Bali
Seminyak
My home
base on Bali was Seminyak, just 10km west of the capital Denpasar and 5km North
of Kuta (the wicked centre of Bali’s nightlife). I hit a good price for a three
star hotel at Exedia.de and arrived at about 11:30 PM. The hotel (favehotel
Umalas) was the perfect stay for me. Rooms are small but clean and sufficient
since I anyway planned to stay less time as possible on the room. The breakfast
is quite simple and for me maybe the only point that could be improved (more
fresh fruits or so). Staff is mega friendly and the pool area is better than I
expected. Try to get a pool view room. The hotel is located a bit outside of
Seminyak and you have a wonderful view to rice fields and the
"skyline" of Bali’s volcanoes in the morning.
Seminyak
has a wonderful beach front with cafés and surf gear rentals. Coursed start
from 350,000 rupiah for two hours and board rental from 50,000 rupiah per hour.
I am quite sure you get far better bargains in other places.
I can
recommend the small restaurant Mimpi selling different Indonesian dishes at
fare rates. They mix them on the plate up to your choice.
It took me
about 40 minutes to get here by cab from the Airport and about 1 hour back. For
the trips I paid around 100,000 rupiah while the first I booked at the Airport
Taxi Counter and the tour back I took a Blue Bird taxi. Be careful, time needed
for the distance may vary dramatically between low season and high season
(between July and September and around Christmas is high season on Bali). The taxi
driver told me that it sometimes takes two or three times as long. Furthermore
do not compare the time you need when you drive the same distance by scooter.
You are likely a lot faster.
Kuta
Though I
not came to party I decided to go checking out Kuta, Legian Street and the
Poppies (Poppies I and Poppies II are streets in Kuta). I got a tip from a
friend that Bamboo Corner in Kuta has good food and fare rates so that was the
place I headed to. Kuta shows the party and nightlife face of Bali. It is somehow
the combination of the European Mallorca and some of the Asian party places I
have been to (like Koh Phi Phi and Koh Samui). Dominated by Aussies you are
likely to see all sorts and shapes of people from the young and hot looking
surfers to wrecked and freaky matures using the place to behave out of the box.
There are
just four simple facts for me:
If you are
looking for party, nightlife, beach + sun: Go to Kuta
If you look
for restaurants serving local food, fusion food and food from all around the
world, nice shops and boutiques and beach + sun and more or less quiet nights:
Go to Seminyak
If you are
looking for romance: Try to get one of the beach front hotels
If you are
here to discover the island: Get one of the other hotels without beach view,
you pay far less and it is never far to any beach on Bali
Ulu Watu
All the way
down to the Western tip of the Bukit peninsula you find the temple of Ulu Watu
enthroned on the very edge of the cliffs. 50 meters below you can see the ocean
nibble on the rocks making you realize that the water will wash away this
scenery some day and that you are looking at a snap-shot. I love the scenery of
giant breakers hitting the cliffs. Be careful since you are not alone. A bunch
of wild monkeys observing the tourists from the trees, waiting for a chance to
steal lose items attached to you or your backpack. You will see monkeys
stealing sun glasses and water bottles from fellow travelers and if you are not
careful enough you will be one of them chasing a monkey for your Ray Ban
glasses.
Bingin
Beach
Just a
couple of kilometers North-East of Ulu Watu I found one of the most beautiful
beaches I have been to so far. Though recommended by Lonely Planet it is a) not
easy to find and b) not crowded! Small restaurants are attached to the cliffs
and sell simple dishes at moderate rates. Both surfers and relaxers will find
their spot here.
Danau
Beratan and Danau Buyan
60km North
of Denpasar, on the main road to Singaraja (one of the two main roads going
through the heart of the island) you will find a small highland surrounding the
town of Bedugul. On both sides the plateau is limited by the crater lakes Danau
Buyan in the West and Danau Beratan in the South. The climate is chilled and humid and it seems
to be the perfect climate for vegetables of all sorts. Also strawberries are
very famous here and offered in small booths on the street.
Git Git
Waterfall
The
receptionist of the hotel told me that I should go to Git Git Waterfall to get
some refreshment.
Careful: Scammers
calling them self guides wait along the parking lot and offer their assistance
to guide you around the area. This is extremely annoying and unnecessary. There
is no guide needed to enter the area. Admission fee is 20,000 rupiah, you
should not pay more. Along the 5-10 minute walk down to the waterfall you find
3-4 shops selling souvenirs and junk. Once you made it to the waterfall you
will find a beautiful escape from the heat. Several natural pools invite for a
swim. I first didn’t dare to get in the water but when I observed some locals
getting into the pools I also took a swim.
Jatiluwih
The third
UNESCO World Heritage site I visited during my Indonesia trip is one for the
bucket list. As a rice lover and Asian kitchen addict I always wanted to visit
a rice plantation. Though it is quite a tough trip to the area of Jatiluwih (takes
about 2 hours one way by scooter), I went there two times. On the first day I
hit the wrong road from Tabanan and ended up on a heavily damaged road which
didn’t get better for about 10km. I almost got lost when a local girl and her
brother assisted me and showed me around the area. We went all the way to a
very remote Hot Spring where I took a bath in 30+ °C naturally warmed
water.
If you do
detours from the official roads be prepared for extremely bad road conditions
which usually demand for a Jeep or a cross motorbike.
On the last
day I stood up at six to go to the area again. You need to go via Tabanan and
hit the right road to Penebel. Once in Penebel just follow the road signs (and
make sure not to miss one). To enter the area around Jatiluwih you usually need
to an admission fee (which I didn’t pay since I arrived obviously too early) of
about 20,000 rupiah. The long way gets rewarded with stunning views to the rice
paddies which were built and improved over centuries. You get a good picture of
the water management and the daily hard work of the farmers. If you are looking
for good pictures to bring home to neighbors and friends, this is the place to
be. Unfortunately the sun (rising in the East) makes it hard to capture the
amazing scenery. If you get there early you might be lucky and have the fully
picture with all volcanoes unveiled.
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