On Holiday in Bali

When in Asia, do as the Australians?  Well, that's our motto for the week. 

Hayley and I arrived in Bali, Indonesia last Saturday evening after traveling from Shanghai to Hong Kong and then to Denpasar, where the Bali airport is located.  We took a short ride to our hotel, the Melia Benoa Sol Beach House All Inclusive Resort, which is located in Nusa Dua.

On Sunday, we chilled at the pool, reading books (who knew we would ever have time for that?!) and drinking cocktails at the pool's swim-up bar.

Monday was spent at the beach... getting a bit too sunburned... OWWW!  But the ocean water was clear, and for maybe the 5th time in my life, I went in the ocean, only because I could see my feet (and to be sure no sea creatures were going to attack!)

Tuesday was reserved for the markets in Kuta, the tourist area where the Australians holiday.  Maybe you live with the thought that a market is a market, and once you've seen one, you've seen them all.  Well, in Bali, that's not the case.  I quickly realized (by incorporating my general business and marketing skills, obviously) that these markets were certainly not catering to American tourists.  Instead, we found shops and stalls all selling sundresses and other "surfer" apparel. 

On Wednesday, we sat at the pool reading our books in the shade doing everything possible to stay out of the sun. 

We decided to explore more of Bali on Thursday. We rented a taxi service for the day and they took us to a variety of places.  Our first stop was a traditional Balinese dance/theater performance.  It was interesting....  We then traveled to the silver and painting markets.  The silver was set at a fixed price, and since we couldn't' bargain, we didn't buy.  The painting market didn't really turn out to be a market, it was just some art on display, which was weird.  After the markets, we went to the Monkey Forest where the monkeys rule the land.  They walk around and hop onto people whenever they please - AH!  We then went to Ubud, the countryside, for lunch and feasted our eyes on the beautiful rice fields and our stomachs on delicious Indonesian fried rice. After lunch, we took a long drive to the coast to see Tanah Lot, one of the top three temples in Bali.  It's situated in the ocean, and provided such a beautiful sight.  Standing on the cliffs looking out into the ocean was a humbling and beautiful sight. 



At Tanah Lot, looking super sweaty



Rice fields in Ubud

Friday morning, we went to the pool at the hotel and then grabbed some lunch before heading back to Kuta for some more shopping!  I think we now have 20 pairs of elephant pants combined - thank goodness for the extremely giving weight limits on our remaining flights! 

Tomorrow will be a day of total relaxation.  I'm getting a massage at the hotel, Hayley is getting a pedicure.  Then, I will walk across the street to Carla Spa (the best place ever) and try a hair spa (creambath - yeah, I don't know either).  Should be fun!