Fourth time to Asia - this time to Indonesia. Again, only ladies of free age (when they are still almost young, and the children are already adults). Tickets for Qatar Airways were purchased back in the spring - 22,000 from Moscow to Jakarta and back. Tickets for Batavia from Jakarta to Denpasar were, unfortunately, purchased later, and therefore cost $110.
The flight went well, with disposable socks provided, a computer in the back of the seat, a semi-working remote control, and even Russian films.
In Jakarta we bought a visa for $25 (for this you only need a passport and money). They changed money there ($1=8250 rupees). We took a shuttle bus to the first terminal, having waited about 25 minutes beforehand. Batavia flies from terminal 1C. And the shuttlebus brought us to 1A. I had to run.
And now almost a day of flight is over, and at 21-40 we land in Bali. We were greeted by pleasant coolness near the equator. We took a taxi for 60K rupees (after bargaining, of course) to Jimbaran. Hotel villapuriroyan was booked back in May on the Internet without prepayment on their website. A cozy, beautiful courtyard appeared to our eyes, even at night we saw a small pool, a lot of greenery around.
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The rooms were spacious and clean, although the furnishings were not new, but the price was low - 242K rupees per room. Afterwards we went to the sea, or rather to the ocean. The beach is very close to the hotel. The sea greeted us with waves, and the beach with soft sand. There was a breeze and it was nice. We dined on local dishes of noodles and rice. Satisfied and full, they fell onto the bed and fell asleep.
We got up at 10 and went to breakfast. We were given a choice of fried vermicelli, thick flatbread with jam and toast, as well as coffee or tea. Balinese coffee turned out to be quite good. Having had our fill, we went to the sea to swim, enjoy life and acclimatize. The beach is sandy, quite clean, the waves were scary on the outside, good on the inside. That is, it is quite possible to swim out behind them and swim in the depths.
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We went to the fish market, which is located near the airport. Didn't like it: dirty and smelly. There are also fruit rows there. But we were there in the evening, so we only got papaya.
In the evening we went to dinner at MegaTebaCafe. It is located in the left corner of the bay, if you are facing the ocean, in a row of other cafes without tablecloths. There we took two sets of 90K rupees. They included fish, shrimp, mussels, rice, sauces, water, fruit. And, of course, we took freshly squeezed juices separately. They are wonderful there! It was quite enough for four.
We agreed to take a taxi for the whole day at the reception for 500K rupees.
We ordered breakfast half an hour earlier. We left around 8:20.
First we went to Dreamland, a beach near Uluwatu. It was impossible to swim there because of the big waves, but it was beautiful! Sand, rocks, wave crests.
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We found a small hole in the rocks on the shore, and there we had a blast tumbling in the waves.
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The next point on our program was Uluwatu. This is a temple occupying the southern cape of Bali. The path led along the edge of the cliff, and we saw huge waves crashing against the cliffs.
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There are many monkeys running around the area. These impudent creatures grab cameras from unwary tourists, glasses and caps.
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Thank God they are afraid of the stick.
Then our path lay to the bourgeoisie in Nusa Dua. There we swam, believe it or not, without waves. It was a bit dirty near the shore, but further on there was real bliss: the water was clear and warm. I didn’t want to go out, but I already wanted to eat.
The driver brought us to a beautifully decorated restaurant with tablecloths. This immediately aroused our suspicions, but the menu put them to sleep. Although prices were low, the amount of output dropped sharply. Thus, after paying 500K rupees, we left the restaurant with a slight feeling of hunger.
Finally, we visited Tanah Lot. This is a temple standing in the sea. At low tide he finds himself on the shore.
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We watched the sunset there and went to Artmarkit, which is nearby. There are a lot of souvenirs and clothes there. Lots of beautiful palm wood products. You need to bargain for everything and reduce the price by 2 times.
We arrived home late, and on the way we stopped at a minimarket, where we bought some inexpensive, good fruit.
Today transfer to Ubud, the cultural capital of Bali. Yesterday's taxi driver took us there for an hour and a half and for 250K rupees. He found us the Ubud terraces hotel ( [email protected]), which is located on Monkey forest street.
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The hotel has a large, beautiful area, spacious rooms. With fan 250K, with air conditioning 300K. There is a swimming pool. We happily agreed.
However, later we were surprised to discover that there was no soap in the room. In response to our demand, we were asked to buy it ourselves.
