After an intense stay in Boracay, I was really looking forward to staying away from late nights out and heavy drinking. So I decided to steer clear of Kuta and Seminyak which are some of the more lively towns on the island. This landed me in Sanur because of a hostel I read about called The Big Pineapple. It was a great value. In the middle of the property there was a nice pool where you can chill during the extremely hot and humid days. From the pool, you could watch their nice flat screen complete with hard drive and a wealthy collection of movies and shows. However, I wanted to spend my week exploring the island in my limited time.
I figured the best way to do this was, of course, go rent a motorbike! So on my second day I set out with no immediate destination and just went and got lost. I went a round-about way and ended up in the island's capitol, Denpasar. I was a good tourist and spent the day seeing the sites and acclimating to Balinese traffic. Side note: the most anything-goes traffic I've driven in yet. Vietnam was intimidating and Thailand was more tame but still is not driving in the states. Bali on the other hand was if it works it flies and if it doesn't work that's okay too. On my way home that evening, I was stopped at a roadblock by the police and ticketed for not having an international driver's license. This was something I was warned about and was able to haggle a bit to get them to deduce the fine.
My next excursion was to Ubud in the center of the island. This is one of the most popular destinations on the island because of the culture it's created. On my way out, I planned to just follow the various road signed to get there. A short way into my drive, I was approached (while riding) by a local guy who wanted to know where I was going and if I knew how to get there. While driving, I explained that I was heading to Ubud and was following the signs. He immediately asked me to pull over but I was skeptical so I blazed past when he started to pull over. Within ten seconds he was back up beside me. He again asked me to pull over, so I obliged. He explained that the local cops would give me a hard time for being white and knowing that I likely didn't have an international or Balinese driver's license if I were to stay on the main highways. He recommended that I follow him, as his village was near Ubud, and he would show me some of the more "untouristic" things along the way. "Sure. Why not.."
I had only planned on going for the day and heading back before nightfall. Buuuuut, I met up with some friends I made in Sanur and ended up spending the night in Ubud. So I spent my two days there driving around, hiking and seeing the Monkey Forest. One of the people I met in Sanur was gifted three nights at an amazing resort hotel in Ubud and invited us over to swim in this fucking amazing pool. Unfortunately, my camera had died and because it was night my iPod took shit pictures but I've added one from a Google search to give an idea how legit this thing was.
On my last day, I traded in the motorbike for a mountain bike and did a guided trip though part of the island. We got to see Bali's largest lake, one of two (and still active) volcanoes, local villages, and stunning rice patties.
All in all, my experience in Bali was amazing and I will be back. There was still so much of the island I did not get to explore and neighboring islands that are supposed to be amazing in their own rights. Additionally, the food was incredible and cheap. If you are a vegetarian, you will have many tasty options and get by easily. If you plan a trip to Bali and it is your first time, please plan to stay for at least three weeks...
Finally, I would like to leave you with some closing pictures of the guy sitting across the aisle from me on my flight from the Philippines. Enjoy...
Wow, I cannot say I would be so trusting of some local telling me to follow him on a motorbike. In fact I would probably speed away screaming. Glad you're not a wuss like me, Ubud looks amazing!
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