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The magic of Seminyak, Bali

4/15/2016

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The World Wide Web is awash with lists of what to do in Bali, what not to do, where to eat, where to stay and so on. You don't want me to repeat all of these. I just want to share some of my photos from my time there.

Bali is an amazing place. I'd love to go back. Seminyak was our first stop, and it struck me as a little Australia. There are Australians everywhere! They seem to own every restaurant and bar around. But it was a great wee town. The food was out of this world, and the beach was like everything you see in photos. I'm glad we decided to stay here instead of Kuta. It's slightly more upmarket than Kuta, and is maybe a better option if you're no longer 21.

If you love good food, good coffee, and good drinks, then stay in Seminyak. I still dream about the breakfast at Sisterfields! Plus, you can walk along the beach to Potato Head from Seminyak.
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Our luxurious hotel. We had our own private swimming pool...we didn't even know this when we booked. I love the Balinese obsession with trees and plants. It creates such a tranquil atmosphere.
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Nasi goreng errday
Hang out at Ku De Ta soak up some rays. Get one of their green smoothies! They have really comfy couches. 
Check out La Favela Bali. A really cool restaurant and bar. We didn't know the name so just called it the tree hut. Great coffee, unique decor and amazing toilets!
Have breakfast at Sisterfields. If you can get a table!
Spend a hungover afternoon drinking cocktails in the pool at Potato Head. Stay for sunset. 
Have a crazy night out in Kuta. We saw DJ R3hab (whoever that is) at Sky Garden. This club is giant...check it out.
Get scooters home at 3am to Seminyak after your night out in Kuta. Ok maybe don't do this...but it was lots of fun! I feared for my life though.
Enjoy the sunset with beers at U-Paasha rooftop bar. There is a pool too! 
Just eat all the time. Check out Wacko Burger, the Junction and Mykonos Greek Restaurant. We did eat at Indonesian places too! I just can't remember their names.
And finally, enjoy the beach. There are loads of beachside restaurants. Try surfing. Or just sit and watch life go by. 
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Trekking in Ubud - the Campuhan ridge walk

4/15/2016

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If you only do one thing in Ubud, do the Campuhan Ridge walk. It was great to see the real Ubud, and it's not that touristy. You get to amble through rice fields, play with puppies, and see the local villages. 

The entrance to the walk can be hard to find. We walked there from town, it's not that far. Google map the way to IBAH hotel. When you get there, turn as if you're going into the hotel, and there is a road that goes left, down past a school. Then take the road going right, under the bridge and walk for a few metres along the gravel road. Eventually you'll arrive on a nice concrete path surrounded by rice.
The walk is about 3 kilometres, and is relatively easy, apart from the heat. It was bloody hot, so take lots of water and wear a hat. It was pretty cool being able to wander along by ourselves, and observe semi-rural living in Ubud. 

At the end of the walk you can stop for a drink at the Karsa Kafe. I got addicted to banana juice in Bali, make sure you try one! Karsa Kafe was a great place for a rest. And check out that view. I would've been quite happy to stay there for a few hours.
I think Karsa Kafe is the official end of the walk, but we decided to walk back to town through the village roads. ​I'm so glad we did this. Don't be afraid to go off road and walk down the back of the villages, and through the rice fields. Just be respectful, don't go tramping over the rice itself, stick to tracks, or walk along the concrete drainage system. We ended up walking right through a village, and they didn't seem to mind! They let us pat their puppy!

We also made a dog friend who followed us for hours! Aw poor Bruno. We couldn't get rid of him so had to ditch him while he sleeping outside a cafe we were in. I still feel guilty about that. We literally stepped over him as quiet as he could while he slept.
We carried on through various villages back towards town. It ended up being a loop which was great.

We stopped for a late lunch at the best vegetarian restaurant I have been to, it's called The Elephant Restaurant and Bar. I highly recommend it, and it was a great way to finish the walk. It's in a really peaceful setting too. And just look at that avocado on toast! I can't wait to go back there.
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A day in Denpasar

4/13/2016

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Denpasar is nothing like Ubud or Seminyak...and when people talk about Bali, it's definitely not images of Denpasar that pops into one's mind. However, it's still an interesting place to spend a day or two.

First of all, it barely caters to tourists. It was quite hard to find a taxi, which was in stark contrast to Seminyak and Ubud where you are offered a taxi every 20 seconds. Get used to walking, it'll probably be your best way home.

We only had time to do 4 things, but that's enough to fill a day!

Badung market

We headed over to the giant Pasar Badung Market. This is a traditional Indonesian market - it's chaotic, noisy, and smelly, with dead livestock everywhere. It's not really a nice place, but interesting enough. Don't buy your souvenirs there though, it seemed a lot more expensive than elsewhere. Apparently the market burnt down in March 2016, which is really sad because those people definitely weren't the richest, and they have probably lost their livelihoods. Hopefully it reopens soon.

