EN - Recharging at Bali & Gili
Door: Lars van Lier
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Lars
20 November 2014 | Indonesië, Ubud
With the sand still in my ears I have returned to the normal life again, but I'm still reminiscing! From last week Thursday until yesterday we went to Bali and Gili, and after going there I finally understand what all the fuzz was about: it was awesome!
We spent Thursday and Friday in the south of Bali, in Ulu Watu. At some points you can still see tracks of destruction by the 2004 tsunami, but other than that the area is absolutely amazing. We rented scooters for those two days again to explore the coastal area, and in this way we ended up in some beautiful villages and beaches. We also attempted to surf, but we soon noticed that the waves in this part of Bali are out of our league. Many of the villages in this part of Bali are built on the cliffs, and this sometimes had a spectacular appeal. On Thursday we watched the sunset from a terrace on the cliffs of Ulu Watu, and on Friday from the cliffs of the temple just outside Ulu Watu, and these were beautiful as well.
On Saturday we moved towards central Bali, to Ubud. This town bursts of temples and culture, and is perfect to explore the area as well. We mainly did the latter. On Saturday we went to the rice fields in Tegalalang, where we walked through the terraces for an hour or so. On Sunday we decided to climb the active volcano Batur, which last erupted in 2000. We started at a height of around 1000 meters, and then walked to the summit which was situated at 1717 meters. Due to the loose rocks, sand and volcanic ashes, it was a bit tricky at times, and this also made the climb a bit harder. However, we managed to reach the top after a couple of hours, and the view was really impressive!
Since we spent most of our time outside Ubud or on buying souvenirs, we didn't manage to see a Balinese dance performance. We did, however, improve our negotiation skills. Souvenirs, taxi rides, we had to haggle for everything!
On Monday we went to the beautiful Gili islands near Lombok. We stayed at the biggest of the three: Gili Trawangan. This is a very touristic island which is popular for its nightlife. There are many pubs and clubs with different kinds of music. Some pubs also had life bands, which were really good at times. We spent our Monday afternoon chilling on the beach, and in the evening we went to some bars. On Tuesday we decided to do a snorkeling trip around the three islands. This was really spectacular! In the crystal clear water we saw fish and coral of all sorts and colors, and we even saw some turtles.
On Wednesday we took the boat back to Bali, and since we had some time left until our flight, we decided to go into Kuta. This is the most touristic town in Bali, and reminded me of the cities on the Costa Brava in Spain. Here we spent some time walking on the beach and buying some final souvenirs, followed by watching the sunset from the beach. After that it was time to go to the airport, which meant that our beautiful trip had come to an end again.
After my third trip to Indonesia, I can only conclude that the country is amazing! There are plenty of beautiful things to see, both culture and nature. The people are friendly, the food is great, and it's dirt cheap!
Nevertheless, I'm back to my normal life again. On Wednesday I have my exam and then the semester is officially over. My last Korean roommate left this week, so that means that I will be sharing the room with that miserable Chinese guy for the following 9 days.
I'll keep you updated!
Pictures can be found at the Dutch version of this post!
We spent Thursday and Friday in the south of Bali, in Ulu Watu. At some points you can still see tracks of destruction by the 2004 tsunami, but other than that the area is absolutely amazing. We rented scooters for those two days again to explore the coastal area, and in this way we ended up in some beautiful villages and beaches. We also attempted to surf, but we soon noticed that the waves in this part of Bali are out of our league. Many of the villages in this part of Bali are built on the cliffs, and this sometimes had a spectacular appeal. On Thursday we watched the sunset from a terrace on the cliffs of Ulu Watu, and on Friday from the cliffs of the temple just outside Ulu Watu, and these were beautiful as well.
On Saturday we moved towards central Bali, to Ubud. This town bursts of temples and culture, and is perfect to explore the area as well. We mainly did the latter. On Saturday we went to the rice fields in Tegalalang, where we walked through the terraces for an hour or so. On Sunday we decided to climb the active volcano Batur, which last erupted in 2000. We started at a height of around 1000 meters, and then walked to the summit which was situated at 1717 meters. Due to the loose rocks, sand and volcanic ashes, it was a bit tricky at times, and this also made the climb a bit harder. However, we managed to reach the top after a couple of hours, and the view was really impressive!
Since we spent most of our time outside Ubud or on buying souvenirs, we didn't manage to see a Balinese dance performance. We did, however, improve our negotiation skills. Souvenirs, taxi rides, we had to haggle for everything!
On Monday we went to the beautiful Gili islands near Lombok. We stayed at the biggest of the three: Gili Trawangan. This is a very touristic island which is popular for its nightlife. There are many pubs and clubs with different kinds of music. Some pubs also had life bands, which were really good at times. We spent our Monday afternoon chilling on the beach, and in the evening we went to some bars. On Tuesday we decided to do a snorkeling trip around the three islands. This was really spectacular! In the crystal clear water we saw fish and coral of all sorts and colors, and we even saw some turtles.
On Wednesday we took the boat back to Bali, and since we had some time left until our flight, we decided to go into Kuta. This is the most touristic town in Bali, and reminded me of the cities on the Costa Brava in Spain. Here we spent some time walking on the beach and buying some final souvenirs, followed by watching the sunset from the beach. After that it was time to go to the airport, which meant that our beautiful trip had come to an end again.
After my third trip to Indonesia, I can only conclude that the country is amazing! There are plenty of beautiful things to see, both culture and nature. The people are friendly, the food is great, and it's dirt cheap!
Nevertheless, I'm back to my normal life again. On Wednesday I have my exam and then the semester is officially over. My last Korean roommate left this week, so that means that I will be sharing the room with that miserable Chinese guy for the following 9 days.
I'll keep you updated!
Pictures can be found at the Dutch version of this post!
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Je kunt nu ook Smileys gebruiken. Via de toolbar, toetsenbord of door eerst : te typen en dan een woord bijvoorbeeld :smiley
