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