BALI
A friend from university and I were dreaming of escaping the concrete freezer of Paris for palm trees and beaches for our spring break this year - we're very original. As with any big trip, you never feel like it's happening until the flight attendant takes the passport from your hands and scans your boarding pass. There's something quite liberating about having a lovely gatekeeper grant you access to the squished chair you'll be sitting in for the next half of the day!
We flew with Saudia Airlines for the first time, which was an adventure in and of itself. I felt very blessed on this flight - no joke, considering there was a prayer room behind me and prayer said over the loudspeaker before take off!
We first flew to Jakarta, with the original plan of backpacking eastward through Java, taking a ferry to Bali, and eventually ending up in the southern beach town of Kuta to meet a gorgeous Australian friend of mine that I volunteered with in India. But, no more than 24 hours after arriving in Jakarta we were back on a plane, this time headed straight for Denpasar.
We took a taxi from Denpasar to Ubud, and scavenged for food at midnight. Eventually we ran into a lounge with live music, tapas, hookah, and a cute little elevated hut of our own with cushions to lounge on. Our hotel was right next to the Monkey Forest, so we made "friends" pretty fast, you can say. The human friend we met, Adi, who was much nicer than the monkeys, drove us to all of the big sites (Goa Gajah Elephant Temple, Pura Tirta Empul Water Temple, non-touristy rice terraces, Tegenungan Waterfall, a coffee plantation, and two dances) and taught us some Balinese language and culture.
Then off to the sleepy town of Lovina in the north. This town is famous for dolphin watching at sunrise. It was honestly a ghost town, but it was great to speak with the shop owners and visit the nearby Brahmavihara-Arama Buddhist Monastery, Air Panas Banjar hot spring, and Pura Ulun Danu Bratan Temple.
Unfortunately, my trip was cut short, so my story of Bali ends there. Just a few days worth of memories, but enough to keep me yearning for more.
P.S. I somehow forgot my camera on almost every outing. Below are the 10 photos I actually got!
We flew with Saudia Airlines for the first time, which was an adventure in and of itself. I felt very blessed on this flight - no joke, considering there was a prayer room behind me and prayer said over the loudspeaker before take off!
We first flew to Jakarta, with the original plan of backpacking eastward through Java, taking a ferry to Bali, and eventually ending up in the southern beach town of Kuta to meet a gorgeous Australian friend of mine that I volunteered with in India. But, no more than 24 hours after arriving in Jakarta we were back on a plane, this time headed straight for Denpasar.
We took a taxi from Denpasar to Ubud, and scavenged for food at midnight. Eventually we ran into a lounge with live music, tapas, hookah, and a cute little elevated hut of our own with cushions to lounge on. Our hotel was right next to the Monkey Forest, so we made "friends" pretty fast, you can say. The human friend we met, Adi, who was much nicer than the monkeys, drove us to all of the big sites (Goa Gajah Elephant Temple, Pura Tirta Empul Water Temple, non-touristy rice terraces, Tegenungan Waterfall, a coffee plantation, and two dances) and taught us some Balinese language and culture.
Then off to the sleepy town of Lovina in the north. This town is famous for dolphin watching at sunrise. It was honestly a ghost town, but it was great to speak with the shop owners and visit the nearby Brahmavihara-Arama Buddhist Monastery, Air Panas Banjar hot spring, and Pura Ulun Danu Bratan Temple.
Unfortunately, my trip was cut short, so my story of Bali ends there. Just a few days worth of memories, but enough to keep me yearning for more.
P.S. I somehow forgot my camera on almost every outing. Below are the 10 photos I actually got!