I've officially spent the Bali fund all on myself. What was originally meant for two was lovingly enjoyed by one... and I can say now I wouldn't have it any other way. Going to Indonesia has been on my "Top 5" list for a long while and it conjures up images of cheerful people, amazing food, the lingering smell of incense, colorful and meaningful culture, surrounded by ocean and beaches for days.
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| Seminyak Beach area |
The first night I arrived, I wandered around to get my bearings, as I usually do in a new location. The place in which I landed was a gigantic beanbag on the sand, watching the waves crash under a full moon. I had a drink and enjoyed my first in a series of Indonesian specialties, gado-gado. This is now my very favorite, a simple dish of assorted steamed veggies with tempeh slices, topped with peanut sauce. I've got to try to replicate the happiness it brought me throughout my time there! I also had lots of yummy seafood, mie goreng (fried noodles), nasi goreng (fried rice), and others... By the way, meals were usually less that $5 each total. Yessssss.
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| The incredibly serene Secret Beach |
My good friend connected me with a local friend of hers who is a driver and tour guide in Bali. He planned an amazing day of getting me around to as many beaches and other sites as humanly possible! I am so lucky to meet wonderful people in my travels, and we had great conversation all day about so many things... I learned about the culture, language, different viewpoints, and life in general, while chillin in the most beautiful locales.
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| Padang Padang Beach, where Eat Pray Love filmed |
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| Uluwatu Reef, surf heaven |
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| View from Uluwatu Temple |
After a few days in Seminyak, I made my way to Ubud, the artistic and cultural center of Bali. It was gorgeous, and my friend and I ended up at a beautiful hotel with our own garden and a pool outside our gate. We got lost in the rice paddies, found the medicine lady we were looking for, shopped, ate great food, got pummeled in a sketchy massage place, relaxed in a nice "established" spa, drown a gigantic cockroach in our toilet in the middle of the night- spectacular teamwork!-, and checked out the nightlife that seemed to consist of dark, handsome men singing/smiling/winking behind guitars table-side. I think I fell in love twice.
I made my way to Singapore to spend time with friends and see the sites of a new city. Wow, no one is joking when they say it is HOT HOT HOT! No makeup, wet clothes, and a pocket hanky were the norm for two weeks. It was so great to see them and stay at their beautiful home, rest up for a bit, then traipse around through the skyscrapers, shop for jewelry and gifts, be introduced to the authentic foods of Chinatown and Arab Street, and make my way to an exhibit at the Art and Science Museum. I also got the world's best pedicure, which is still in tact under my fuzzy, striped socks as I write :) There was a trip to the Botanical Garden, a tour of Singapore American School, a toast above the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, and a visit to the Tiger Balm Gardens (aka Haw Par Villa). Random statues and scenes galore!
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| Singapore from Marina Bay Sands Hotel |
Once upon a time, I stated that traveling through Asia didn't appeal to me as much as other places. I definitely take that back. It is a place where I am distinctly a foreigner and cannot hide behind my appearance. It forces me to observe and absorb because it is so different. For the few countries I've now been to, I promise a return to each sometime in the near future. Travel forever!
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