So we have been in Bali for 2 weeks now. I didn’t want to bore anyone with daily updates so this is a run down of the last 2 weeks.
To be honest… I have fallen in love with Sanur 😍. This sleepy little town is fantastic for recuperating. We (mostly I as husband was doing his thing) spent the first few days swimming, napping, reading and repeat. I was a little hesitant about doing things on my own – my previous job changed my views on humanity (another long story). Anyway towards the end of our Sanur week, I managed to go off on my own and explore more of Sanur, the stores and treated myself to massages, manicures.
I am learning… I don’t need to be so dependent on my husband to hold my hand to do things on my own. It was so quiet in Sanur so few tourists as compared to other parts of the Island. The few local people we interacted with expressed concerns about the ‘drop in tourism’, however with Christmas on the horizon they were hoping things would pick up. Well with articles advising people not to travel to Bali in 2020, I am sure they will also impact on tourism as well.
We did however venture to Taman Festival! This is a recommend – if interested in ‘spooky things’. It was so eery and fun exploring on our own. Great for instagram photos (if that’s your thing). I would advise to be careful as the place is falling apart thus some of the structures may not be secure (also bring a flash light – highly recommend). One has to pay a fee to enter (about $2.00NZD), as well as a parking fee of ($0.30cents NZD). Not sure where this ‘fee’ is going to – possibly a side ‘hustle’ for someone. The entrance ‘police’ informed that the theme park was only open for 1 year from 1997 to 1998 and closed down to ‘money issues’. A real cheap activity but definitely off the beaten path. The whole time we were there I was screeching in fear; as there were some really spooky parts. We sweated buckets! An umbrella is an absolute must! Can not rave about it enough.
We used Grab as the main source of transport (in Sanur) – super easy to use! One just needs a local number – registration is a breeze and the app is super easy to use. You get to rate the drivers as well, which a plus. Only one day did I run in Sanur (and almost died from the heat). The weather has been beautiful – intense heat followed by some rain for half an hour or so then sun again. We have suffered from heat rash as well. Not an issue as pharmacies are plenty and super helpful.
We also ventured to Turtle conservation in Sanur. It’s a small place, but a truly a wonderful experience. The turtles now have a chance to survive in the wild, once they are released. The place operates on donations, and they are doing what they can to help the turtles and also help the planet. A humbling experience.
When it comes to food – I am a repeat offender hahahaha. If it works I will keep going back there because its easy and I like it. We loved a local Warung near the homestay, Warung DiKuBu darp – ended up going here very night for dinner. The staff were really lovely and catered to our needs. Another place was Warung Three Brothers also – good and both places really affordable. For breakfast we only frequented 3 places – Bread Basket, Cafe Smorgas and Soul in a Bowl (this place was a disappointment). On average we are spending about $80-90 NZD a day (I have developed a massage habit hahahahaha).
After our 8 blissfully slow days we headed to Ubud. Well this is where the drama happened. We got to Teba Junjungan Cottages (on the outskirts of Ubud). Let me rewind little. The day of the move I received a Whatsapp message from the owner confirming our arrival time. Then he kept asking me about where we were coming from, which hotel – some really odd questions. I ended up not responding as I didn’t think it was necessary. Anyway we arrived at 2pm and we had a lovely young man rush out to great us. He then proceeded to tell us that our room that we had agreed to had been ‘given’ to someone else for one night and we were to be put up across the road for only one night. Now I had read about the owner doing things like this and putting people up in bed bug infested rooms etc. So I politely declined and messaged the owner.
He didn’t respond so we cancelled the booking and began looking for other alternatives. Luckily our driver was just 10 minutes away, he returned to pick us up and I began to look for alternative accomodation. My husband was pretty impressed that I kept my composure. I was annoyed but what was the point of being angry at the ‘messenger’. It wasn’t going to change the situation.
Light bulb moment – just looked up the accommodation we had booked for the remaining 8 nights in Ubud – easy peasy they had availability for the next few nights. So in total we were going to spend 12 nights in the centre of Ubud (and no the drama didn’t stop there). Arrived at the homestay to be our home for the next 12 days.
Husband still unable to participate in any activities – I spent a lot of the first week getting up to no good! Hahaha – no, more massages and truly exploring Ubud. I spent time at the market looking at things and watching people haggle. This was so fun to watch – honestly the traders do know who to swindle! I watched as an American couple paid $100NZD on those hippy wooden bags (I imagine they cost $5.00NZD!). I was shocked!
Spent a lot of time wandering around Ubud, more swimming, more naps. Finished watching The Witcher – side note I can not wait for the second season! Anyway our stay in Ubud has not been uneventful! Christmas was so simple for us. I truly dislike the holidays – so I make a point of not celebrating. We kept the day super simple – we rang our families wished them a happy Christmas and I deliberately spent the day indoors. Only went out for meals – nothing special (can’t even remember where we went). Thank goodness Christmas only comes once a year and it’s one day. I love how the Balinese do Christmas – it’s not in your face like it is at home. That’s why I chose to escape hahaha.
So we are still in Ubud -we leave in a few days off to Legian. So we recently had a situation with our homestay where our laundry went missing. That’s a story for another article. Otherwise its been just fun recuperating, learning to spend time with myself (I am not bad company). Also learning that no holiday is ‘perfect’, but I can choose to make sweet delicious lemonade or be bitter. I would rather enjoy than let the little incidents derail the fun 😉.
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