Since I came back to Bali I stayed two nights in Candidasa which is on the east coast. I spent one day at the pool recovering from my trip from Gili and the second day I decided to test my driving skills in Balinese traffic. I rented a scooter for a day and drove to see the beautiful Taman Tirta Gangga water palace built by the last Rajah.
After Candidasa I decided to return to Ubud where I had spent only few nights before my trip to Gili. I stayed in same adorable homestay as before and was welcomed back with opened arms. Some people find Ubud too touristic and noisy but I think it is a very pleasant small town. Also its handy location makes it an excellent base for some touring around Bali. I had already done one tour to see some temples in the area so this time I decided to get the scooter again. The traffic in Bali is not as bad as it first looks. There is a certain logic to it and it is actually quite flexible. The bumpers are actually smoother here than in Barcelona. The only worrying thing for me is the ten to twelve year olds driving scooters with an eight year old on the back and both without helmets.
I visited the amazing rice terraces in Jatiluwih which is an UNESCO world heritage site. I bathed in the holy and heeling (and also very green) in two different hot springs. I saw the famous sunset behind the temple of Tanah Lot. I got a ticket for driving wrong way on a one way street as it was dark and no one saw the sign. I got lost and drove aimlessly enjoying the views and the feeling of freedom. I saw volcanoes, rice fields, temples, villages after villages, waterfalls, trees with flowers in the brightest colors, monkeys begging for treats beside the roads, five on a scooter families, kids in their school uniforms waving and yelling hello as I passed by and all this got me gasping for how beautiful this island can be. After a day’s drive I was covered in black dust. I learnt that there is no load too big to be transported on a scooter, if you have a minibus for seven people you should at least try to fit in 14 and if there’s a truck the load should be at least double as high as the sides, hati hati means be careful and honking means “excuse me but I’m going to make a crazy attempt to overtake you in his curve, let’s hope that we both survive” rather than “what the hell are you doing, you idiot”. There are two main rules on the road: try not to hit anyone and try your best not to be hit by anyone and it seems to be working.
I was invited to a wedding ceremony by my host Widia and I eagerly accepted the invitation. He dressed me and two of his other guests in traditional sarongs so we could attend the ceremony in a family temple performed by the high priest. It was definitely an interesting experience. The ceremony itself included a lot of splashing and drinking of holy water, incents and prayers, however we (the tourists) seemed to be the only ones actually interested in the ceremony. People were talking, eating and having tea and no one but us took any pictures. The ceremony wasn’t very long and the whole wedding was over in 4 or 5 hours. The food was very good. The bride and groom looked like pretty dolls in their traditional dresses and make up. And the happiest person in the wedding seemed to be the mother of the bride, the couple didn’t look happy at all for some reason.
After spending eight days in Ubud I booked a shuttle bus to take me to Lovina in North Bali. On arrival I booked a snorkeling trip to Pulau Menjangan which is a small island on the northwest corner of Bali and a part of Bali’s only national park. It is said to be the best diving spot in Bali and after seeing part of the underwater world by snorkeling I don’t doubt it. I even found Nemo! I wasn’t as lucky with my dolphin watch trip that I had booked (and paid) at the same time. The next morning I was supposed to be picked up at 6 am to go to see some dolphins but the guy never showed up. I made a new booking for the next day but there were no dolphins that morning. I was puzzled whether to try a third time the next morning and since my inner alarm woke me up at 5 I decided to go for it. And yes this time I saw dolphins. After getting up at 5.30 three mornings in a row and all the hassle of going to the tourist police to find the guy who didn’t show up and arguing with him to get my money back for the first dolphin trip that never happened.
After almost 4 weeks in Bali I'm impressed. The warnings in Australia "why do you want to go to Bali? It's only ful of drunken Aussies" were not true. The only Aussie tourists I've seen were in Kuta. You just need to go a bit further. I've truly enjoyed my time here. Only two more days to go and I will continue my trip to Thailand, first stop, Bangkok.
