Bali the Beautiful

As the fifth of our six cities, we knew that we’d be spending our time in Bali relaxing and unwinding; a vacation from our vacation, if you will. After haggling a ride from a local taxi driver at the airport, we made our way to Seminyak, the first stop on our tour of the island.

We checked in and headed out into the night, walking a half mile from our hotel towards the beach. We were soon greeted with the light of the half moon and the stars in the sky, the sound of crashing waves and the feeling of soft sand between our toes. Heaven!

The restaurant where we had dinner was nestled right in the sand; umbrellas, tiki lights and bean bags were strewn in a line down the beach. We squished our way into our chairs and requested two local beers. “Bintang” soon became a favorite brew of ours, especially because you could order it in 32 oz bottles for $3-4 USD.

We listened to live music, sipped on cold ones and enjoyed our view of the palm trees. We cheered for our Aussie neighbor sitting next to us when he stood up to dance to the live music, and then we headed home to catch up on rest.

A morning run along the water seemed like the ideal way to kick off our Labor Day in paradise. We put on our shoes, sun-screened up, and ran into the hot September sun. With the wind in our face and the sand beneath our toes, four miles seemed like a no-brainer. A big lunch followed before heading off to our second and most anticipated stop, Ubud.

Ubud is located in the heart of Bali — literally the center of the island. It’s about a 1.5 hour drive from Seminyak via the heavily trafficked streets and up mountainous trails. While en route, we were stunned by the amount of shops and local vendors in the city. Everyone seemed to be an expert at something – woodwork, silver making, painting, etc.

It was immediately obvious to us that the people of Bali are huge proponents of the arts; most honor them in their daily professions. Never before had we seen such beautifully carved wooden tables and chairs, or perfectly manicured glassware. We both agreed that if and when our friends decide to become home buyers, they should consider booking a ticket to Bali to furnish their new abode. It would be worth every cent!

With eyes wide open, we arrived in Ubud to Komaneka at Bisma: our resort and home for the remainder of our stay. Our car doors were opened for us, our luggage was swept away and we were ushered into the massive foyer for fresh papaya juice and cookies while enjoying the expansive view of the resort’s rice fields.

We settled into our robes and slippers before making our way to the infinity pool to soak our tired limbs; it was then and there that we decided we were never leaving! (Ugh… if only.) We spent much of time at the pool over the next few days, with a few field trips to downtown Ubud sprinkled in.

On our third and final day in Bali, we were given a special look into the culture and traditions that the natives of Bali hold so dear. At 7AM we took off from The resort with our guide, Eza, who led us on a two hour cycling tour of the rice fields. Along the way, he was kind enough to introduce us to some of the local families that he grew up alongside. They welcomed us onto their property and showed us the intricate details that make up their Balinese homes.

Bali’s culture is as vibrant as it is ubiquitous. Everywhere you turn, you can find painstakingly carved stone monuments, sculptures and edifices. Each family home is adorned with its own temple. The culture is heavily influence by religion, heritage, and tradition.

We also met a local farmer of an Ubud rice field, who explained how he keeps his land irrigated throughout the year, especially during harvest. We were fascinated by the people, stories and views that we saw in just a few short hours.

The rest of the day we spent touring the island: from Ubud to Bedugul, from Jatiluwih to the most stunning sunset overlooking the famous Tanah Lot temple along the Indian Ocean.

We are already planning our next visit back to this stunningly beautiful island. Bali the beautiful — we miss her already.

Time to tackle Tokyo, our final city on the world tour!

-Two for Takeoff