Week 108 · Bali, Indonesia · Crash · Climb · Love
Bali,
Had never been or planned to go to Bali before — the idea was to end the trip with Sharon at a tropical place. We also considered Thailand and the Philippines, but had a lot of positive feedback from people who had been to Bali. In the book "Eat, Pray, Love", Love was in Bali — since this was our theoretical second honeymoon, it works for us. But the first two parts for me would have to be "Crash, Climb" — as climbing ruins in Angkor Wat was the most memorable portion of the post-crash trip. So — it is "Crash, Climb, Love." Look for the movie.
With my arm, only Sharon was able to do anything in the water. The scenery is nice, but it doesn't compare to Hawaii or even some parts of California or Florida — but Bali is more than just the beaches, with other historical sites and things to experience. We had a great hotel on Legian Beach — an Indonesia-run establishment which was a fraction of what the western hotels on remote parts of the island cost and in a better overall location. Only problem is there are 5 roads connecting the hotel area — 3 of them were one-way coming out and 1 blocked off 100 meters from the hotel, so finding the one route that actually went into the hotel was a bit challenging when considering driving on the left-hand side with a stick shift. But after we figured out the situation, not a problem.
This trip follows a broken wrist sustained in a fall — hence the sling visible throughout these photos and the running joke about driving stick-shift, temple skirts, and monkey attacks. Bali is the only Hindu-majority island in predominantly Muslim Indonesia, with around 93% of the island's 4.2 million residents practicing a distinctive form of Balinese Hinduism. The island's religious and artistic culture — seen in the temples, traditional dance performances, and rice terrace offerings — is why Bali is considered culturally distinct from the rest of the archipelago.
Uluwatu Temple sits at the far south end of the island on a cliff 70 metres above the Indian Ocean. Monkeys everywhere — cute at first, then they start to attack you for anything hanging off. Note the teeth. Broken wrist leads to sling, murse, and slip-on shoes. Skirt was a requirement of the temple — note others in similar attire.
"Monkeys everywhere — cute at first, then they start to attack you for anything hanging off."
This was a short trip and we only saw the southern side of the island — we split our time between relaxing on the beach, some touring, and Sharon did get to go water walking. We spun through Pura Taman Ayun temple, the rice terraces near Ubud, and the iconic Tanah Lot sea temple.
The Subak irrigation system that creates Bali's famous stepped rice terraces was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2012. Dating back to the 9th century, Subak is a cooperative water management system governed by Hindu temples. The terraces near Ubud — particularly Tegallalang — are the most photographed, but the broader Jatiluwih terraces in West Bali are the largest and most pristine. The system coordinates water flow from a main temple (Pura Ulun Danu Batur) down through thousands of small shrines to individual paddies, integrating religious practice with farming in a way unique in the world.
This is the last update from Asia for a while. I will keep updating for my new job in Europe, but it has changed a bit and travel will be less than I originally thought — more trips to Albany and Trenton than Stuttgart and Rome. So fewer updates in future.