Dueling Backpacks

Bali was a great start to our travels in Asia. We had a lot of fun during our short two-week visit. It felt like we were on a vacation from our vacation. Relaxing, swimming, eating, drinking… everything that you want out of a quick get-away. It’s touristy but fun. We enjoyed beers on the beach at sunset, reading books in the sand, swimming with the fish, and bar hopping in the evenings. None of it was particularly adventurous but we were happy to indulge for a while.

Day 220 (February 3, 2019) – Nusa Lembongan, Bali, Indonesia Nusa Lembongan, a small island located off the southeast coast of Bali, was the highlight of our two weeks. It was exactly what I was looking for. A laid back tropical island that feels authentic and isn’t swarming with tourists. It had killer sunsets, traditional Indonesian food, and beautiful tropical waters. It’s the first place I would head back to in Bali if we returned.

Day 218 (February 1, 2019) – Seminyak, Bali, Indonesia We took an hour-long taxi ride from the quiet and laid back Uluwatu to the loud and congested Seminyak. Seminyak isn’t even the most happening part of Bali (that claim to fame probably goes to Kuta), but every square foot is packed with hotels, bars, restaurants, shops, tattoo studios, and spas in what is supposed to be one of the slightly quieter but still happening parts of the island.

Day 210 (January 24, 2019) – Uluwatu, Bali, Indonesia Our decision to go to Bali was a bit haphazard. To get our Australian visa we had to tell them how we were leaving the county. We knew that we were going to end our Australia trip in Cairns, so we looked up any cheap international flights leaving from Cairns. Flights to Bali were reasonably priced and Bali sounded exotic enough to qualify as our first destination in Asia, so we booked the ticket and that was that. We got our Australian visa approved and kind of forgot about it for a long time. In fact, we had made it all the way to Cairns and still hadn’t made any accommodation arrangements or even read up on where to stay in Bali.

Australia was a fun time for us that felt like a break from our normal travels. Staying with friends really changed the whole experience of being somewhere. It was fun to catch up with people we hadn’t seen in years and I felt like we were getting all the local insights to everywhere we went. It was a different pace. We didn’t feel the need to run around everywhere and take in the sights. We were happy to just hang out and catch up. But, our friends, being the awesome tour guides they were, made sure we got around to all the big (and small) attractions in their area.

Day 207 (January 21, 2019) – Cairns, Australia We only had one reason to visit Cairns (Travis is always reminding me that it's pronounced "cans") and that was to see the Great Barrier Reef. After it was all said and done this few-day excursion was going to cost us a small fortune, but I didn’t want to go all the way to Australia and not see it. Travis had already been there twice, so this was more for my benefit than his.

Day 205 (January 19, 2019) - Melbourne & Bendigo, Australia After our excellent Canberra visit , it was time to head to Melbourne to visit Nick, Jenny, and their daughter Ada. Tami drove us to the bus station, where we caught a bus to a train. After about 8-9 hours in total we ended up at Southern Cross Station in Melbourne. We took a free tram to Chinatown, where we ate at Shanghai Village Dumpling, a restaurant recommended by Tami. It was BYOB, which we're always up for, so we got a cheap bottle of wine down the street and had a nice meal as we waited for Nick to make it back to his place in Melbourne from Bendigo (where he lives during the week for work).