Gili Island Bliss

A week ago we arrived to a place that we always dreamed of but had no idea really existed. Imagine 3 little droplets of white sand beach islands set in the most turquoise blue water you've ever seen... that is the Gili Islands. All 3 totally unique from one another, no motor vehicles at all, only pony drawn carts, unlike Bali they are Muslim so they also have Mosques, and literally THE nicest people we've come across so far. Everyone smiles at you as you walk down the sand paths that make up the "roads" of the islands, asking how your trip is, or wishing you farewell. The islands are so small we easily walked around the entire island in less than 2 hours and without straying from the beach at all.

After a 5 hour slow boat ride we arrived at the largest of the 3 islands, Gili T. It's the most crowded so we had a harder time finding a room at night, plus we had our backpacks so people knew we were desparate, or we' be sleeping on the beach ( which now we know we could have done!). We ended up staying at a dive resort in what ended up being our nicest and by far most expensive room. We were so happy though to see that it had a DVD player and TV with a ton of pirated movies to choose from. We didn't realize that on a trip this long, you actually start to miss, or should we say crave, some of the modern conviniences of home.

The next morning we jumped on the backpacking island hopper boat to head over to Gili Air. There are no docks here so you literally wade into the water and get onto the boat from there... you should have seen the people with roller suitcases, it was halarious, we think they will be bringing backpacks next time. When we arrived at Gili Air we couldn't believe how quiet and beautiful it was. Had we known how much we would like it, we would have made reservations for 2 weeks, but as there are no ATM's on the islands and only cash is accepted, you can't change your plans very easily if you haven't already enough cash. We spent our days diving and lazing around on the white powder beaches. The vibe here was so cool as it was mostly young backbacking couples, we met really nice people from around the world.

After our wonderful days on Gili Air we again jumped on the island hopper and made our way to Gili Meno, the smallest and most quiet island of the 3. It would have been fine, except it was SO quiet is was a little creepy. Not to mention, we stayed at this really strange eco friendly place that was more like glorified camping, which, again, would not have been that bad except it was misquito infested and smelled really bad! We would have left after the first night but this American hippy girl named Jill worked there and we spent the night before chatting for hours. She showed up there to hang out 2 months ago and never left, now she lives there with all the guys who work there and makes signs for the place, oh and natural soap because that's all you're allowed to use while you're there because they reuse the bath water for the plants! It was definitely an experience we'll never forget!

Our last stop before heading back to Bali was again at Gili T. We got there early in the morning but it still wasn't early enough to score a cheap room so we decided to head back to Bali a couple days early. We ended up taking the fast boat back to Bali instead. It was like a giant ski boat with 5 big engines and carries 40 people. We dropped a few people off on Lombok and made our way back through quite trecherous surf. The waves were so big they were crashing over the boat and leaking in, Heather was sure we'd be swimming sooner or later, but luckily we arrived back to Padangbai safe and sound. We found a little homestay for $15 and stayed there.

As we write this we're now up further on the eastern coast in a little fishing village area known as Amed. We found a cute little place and are hoping to do a little more diving, budget allowing. That's the one thing about backpackers, if you overspend one place, you have to cut back in another! Maybe we'll sleep on the beach for a few nights! :)

Okay, we're off to explore our new village! We're a little more than half way through our trip already...

Divers Paradise...

We have arrived in Padangbai and as we drove down the main street the dive shops seemed to out number the hotels. We knew we had arrived in divers paradise. The vibe here is a laid back beach town mixed with diver bums from around the world. We checked into to the nicest hotel in town ($30). A three story 10 room hotel overlooking the harbor and only 10 feet from the beach. For the first time since arriving in Bali our room is completely sealed from the outdoors. It even has closing windows with AC and toilet paper! The simplest things in life are so gratifying now. Food here in Padangbai is even cheaper than in Ubud. A full dinner is usually under $10. After a wonderful night sleep we walked down the street and found a super friendly dive shop run by a UK lady and her Balinese husband. We did two morning dives with them and absolutely loved them. The water is 83 degrees here. The warmest we have ever been in. Our dive master found a lot of great things including; Frog fish, Lion fish, Ghost Pipe Fish, Cuddle Fish, Blue Spotted Sting Rays and even Heather's favorite Clown fish in giant sea anemones. It was so awesome. I think were going to go broke diving here :) Afterwords we hung out at the dive shop and chatted with the workers and they even served us lunch. Last night a huge storm moved in and it rained buckets all night long and into the morning. We planned on diving today but the waves were washing over the streets so we decided to stay dry instead. As we write this the storm seems to be moving out and we plan on doing more diving tomorrow before we board our boat for the Gili Islands.

Heading to the Beach

This a Hindu ceremony we watched from the side walk. The police stopped traffic as hundreds of Balinese marched by.

This is the Aygung River valley that people raft down. It is the largest river in Bali and we had to pay a local kid $1 to show us the path down and he even took a picture for us. It was very steep but well worth the views. The 4 seasons is located on the hills above us with amazing edge-less pools that overlook the valley. It's only $500 a night to stay there :)

Here's some cool things that we have been experiencing the last few days....