Sorry about the shitty quality of these photos. I have a new camera so my European travels will be much better photographed!
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Pura Agung Jagatnatha

We stumbled across this temple near Badung Puputan Park (which isn't a bad place to chill for an hour).

​Make sure your legs are covered, or else you'll be made to wear a sarong...you probably will anyway to be honest...I think it was just a money making venture!

When you enter the temple an old man will greet you and give you a tour. We knew he was going to expect money but went with it. It's quite an interesting temple, and the history lesson was worth the $5! And he took some great photos of us.

Dinner in Sanur

Sanur is an upmarket beach resort town, and is pretty close to Denpasar, so we got a taxi and headed there for dinner. We couldn't find many restaurants in Denpasar! Apart from KFC. I'm not sure where they were...I think I was too tired to really look by this stage.

First of all, we grabbed one last Soto Ayam (yes, it deserves capital letters), the best soup in the world. If you go to Indonesia, have it everyday. It's amazing. I've tried to recreate it a few times, but it's just not the same. 

Then we decided to have a fancy dinner since it was our last meal, and headed to Kayu Manis which is the #1 on TripAdvisor for Sanur. It was ah-may-zing. Well worth a visit. 
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That was all we had time for as we had to catch a late night flight back to NZ. Denpasar may be a bit different to the tourist hubs of Bali, but it still makes for an interesting day.
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8 must do activities in Ubud, Bali

4/13/2016

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I was all ready to dislike Ubud. I knew it was one of the locations from Eat, Pray, Love, and that just sounded like a terrible, cliche, movie. 

But, I loved Ubud. It's just so green! And the people are lovely. Here are some activities you shouldn't miss.


#1 - The Campuhan Ridge Walk

I've already blogged about how this walk was from favourite activity in Ubud. It's free, it's peaceful and it's fun. Just do it.
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#2 - Monkey Forest

The Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary is right in town. It's a popular tourist attraction and Hindu temple complex. The sanctuary is home to over 600 extremely friendly (or hungry?) macaque monkeys. 

We spent an hour here and had a great time watching the monkeys. The clambered all over us! Be careful though, they'll try to steal your sunglasses, or bags, or anything. I got one stuck on my head. It was slightly scary. One of the workers yelled at me to calmly stand up and walk away. I did, and the monkey got off. 

Also make sure you check out the Hindu temples.

#3 - Try durian from a roadside trailer

This fruit is famous for its pungent smell. You'll always see it before you smell it. But you gotta try it! It tastes better than it smells...just. 

Yes the boys are eating it on the side of the road. And yes we had consumed quite a few drinks beforehand.

#4 - Get a massage or a mani/pedi

These are constantly offered to you in Ubud, so you may as well get one! It's really cheap too. I'm not a fan of being touched by strangers, so I decided on a lower leg massage and a manicure (half price bitches! The perks of having one hand). It was more relaxing than we realised, and ended up asleep in bed not longer after! 
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#5 - Cocktails, beers, cocktails, beers

There are loads of cool bars in Ubud. Jazz Cafe was a cool place to end the evening. It's a nice place to chill and listen to some tunes.

Try to find a place overlooking a rice field in the early evening. Grab a mojito and listen to the frogs! 

#6 - Visit Jatiluwih rice terrace

Technically the next few places are some hours away from Ubud...but we did a day tour and fit them all in, Bali is actually quite small! These rice terraces were stunning. We just wandered around and took photos. The Tegalalang rice terraces are probably more well known, but I'm sure Jatiluwih is just as good. You can arrange a day tour to these places from any of  the tour operators lining the streets in Ubud. I think we paid $15 NZ each for the whole day, and that included a driver and a van.

#7 - Pura Ulun Danu Beratan

This is the iconic Hindu temple that graces the cover of the Lonely Planet. It is situated on Lake Bratan up in the mountains, 1200 metres above sea level. The drive itself is pretty spectacular, but if you get carsick take some anti-nausea pills. The temple has an air of mystique about it, and is well worth a visit.

#8 - Experience sunset at Tanah Lot

Tanah Lot is another iconic Bali temple. My photos don't do it justice. Be prepared for crowds - it's a popular sunset destination. 

Instead of standing down on the rocks with the thousands of people, we sought out the peace and quiet of the little restaurants up the top. This was a much more relaxing way to watch the sunset, I really don't know why they're all down there!

To get to the restaurants, you walk through lots of little souvenir shops. There are also two luwaks you can look at...little animals who are famous in Bali for the coffee made from their poop. Though I don't think they are treated very well...

Tanah Lot was the perfect way to end our Ubud sightseeing.

​Surreal is the best word to describe. Whenever I feel tired of travelling, I just remind myself that places like this exist in the world.
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    I'm Miranda, a 28 year old from NZ. I basically just travel for the food. And beer. Food and beer.

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