I knew from the minute I arrived that Bali would not be the place for me. After getting my visa I was rushed into a massive line for immigration. There were all of these airport workers trying to charge $25 USD to pass the line and skip right through. Of course it would have been nice to skip on through and save the hour and a half wait, but it was the whole principle that I just couldn't agree with. The amount of money I watched those guys make was shocking. Everyone is in on it though because they all get a cut of the money. Only half of the immigration counters were open and the rest were standing around talking to one another. It was quite a frustrating feeling and from that point I knew it wouldn't be the only corruption I saw in Bali or anywhere in Southeast Asia. The constant haggle and barter is all too common in Asia.
So Bali is beautiful. It really is. It's got its own uniqueness to it, as does any country. BUT, Bali has become a victim of it's own success. It's overrun with tourists and everyone is out to make a dollar. Things like this happen all too easy in Asia, where they make their town a hotspot and receive a great profit from doing so. I am all for that because I know it's good for the local communities and it helps to improve their standards of living. The problem is, these places lose so much in doing so. The people become so money hungry they are constantly worried about what they can sell you. People would come up to talk and they were nice and polite until they started shoving their trinkets in my face and asking for money.
I spent the first night in Kuta, which is probably the worst city I've ever been to. For real. I couldn't handle it. But I found a little Balinese restaurant and enjoyed some spicy cuisine. I escaped the next morning to Ubud. I've heard amazing things about Ubud and it's amazing food, arts and yoga studios. Unfortunately, I found it to be as touristy as the rest. I did a home stay with a family, which was nice because it was set away from the hustle and bustle. They were very helpful and friendly, but spoke little English. So there was lots of smiling and nodding going on in our conversations. However, hey made me banana creeps with fresh coconut every morning for breakfast. Score!
My first day I walked around to familiarize myself with the area. As I passed trinket shop after trinket shop, I thought of my dad and the things he would be saying. He would have said "they all have the same stuff" at least 5 times. He would have asked "who really buys this shit?" at least 3 times. And he would have been shaking his head in awe the entire time like I was. To each their own, but I'm not into souvenirs or clutter.
I went to the well known Monkey Forrest. I've heard mixed reviews on the place, but I found it weird. I was walking through and monkeys were everywhere. I had this weird feeling that at any moment one may lunge forward at me. It gave me the total heebeejeebees. They used to be known for taking sunglasses and cameras, but apparently they are better fed these days so they don't go looking to thieve. Some little Chinese kids kept hitting the monkeys, so with their lack of respect I was hoping for a monkey attack. No such luck though.
I spent the next day doing nothing. To the point where I felt guilty for my laziness. I got up and went to yoga. I found this really cool place called the Yoga Barn and they had good classes and an awesome cafe. So I ate lunch there after my class. Went back to my room for a nap. Went back to the YB to lay in a hut and read a book. Went to another yoga class, ate dinner and went to bed. It was a nice and peaceful day in comparison to the rest.
My last day in Ubud was spent traveling around the area on a motorbike. The guy I was staying with gave me a tour of the rice fields, which were stunning. He took me to a couple of nice temples and this amazing tea and coffee plantation. I got to taste 12 types and ended up bringing home the coconut coffee and an herbal tea.
Riding around on a motorbike, with the wind in my face, people honking and zipping all around me, smelling all of the street foods and watching people go about their daily lives was a really great feeling of being authentically immersed in the culture. Even though the stops we made were all to tourist destinations, it was my favorite day because of those feelings of living like the locals do.
I left Ubud the following morning to head south to Uluwatu. It's a small little town that's a surfers paradise apparently. I didn't see any amazinggg waves, but they say they will come in a months time. I stayed in a beautiful home stay that had huts surrounding a pool. I met a French Canadian guy staying at the same place that had come for 45 days of surfing. Needless to say, he was beyond disappointed and was trying to come up with an alternative plan. The first night I was there the sunset was amazing. I was told it was the best they've had in 2 months due to it being the rainy season and all of the clouds covering the night sky. Having lived in the mountains for so long now I was really missing an amazing beach sunset. It was a great way to end the day.
There is no beach in Uluwatu because it's all cliff sides. At low tide there was a bit of beach, which was cool to walk around on with these massive cave-like rocks all around. All in all, Bali is a beautiful place, but it's just losing it's personality with each passing day due to western influence. Bali would be a place to visit as a group or a couple, but don't go alone because it's hard to meet people. Sorry for the consistent negativity in this post, but just wanted to be honest. I wouldn't discourage you from going to check it out for yourself, but I reckon Dauphin Island is much closer, more beautiful and more convenient for all!
I will post pictures soon. Love to you all xoxo