-We saw our first firefly. It was only one but still amazing.
-We felt an earthquake today. It actually felt like our chairs were jello.
-We ate our first mangosteen with some japanese guys at a restaurant. (Purple fruit with tangerine like center)
-We ate unrip mango from our homestay owner.
-We went to the same restaurant that Anthony Bourdain(From the Travel Channel) ate at for the best pig in the world.
-We got really lost when coming back from the Aygung River and ended up in peoples back yard.
-We realized the US postal service is actually not that expensive and very reliable. ( It cost us $5 to mail 5 post cards.)
-We realized it is impossible to make a phone call here. The lines are usually diconnected or nobody picks up ( you really take this for granted in the US.)
-We Got a wonderful foot massage and Adam wasn't molested :)
-Adam's majorly allergic to Bali (maybe it's all the incence and clove cigarettes burning everywhere :)
-We still really like it here and we have 5 more weeks.
-A damn monkey tried to steal our ice cream.

So we're off to Padangbai which is a town in east Bali on the beach. We ran into a Canadian couple today that gave us some good tips on finding a secret a beach there. It is very humid here in Ubud and we are ready to expierence some of the beaches Bali has to offer. We plan on being there for 3 days and then heading to the Gili Islands for a week. The internet might be hard to find for the next 10 days so this might be are last post until we get back to Bali. We'll have many stories to share when we get back.

Adios
Adam & Heather

Still exploring Ubud

This morning we went to the sacred monkey forest and saw real wild monkeys! It was so cool, except Heather was a little scared because they were jumping on some of the people. However, we were smart and didn't bring in any food for them to mug us for. Other people were not so lucky, one monkey jumped on this lady 3 times and reached right into her purse! Yikes!
We had a late lunch so we decided to go to the local shack for "dinner". We got all of that for $4.30! WOW! Not having a bottle opener... priceless. (Lucky for us, our Balinese friends down stairs had one)


Walking among rice fields and small villages. Many people here ask us if we're from Holland, as apparently Adam looks like the famous soccer player Michael Owens.

We've spent the last few days exploring this artsy village. The streets are lined with galleries, shops, and more warungs (small cafes) than you could possibly eat at in a year, but that doesn't mean we're not trying! This is all about the food after all! For lunch today, we went to this nice little cafe where we quickly realized we were adjusting to the cheap prices of everything. The meals began at $4, we almost choked because that is very expensive! I know crazy, but most of our lunches and dinners are in the $2 to $3 range. Paying $10 for lunch back home seems stupid now. I think we might have reverse culture shock when we return. Throughout our days here we walk and walk some more, probably at least 5 miles a day.

In Ubud, there are locals everywhere offering to massage, pedicure, and manicure you, until you're pampered out. We took one such company up on their offer and Adam was officially on his way to his first Balinese massage. He put on his little short shorts and nearly got more than he bargained for! Here, there is no room for modesty! They hiked his shorts right up and almost gave him what he didn't bargain for! After lots of laughing afterwords, we decided it was worth the story. In all honesty, it was a nice clean place where they were very nice, but after all, this was his first massage and didn't know what to expect.

We're one week into our adventure and still loving every minute of it.

Love, Adam & Heather

Finally some Pictures to prove we are here !

So last night we discovered our room was dark and musty and when we first saw it we must have been blinded by Bali brain. We felt like we were in a cave complete with lizards and bugs. In the morning it sounded like every Rooster in Bali was competing in American Rooster Idol. It started around 5 am and never finished. Needless to say we moved on first thing in the morning and found a great place to stay across the street. What a difference a few hundred feet make. Plus it was only $20 a night. This is our view from the front porch. It is so peaceful and not a cave :) The guys running it barely speak English but they are very friendly.
This was taken on the beach in Sanur. Chicken Sates served over hot coals. It was very tasty and authentic. We also had a great view of the ocean and best of all both our meals with drinks cost $9.50. Gotta love Bali and the food :)
Where in the world are we??? Oh yes, we're in the rice fields of Ubud! It's so strange here. You can step off the busiest street onto a path way and behind everything is complete serenity.
This is one of the guys who worked at Tropical Bali Inn. He was super nice and he even walked us down the street to the fire dance. He made our stay wonderful and he even offered to take us to his village to meet his parents next time we visit. He had a great sense of humor and tried to hide behind the tree when we first took this picture. When we'd ask for one beer, he'd pretend he didn't understand and say "5 beers, okay, 5 beers each! "


O.k, So it took us 30 minutes to upload these pictures. So don't hold your breath for daily pictures. Off for more massages and food. I know rough life.

Peace!

We're in Ubud!

