Bali Exploration

Still adjusting to that one-hour time difference from Thailand/Java time – going to bed late and getting up late. But Bali didn’t seem to be an early-morning kind of place. The area where I stayed, Kuta, is a hopping nightlife area, but I’m not really a nightlife sort – but since I didn’t stay in the center of the action in Ko Samui I thought I may as well here, even if I don’t participate!


I went on an excursion on Friday to see highlights of Bali. There are many options – including yet another all-night volcano climb, bike riding, and off-the-beaten path things, but I chose the beaten path. There were three of us on the tour – a couple and me. We left the beach and headed north into the more hilly area of the island; our first stop was an eco-resort for lunch overlooking the rice terraces. It was a good place for contemplation and just enjoying the view!



We stopped at a roadside to see monkeys – monkeys are always entertaining. Then we went to the north shore of the island (Kuta is in the southwest – so you can traverse the whole island in a couple of hours. It’s got a lot going for it for its relatively small size!). The couple had signed up to swim with dolphins – I hadn’t, so I walked around the grounds of the dolphin-swim resort and then watched them. Should I have signed up for it too? Oh well, too late. They loved it (as has everyone I have known who has done it).



We then went to a waterfall; there was a little hike into it, along terraced ricefields – I like the fact that we weren’t just getting in and out of the van. We then stopped at a much-photographed lake temple – with the shrine in the water and the fog obscuring the background, it was tranquil and uplifting. The last stop was a fruit market, where we talked to the women who were preparing the offerings. I’m glad I saw a little bit of the rest of Bali!