For boyfriend’s 30th birthday I decided to take him to
Bali to celebrate his milestone. We left in the middle of September for approx: 9 days. I think overall 9 days was just enough time to end off our trip. We took
Air China for our 14-hr flight and a layover in Taiwan. The food was delicious and on our flights we were never hungry because they just kept feeding us from
fried rice, chicken on rice, meatballs, pasta (very bland and was the worst
choice I made) etc. The flight back was very bumpy, lots of turbulence. It felt like a roller coaster ride in the air.
We only had a 4-hour layover in Taiwan which was great for us to stretch our
legs and explore the airport. The airport was HUGE! Lots to see. The food was
good too. I’m glad we got a chance to taste some Taiwanese food. When we
arrived at the airport we grabbed a sim card for approx. ($30 CDN) for 12 GB, not
worth it at all. We got ripped off. The service was terrible. The reception was
only good at the airport. The is the one mistake a made. And then we grabbed some rupiah for our way to
our bungalow. I did my research and took the blue bird taxi. It was approx. $25
CDN so we gave the driver $30 CDN. Not bad for about a 45 mins ride to our
place. When we got dropped off at the bungalow the place wasn’t too too bad. We
had a shared pool which we didn’t use but our room was neat and tidy but not fancy at
all. The bathroom on the other hand….it was ok the bathtub was stained very
badly and looked very dirty so I had to wear flip flops in the bathtub. The
water was either cold or hot not much of an in between. I got burned one time.
The pressure was very weak so we couldn’t shower together but one at a time. We
most definitely couldn’t take a bath either because the bathtub was filthy. The
bed was nice and hard which I don’t mind. I prefer a hard bed over a soft and
lumpy one. Overall an alright stay in the city of Seminyak. Seminyak is busy
like Kuta but Kuta is still busier I heard. We had free breakfast everyday.
They have western food and traditional Balinese food which we prefer to go for.
Its usually mee goreng or nasi goreng. Which I really miss right now because
you can’t get the right ingredients here to cook it properly here. I know because
I tried. ☹ We stayed in Seminyak for 3 days and we attended
the Ultra Festival there for 2 nights. Overall, a great experience. Would I go
again? Probably not. My next goal is to attend Tomorrowland and EDC. We walked
a lot in seminyak, ate a lot of different kinds of foods. From traditional nasi campur
to Korean tacos and fries. The people are super humble and kind. They believe
in karma: so how you treat others is how you will be treated in life. They pray
3 times a day for the food they have, the success of their business to their
health. The side walks are very hard to walk in. Usually crumbled debris or unpaved
roads. Most people travel in scooters, riding on roads, cutting off corners,
riding on sidewalks. It’s a very busy city congested with gas smell from the
cars and scooters. The noise of the traffic can get loud. But, it doesn’t seem
to bother any of them because this is their daily routine.
Later,
we headed to Ubud for the rest of our stay. Ubud is a much quieter area in
Bali. Its were the rice terrace and forest is located. We stayed in our own
private village suite. This was an upgrade to where we were before. We had our
own pool, kitchen and sleeping area. My only complaint was the ants falling
from the roof. I did say something to the staff but the problem wasn’t fixed so
I had to shower in the bathtub where the ants weren’t falling from. So, me and
bf couldn’t shower together again ☹. Another very awesome thing we
did was hire a driver for our trip to Ubud. His name was Agunk Torres. He was a
great driver. He knew what he was doing. It wasn’t expensive approx. $50 a day
and he showed us to the gems of the city. We went to the coffee/tea plantation where
we got to sample a lot of different kinds of teas and coffee. We went to hike
the waterfalls which was the most beautiful waterfalls I have ever seen in my
life. Pictures cannot recreate the memory of my experience there. The power of
the pressure of the water was intense and overwhelming I could hardly breath. We
met a very friendly tour guide who showed us the ways to the waterfall and
shared his personal experiences with us and shared the local food they eat
there and the place he lives. We went to see how the traditional clothing was
made there. Our driver was kind, and very honest. I asked him if I should give
money to the poor on the street and he told me no because the money goes to a
boss who they give it too. He told me not to buy from the street stalls for
souvenirs because they are poorly made but he showed me where the best places
to buy souvenirs. His english was very good so communication came through
easily. Overall, hiring a driver was one of the best ideas that made our trip
so much better. He even showed us where to eat the best duck in Bali. It turned
out to be the best duck we had ever eaten.
Boyfriend ate with his hands to really embrace the Balinese experience. We made friends in Bali our local dog, Lily
and gecko bro. Overall, our experience in Bali was unforgettable to the food to
the people and to our experiences. Would I go back again? Most definitely! I would love to do a Asia
trip and have a couple day stop in Bali. Thank you to all the kind people we
have met there and thank you for letting us share your beautiful culture and the love you have for your city.