We left Sanur this morning and bid farewell to our new found friends at Tropical Bali Hotel and promised to return. Little did we know we would actually HAVE to return this trip, as we accidentally forgot Adams passport there! Yikes! Nothing like world traveling and forgetting your passport! We had a driver pick us up this morning and take us to Ubud... thank God because have we mentioned that drivers are crazy here??? Imagine a 2 lane road with 3 cars driving the same direction and 2 motorcycles weaving in between, that's the true Bali diring style. They say it's safe, but somehow we high doubt it. After a safe drive to Ubud, we started our hunt for a place to stay. Set among rice fields, cobble stone paths, and temples, we found the Suma Cottages. They are set in a beautiful tropical gareden on a hillside. We are staying here 2 nights before making our way across the path to a 5 room homestay. When we walked up the 2 guys were just sitting outside on the porch and asked us to come sit with them "Bali style" aka on the floor! Needless to say, we decided to spend a couple days with them. Our room overlooks a beautiful rice field tended by the owners. Adam and his mad negotiating skills talked him down to $20 a night... a high price normally, but good for high season.

After we secured sleeping arrangments for the next 4 nights, we were hungry... AGAIN! Did we mention how much we eat here? I sure hope we don't come back as fat Americans! Everything, even just plain old rice, is absolutely delicious. We had lunch today, barefoot, sitting cross legged, on pillows, overlooking a gorgeous lotus flower lily pond that sat within even more spectacular temple grounds ( I thinkg I'm running out of adjectives to describe how beautiful everything is.. LOL) Very cool and delicious of course. The Balinese take much pride in their cooking and only use local everything. We've had jack fruit (mango-ish), candle nuts, some new squash I can't remember the name, and lots of other new foods. We even learned that rice is like wine, the tempatures, elevations, and age all affect the taste and texture.

Unfortunately, the internet in Indonesia really stinks and we have yet to find a connection fast enough to download any pictures, but don't worry, there are lots!

Okay, I think our $. 50 per half hour internet time is almost up (maybe that's why it's slow!) We're off to go get massages and see some wild monkeys, before of course we enjoy another $1 beer and eat some more good stuff.

Peace! :)

We've fallen in love...

We've fallen in love with Bali's beauty and culture. We actually fallen so in love with the place we are staying we haven't moved on to Ubud yet! One of the guys who works there, Wayan, walked us to the Balinese fire dance last night. As we walked he old us about his family and about his life here in Bali. We saw the performance, which a man actually danced in fire... coconut husks on fire with coals all over! When it was done, Wayan met us outside to walk us home. We asked him how the dancers feet weren't burnt up, he said it was because he danced from his heart and the Gods protected him. It's amazing how hard everyone works here. Wayan gets to work at 6am every morning and doesn't leave until far after dark, but he still says the guests are his family and that's why he loves it.

Yesterday we sat on the porch with the hotel owner, Mikael, and with a man named Alihandro, and talked about the different worlds we all live in. It's really interesting to hear other peoples perspectives. Also, everyone we've talked to has us pinned as western Americans before we can even tell them where we're from.. apparently Californians have there very own accent! :)

Shaun... the toilet water doesn't swirl backwards :(

We're still working on trying to get pictures downloaded, the internet is incredibly slow here!

We miss Belly dog and everyone else... but not that much yet!

By the way, there are mangy dogs everywhere here. Apparently, they are the reincarnation of people who did bad things in previous lives. Balinese people cannot understand why on earth we would spoil our pooches!

Tomorrow, for real this time, we will be on our way to Ubud, the cultural center of the island.

We have finally arrived!

After an exhausting 30 hours of travel we have finally arrived in Sanur, Bali. Bali has exceeded our expectations already. Everything is totally new, totally exciting, and really different. We arrived at our hotel of 10 rooms to be warmly greeted by it's owners Mikel from Sweden and Brahma from Java. Our room overlooks a beautiful garden and pool with open air views of the mountains. We were served Bintang beer and a delicious dinner right on our porch, followed by even better chocolate cheesecake and jack fruit (All for $5!) After dinner, we crashed! We can't even begin to tell you how taxing 30 hours of travel is on your body... jet lag is real! :)This morning we woke up to coffee, tea, and nasi gorang breakfast. If you've ever seen the movie Mr. Deeds, the staff appears out of no where for your every need. Dodi arrived on our porch just as we were thinking about massages... tonight at 4 pm we'll each enjoy an hour massage by the pool under a thatched roof.... for $5! We can't believe how cheap everything is! Oh and good news for everyone who was worried about Heather's white skin and blonde hair... Swedish people are everywhere and she's not even the blondest! Our neighbors are a young Swedish couple just traveling here for the weekend.. how cool! Today, we traveled through the town, probably a 4 mile walk. We passed religious ceremonies on the beach which was beautiful and amazing, along with hundreds of offerings to the Gods. There are temples and shrines all over. The people here are SO friendly, all the kids we pass wave and say hello, they are excited when we smile and wave. We had lunch on the beach... DAD, Adam had real Indonesian sates served on live burning coals!!! DELICIOUS!!! We think we're going to eat our way through this place! Our next stop will probably be the mountain town of Ubud in 2 days. We have no reservations anywhere so it will be an adventure to find our next place. Stay tuned!

We're having problems downloading pics from this computer, so we'll try to update them next time.