It's no secret that I absolutely love Malaysia. It was the perfect first Asian excursion to go on; it was stress-free and full of culture and beauty. The food and activities made me fall in love. While my Indonesia trip was not exactly "stress-free," it certainly gave Malaysia a run for its money. The trip began with me discovering that I booked my flight for the wrong time (yes, this is a pattern). This resulted in me having to take an 8:30 AM test and immediately dash off to the airport. Luckily, I made it with time to spare and finally could relax and enjoy my nine day vacation in Bali, Indonesia.
The first four days were spent in Kuta, a town on the outskirts of the island. Kuta is known for being a party town full of beaches and it did not disappoint. Two of my friends from PolyU met up with Arden and I for my 21st and we had so much fun and made some great memories. Then Arden and I headed to Ubud (a city well known for its natural and cultural beauty) for the remainder of our vacation. By this time, we were absolutely exhausted but still did plenty of exploring. Here's a rundown of my favorite/least favorite parts of my Bali vacation:
All in all, my trip to Bali was incredible. I experienced some of the most beautiful things I have ever seen and I feel completely blessed to have been able to go on this trip. Now it's time to buckle down and finish up my last week of school before heading off to Vietnam! But first, here's my favorite picture of the trip:
The first four days were spent in Kuta, a town on the outskirts of the island. Kuta is known for being a party town full of beaches and it did not disappoint. Two of my friends from PolyU met up with Arden and I for my 21st and we had so much fun and made some great memories. Then Arden and I headed to Ubud (a city well known for its natural and cultural beauty) for the remainder of our vacation. By this time, we were absolutely exhausted but still did plenty of exploring. Here's a rundown of my favorite/least favorite parts of my Bali vacation:
- Beaches: The beaches of Kuta were beautiful and HOT. We grabbed beach chairs and alternated sunbathing with splashing in the huge waves. The plan to learn to surf got away with us but it was fun to watch everyone else learning (from the shore though because when I was swimming, I got decked in the head with a surfboard).
- Bintang: Bintang is the ONLY beer you can get in Bali. Everyone knows it, every single place sells it. Kuta nightlife was pretty fun. We went to some local bars around our hotel and a rooftop bar for my 21st (the highlight of that bar was the mashed potatoes at the buffet Sophie and I went to...).
- Bartering: I don't even know if I can call it that. Bartering is used in HK to come to a fair agreement on price since locals are constantly trying to rip you off. In Bali, you essentially tell the seller what you are paying and then take what you want. And this is not just in stores. It's everywhere! We bartered for taxi rides, clothes, and piercings. I seriously think I could have gone to a McDonald's and bartered for some nuggets. It is kind of sad because right now the Bali tourism industry is not doing as well as they have in the past and they have no choice but to accept any money that people will give them.
- Burns: The sun in Bali is no joke. I reapplied sunscreen every 25 minutes in Kuta and still ended up with the worst burn I have ever had on my face and shoulders. The heat in Bali was unbearable at points. It was impossible to walk for more than five minutes without being drenched in sweat. Also, central air is almost nonexistent in Indonesia.
- Bananas: The monkeys in Ubud's famous Monkey Forest are MUCH nicer than HK's Monkey Hill. They are well fed and there are workers milling around to make sure everything is more or less safe. All I had to do was hold a banana up in the air and next thing I knew, a monkey would be scrambling up my side and munching a banana down my arm. They were so cute, unless you hid food. They don't play with bananas.
- Beauty: Bali has so much natural beauty from rice terraces to volcanos. We stumbled upon so many rice terraces and gardens by just wandering around Ubud. Arden and I woke up at 1:30 AM to do a morning trek up an active volcano to watch the sunrise over Bali. It was a seriously intense 2-hour hike (at time we were scaling these huge rock steps to get up). I guess my body is getting used to all the walking/stairs because I somehow survived and saw what was no doubt the most beautiful view I have ever seen. It was incredible/breathtaking/words cannot even describe how amazing it truly was. Once the sun was up, our tour guide showed us the cracks of the volcano where steam was coming up. On the hour drive back into Ubud, I forced my weary eyes to stay open so I could see the beautiful scenery we were driving through. I saw famous Tegalalang rice terraces, beautiful mountains and the little towns of Indonesia. I was in awe all morning.
- Bug Bites: The first night we got to Ubud, there was a girl with a serious fever and headache in our hostel. She found out she had dengue fever and ended up the hospital for a few days. This was a little scary for a bug magnet like myself. I went out and bought bug spray and applied it on nonstop and still ended up with at least 80 bites by the end of my few days in Ubud. The mosquitos were relentless.
- NASI GORENG: Okay, I am breaking my alliteration here but seriously, Balinese food is DELICIOUS! Nasi Goreng is a fried rice dish with a fried egg on top and can be served with any meat (I got chicken) and various spices. It is so good, I am already missing it!
All in all, my trip to Bali was incredible. I experienced some of the most beautiful things I have ever seen and I feel completely blessed to have been able to go on this trip. Now it's time to buckle down and finish up my last week of school before heading off to Vietnam! But first, here's my favorite picture of the trip:
I am obsessed with each and every one of my pictures from Monkey Forest. This was one of the coolest/cutest experiences ever! The monkeys were too cute!