Bali Baby
Hi - remember me? That girl who used to blog a lot, then occasionally, then never? I'll simply say I'm sorry again, but life as a working mom has me busy! Between baby, work and travel, I find myself spending an evening sleeping instead of blogging. Promise I'll at least try to work on it :)
Early in our days in the UK, we invested in a travel map - it's a beautiful map hanging above our fireplace dotted with red pins marking our travels. Europe was looking more and more red, and as we chatted about our travels to visitors a few months ago, we realised how sparse our Asia travels had been. Paul swirled his finger and bam - it was decided we'd take a trip to Indonesia and the planning began!
There was painstaking deliberation on which island would be the best (Bintan would be easiest, Lombok would be quietest, Sumatra might be nice), but even after deciding Bali, there was still decisions to be made. You could spend weeks in Bali, but we only had one, so hours on the internet finally brought us to what we felt was a hidden gem amongst Bali beaches.
Just 30 minutes drive from the airport, but south of all the craziness of Kuta, we found a perfect getaway. A short walk down the cliff steps brought us right onto Balangan Beach, full of energy from those soaking up the chance to be near the water and bathe in the sun. Restaurants doubling as surf shops and hostels lined the beach offering cheap food and views. Onlookers grabbed these prime spots on the deck to sip cold coconuts while watching the water full of bobbing boards and bodies waiting for the perfect moment to make their move.
The fine sand was different from anything I'd seen before - round little pebbles that are almost as fine as grains of rice that clung to every wet surface. It didn't bother us though and we happily played in the sand (until the waves came which were not so happily greeted by L).
We didn't brave the surf, but used the days to lounge by the pool and beach, battling jet lag and enjoying that start of vacation feel. Our little bungalow hidden amongst gardens was perfect to retreat from the sun and give L free reign to run around inspecting shells and taking in all the new creatures we showed her like geckos and creepy crawlies.
Once the haze wore off, we knew it was time to head north but wanted to get in one local site first. I'd heard of Ulu Watu and its famous sunset views, but our planning was a bit off (or non-existant if I'm being truthful....) so instead we found ourselves there at 11am. With the sun beating down on us, I can see the appeal of the evening, but the views were pretty spectacular any time of day. After years away from Texas, we aren't quite as heat resistant as we used to be, so Paul decided to grab a chance to retreat to the shade with L where she captured the attention of everyone going through - I left her smiling and running around on a table while other tourists looked on and encouraged her silly (and adorable) antics.
I wandered hoping to see more of the temple, but was disappointed to find that the temple itself isn't open to visitors. Instead, I wandered the grounds, heading further away from the temple for views, then back up taking in the monkeys that thrive on stealing everything from bananas to sunglasses from unsuspecting visitors. If you're looking for a cultural experience, I don't think this is it, but it certainly has some pretty beautiful vistas.
And so sweaty but happy, we piled into the taxi to head to our next Bali adventure in Ubud. Stay tuned for more scenary, food and of course Bali baby.
Early in our days in the UK, we invested in a travel map - it's a beautiful map hanging above our fireplace dotted with red pins marking our travels. Europe was looking more and more red, and as we chatted about our travels to visitors a few months ago, we realised how sparse our Asia travels had been. Paul swirled his finger and bam - it was decided we'd take a trip to Indonesia and the planning began!
There was painstaking deliberation on which island would be the best (Bintan would be easiest, Lombok would be quietest, Sumatra might be nice), but even after deciding Bali, there was still decisions to be made. You could spend weeks in Bali, but we only had one, so hours on the internet finally brought us to what we felt was a hidden gem amongst Bali beaches.
Just 30 minutes drive from the airport, but south of all the craziness of Kuta, we found a perfect getaway. A short walk down the cliff steps brought us right onto Balangan Beach, full of energy from those soaking up the chance to be near the water and bathe in the sun. Restaurants doubling as surf shops and hostels lined the beach offering cheap food and views. Onlookers grabbed these prime spots on the deck to sip cold coconuts while watching the water full of bobbing boards and bodies waiting for the perfect moment to make their move.
The fine sand was different from anything I'd seen before - round little pebbles that are almost as fine as grains of rice that clung to every wet surface. It didn't bother us though and we happily played in the sand (until the waves came which were not so happily greeted by L).
We didn't brave the surf, but used the days to lounge by the pool and beach, battling jet lag and enjoying that start of vacation feel. Our little bungalow hidden amongst gardens was perfect to retreat from the sun and give L free reign to run around inspecting shells and taking in all the new creatures we showed her like geckos and creepy crawlies.
Once the haze wore off, we knew it was time to head north but wanted to get in one local site first. I'd heard of Ulu Watu and its famous sunset views, but our planning was a bit off (or non-existant if I'm being truthful....) so instead we found ourselves there at 11am. With the sun beating down on us, I can see the appeal of the evening, but the views were pretty spectacular any time of day. After years away from Texas, we aren't quite as heat resistant as we used to be, so Paul decided to grab a chance to retreat to the shade with L where she captured the attention of everyone going through - I left her smiling and running around on a table while other tourists looked on and encouraged her silly (and adorable) antics.
I wandered hoping to see more of the temple, but was disappointed to find that the temple itself isn't open to visitors. Instead, I wandered the grounds, heading further away from the temple for views, then back up taking in the monkeys that thrive on stealing everything from bananas to sunglasses from unsuspecting visitors. If you're looking for a cultural experience, I don't think this is it, but it certainly has some pretty beautiful vistas.
And so sweaty but happy, we piled into the taxi to head to our next Bali adventure in Ubud. Stay tuned for more scenary, food and of course Bali baby.
loved the read. What a great memory
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