A little late...terrible PVD (post vacation depression). This was our 6th trip to Bali and we still haven't explored everywhere we wanted to. Anyway, this JBR is for people who are interested in areas outside Kuta and the southern tourist area.
We started in Ubud at the Tegal Sari. Nothing more to say about the place. Fabulous, feels like home. One little glitch this time in Ubud though. After eating at Miros and having the Nasi Campur (I should have had the vegetarian) two of us got the dreaded Bali Belly. My 6th trip with no problems ended abruptly with serious projectile... Well, you get the idea. We called the front desk and they called the Ubud clinic and a doctor was there in 30 minutes. My wife is a nurse and she said everything was state of the art. IV fluids, antibiotics, probioitics, the whole nine yards. Two doctor visits (house calls), and all prescriptions for a grand total of $150. Here in the US that would have cost probably $1,000.00.
Next, on to Amed. Stayed at Bayu Cottages. Nice little place but if I had my druthers I would stay at the Bali Beach House (Rumiah Pantai). Snorkeled and recovered from the Belly. We wanted to be in Sideman for Galungan so we only stayed two nights.
Sideman. What can I say, my favorite place on earth. Stayed again at Villa Cepik with our lovely hosts Ida and Gusti. Having Ida fix your meals is like having home cooking. Sitting under the Bale and watching the sun go down sipping ice cold Bintangs, well if you find me a more beautiful spot please, please drag me there. Bali was unusually during this time so I spent an inordinate amount of time in the pool.
We stopped at Besakih on our way there and after all the horror stories we were pleasantly surprised with a really wonderful visit. We paid the guide RP40,000 and he was knowledgeable and never hurried us. What an awesome temple complex. Some of the statuary was constructed during the 8th century. Photo ops were everywhere.
Next stop...Nusa Lembongan. We stayed at a hidden treasure, the Tamarand Beach Bungalows run by Ketut, the unofficial mayor of the Island. Simple, yet large, bungalows and a nice little restaurant right on the beach for $20. Went snorkeling to Crystal Bay, Mangroves, and one other Bay. Fantastic!
Then we were off to Munduk, or more accurately, Umajero to a place called Vila Sangkih. This was quite a splurge for us ($90/night) and I was nervous about the quality of the accommodations. Websites can be deceiving. Well, for people looking for a real Bali experience in a small village but without roughing it you may want to pay a visit. The villa was an architectural wonder. Surrounded by a moat with a about a hundred large carp the living area was situated with a view of a rice field and beyond a vista all the way to the coast that included Lovina and the volcanoes of Java. The cook came from the Puri Lumbung Hotel in Munduk and the meals were delicious. The temp was cooler and I slept like a baby on a queen bed with soft sheets. The first time I didn't really need A/C. The little village, Umajero, doesn't really get any tourism as this is the only place to stay there so the people were super friendly and welcoming. We attended a children's gamelan practice and were surprised at their abilities. We will definitely return on our next visit. Perfect for two couples.
Pemuteran. Stayed again at Taman Sari in the standard rooms. Overpriced, but nothing to complain about. We go there to snorkel at Mengjanan Island so who cares about the rooms. At the island we snorkeled at two spots-one that we visited two years ago. I have to report that I believe the coral is being seriously eroded by what, I don't know. Global warming, storms, el nino, whatever. Places that were two years ago uninterrupted carpets of coral and fish are now covered in sand and a virtual wasteland. This was on the west side of the island. The wall dive on the south side was still great, possibly because the depth and temperature and well worth the trip.
Our final 4 days were spent back in Ubud but the trip from Pemuteran provided a visual feast as our trusted driver and friend Wayan Sueta took us back through the mountains and an area known as Belimbing where we saw some of the most incredible terraced rice fields in all of Bali. My camera started to smoke after about 350 exposures.
So, another trip in the books. Bali never loses it's fascination for me and never disappoints. I am already planning for my next trip in two years.
I hope this wasn't too long but it provides me some therapy for my PVD. I have been posting photos to my flickr photo site for those interested. Just go to flickr and search for EdBob. For some reason they won't let me link to my photos. My other trips are archived there also.