Rich and Cat's Travels: Crazy Bali (Pictures added)

Our trip to Bali took us via Brisbane meaning it was quite a long day for us. The flights took about 7 or 8 hours but as we were travelling back in time we gained 5 hours meaning we landed in Bali at around 2pm. We were picked up at the airport by our airbnb host who was crazy (little did we know that most Balinese were like that) and we were taken to our new accommodation. We discovered quickly that the roads were a scary place to be and that there were millions of scooters driven by people of all ages, including those going to and from school and that there were no road rules. If there was a little space you took it and even if there wasn’t then you could still take it. Rich and I vowed not to hire a scooter while here as the mere thought of trying to navigate and get through traffic scared the bejesus out of us. Our accommodation was basic but had everything we needed and included one cat and 6 three week old kittens, what more could someone need.

So for our first afternoon we decided to go out and explore a little bit and we soon discovered that walking could be as crazy as driving, especially when you needed to cross the road, let alone the occasional scooter on the pavement. We walked around for a while, got lost lots, bought a few things by haggling and ended up finding a bar on the beach to chill with a cheap beer. We then headed to a nice restaurant where we had a cocktail and dinner before realising how tired we were and so we headed home for bed. The next morning we got up early (our bodies weren’t used to the time difference and so we were wide awake at 5) then had breakfast and let our host and our white Indonesian driver take us around for the day. We visited the first court house where people used to be tried and punished for crimes. All the possible punishments for crimes were painted on the ceiling for the judges to view. Next we went to one of the biggest temples in Bali where we were left an offering for the Gods. After this we headed to an active volcano and the crater it had left behind which was now a lake but was getting smaller due to eruptions over the last 100 years. Finally we went to Ubud to see some of the rice terraces and see the workers tending to the rice. Our guides were great and filled us in on all the real bali details so that we got a better understanding of the place. They also suggested we go to a night market near the apartment as it had great food and was really cheap so that night we tried it and had a whole red snapper, some beer and some nasi goring for just over £5.

The following day we headed out on a public boat to an island called lambongan which is about 12 miles away. There we lazed on some beautiful beaches where the sand was golden and the sea was turquoise and crystal clear. Then we moved on to another area where we could snorkel as the coral was close to the surface. There was millions of fish of all types and we also saw star fish, sea urchins and lots of different types of coral. Overnight it decided to rain and my god did it rain along with the loudest thunder I have ever heard, I think the house shook at one point.

The next day was our last in Bali (well our flight was very early the next morning) so we did a little exploring but lots of preparation for our next trips. We headed to Kuta, where we were able to buy a rail ticket for japan, and soon realised this is where all the tourists go as it was full of chain restaurants, including McDonalds, and lots of tourist shops. In the afternoon we headed back to Seminak, near our apartment, for more exploring but soon headed home when it started to pour with rain. We had an early start again in the morning (3am again!) and headed out to our next country – Singapore.