Uluwatu, Bali

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.

The sunset during our Cairns-to-Bali flight was awesome. We were in for many more awesome sunsets while in Bali.

While in Cairns, we threw together a quick itinerary to visit three different locations on the island over two weeks’ time before we would continue onward to Singapore. We really had no expectations, other than being told it would be filled with Australian tourists and that we would be there during the rainy season so afternoon and evening showers were a guarantee.

Monkeys guarding the steps down to Padang Padang Beach.

Our fist stop was in Uluwatu, a peninsula at the southern end of the island. We arrived at night and didn’t notice too much in the dark, but after getting up the next morning and taking in our surroundings we finally felt like we were on vacation. Despite being on “vacation” for the last 7 months, there is something about  hot weather, a pool, palm trees, and being told the beach is a 5-minute walk down the street that makes you feel like you’re truly on vacation. And best yet, we were back in a place where things were inexpensive again. No more grocery store meals, camping in a tent, or having to rely on the generosity of our friends to house us. We could easily afford a nice hotel room and go out to eat for all our meals and have a beer or two in the evening. This was awesome.

Padang Padang beach. The photo makes it look nicer than it was. The high tide had left behind all sorts of debris on the beach, but it was our first dip in tropical waters.

We only had two full days in Uluwatu, but our first priority was a day of relaxation at the beach and in the pool. After a breakfast of mie goreng, a fried noodle dish with chicken and egg that would become our staple breakfast in Bali, we walked down to the closest beach. While Padang Padang beach wasn’t the best beach we’d find on our trip, it got the job done. We had to watch out for the monkeys though, one of which tried to steal our backpack when we weren’t looking. It was a small beach that became somewhat crowded, so we eventually decided to head back to the hotel pool.

Relaxing at the hotel pool. It had been a long time since we stayed anywhere nice enough to have a pool.

The next day we took a very long walk to Uluwatu Temple, a Balinese Hindu temple perched on an oceanside cliff. On the way back we stopped at Thomas Beach, which was awesome. It was a huge stretch of sand and there were maybe only a dozen people there the entire afternoon. We grabbed some lounge chairs and spent the afternoon relaxing and swimming in the ocean. At some point the guy that rented us the lounge chairs told us the rain was coming in and he wanted to pack them up. We were ready to leave anyway so we started the walk back. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it home before the rain hit. It was a torrential downpour and we arrived back at our hotel soaked through. It was like we had jumped in the ocean with all our clothes on. Naturally, the rain passed shortly after arriving back. We should have just waited it out under a shelter.

Uluwatu Temple. The actual temple itself is located way out on the edge of the cliff. 

A statue at the Uluwatu Temple. Notice all the small monkey statues. We only saw a couple monkeys while we were at the temple, but they're apparently so famous that they've been studied. The monkeys have learned (and teach their younger generations) how to barter. They steal something of yours and they will give it back to you if you trade them for a piece of fruit. 

Our first stop in Bali felt like a new beginning for our trip. There was no doubt, we had arrived in Asia. The food, the motorbikes, the beach, the heat. It all reminded us of our previous trips to Asia. We were excited to be back. Our biggest problem was trying to get the Spanish out of our heads. As soon as we encountered a language barrier with anyone our first instinct was to reply in Spanish, thinking that would close the gap. We quickly learned it doesn’t help. We don’t know yet where our travels in Asia will take us, but we're excited to start.

This is Thomas Beach and one of the first beaches I would return to if we ever make it back to Bali. It was a huge stretch of pristine sand with very few people to share it with.