduism (which makes up about 93% of the population. However, in Indonesia the predominant religion is Islam). Three times a day offerings of thanks (flowers, food, even money!) are made to several gods (who are all part of the one supreme god, 'Ida Sanghyang Widi Wasa'... say that 3x quickly!). You'll find these little green baskets wherever you go... avoid kicking, or stepping on them!

I could go on, but I'll stop here and save some stories for when we get back!

Much love and sun from Bali!

Jennifer & Daniel