But that's not the main thing. Ubud amazed us and made us fall in love at first sight. It is very Asian and, at the same time, not like other Asian cities. It is clean and green with many temples.
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There are many small hotels, cafes, shops. You can wander and wander there.
But we were pressed for time. After a swim in the pool, we went to the Monkey Forest. This is a piece of the jungle, in which paths, temples, and monkeys live harmoniously.
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They are funny and well mannered unlike their counterparts in Uluwatu. They don't tear anything down, but they can climb on top of visitors and try to take away the camera. You can feed them bananas and watch their relationships endlessly. This place turned out to be quite worthy of our visit.
We turned right. Soon the street turned into a path and we saw rice terraces. The rice was turning green, the water was gurgling along the irrigation ditches, and the path was surrounded by palm trees. The beauty of another world, different from ours.
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Local residents worked the fields, went about their business, and smiled at us warmly, offering coconuts. Then the path turned into a path and descended into a ravine. When we crossed to the other side and sat down to rest, an aborigine approached us and hinted at the late hour. We turned back and walked along the same side of the ravine without crossing it. The path turned into a path winding among local farms. Suddenly we heard a heart-rending croaking and saw from the side a snake devouring a frog. The spectacle is not for the faint of heart. We passed by Organic farm cafe. Then we entered Ubud onto a street perpendicular to the Monkey forest.
Wonderful walk!
After a swim in the pool, we decided to try a local massage. There are countless spa centers in Ubud. We took a traditional Balinese massage for 80K rupees. Wonderful! For a whole hour, the strong arms of the balijeks kneaded our tired bodies. On the street we agreed with a taxi driver for tomorrow for 500K rupees.
Before going to bed we discovered that there was no second sheet or duvet cover.
We got up early and left at 7:50. But before that, they caught the boy who was cleaning the rooms and almost forcibly snatched four sheets from him.
The first point of our program was GunungKawi. 300 (as they say, they didn’t count themselves) steps led us to the river. Along the way we admired the very picturesque landscape. Rice terraces, palm trees on steep slopes.
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Below we saw the royal tombs: huge reliefs carved into the rock.
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Not far from them is a small temple on the other side of the river. A very beautiful place.
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The next item was suggested by our driver: something like a garden for tourists. There we saw how coffee, cocoa, various exotic fruits grow, and Luwakis also live there. These are cats with a fox face. They eat coffee beans and then defecate with them. Undigested grains are washed, dried and fried as usual.
We were treated to coffee, cocoa, teas, and we bought a cup of shit coffee for 30K rupees.
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I liked this coffee, it’s softer with a slight sourness. In the shop there we bought coffee, cocoa, teas and very tasty chocolate.
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But a mafia of local guides stood in our way. These racketeers demanded 300K rupees for a two-hour walk. When we expressed a desire to send them to the bathhouse and go alone, we were accused of non-compliance with the laws. The trade did not lead to anything, and we proudly turned around and drove to the lake. This turned out to be not very interesting.
Soon we got into the car and went to Singaraja. The road went through mountain passes and was incredibly beautiful. In fact, our driver took us to Lovina. There is a good beach there without waves. The expected black sand turned out to be simply dark and did not make much of an impression.
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After a swim, we went to have lunch at a nearby cafe, rejecting the good restaurant offered by the driver.
The last point of our program was Lake Bratan and the temple on it. We arrived there already at dusk. Having bought tickets (in Bali you have to buy tickets everywhere), we went to the temple grounds. This is a beautiful garden with temple buildings. On small islands there are pagodas.
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Lepota! It’s a pity that we didn’t come here a little earlier, when the mountains on the opposite bank were illuminated by the setting sun.
And home! We were at the hotel at 8. The driver and I differed in our assessment of events: we thought we had a great day, but he didn’t think so. Oddball, he expected to return much earlier.
In the evening we changed money. There are a lot of exchange offices in Ubud, where they never tried to deceive us. We agreed with another taxi driver to take us to Padang Bay for 180K rupees.
On the last day of summer we went to Lombok. We reached Padang Bay in an hour. A ticket to Lembar pier in Lombok cost 36K for a public ferry and 350K for a speed boat. We chose cheapness over speed and stayed at the pier to wait for the ferry for up to 2 hours. All morning ferries were canceled due to the Romodan holiday.
We had more than three hours left before departure, so we went swimming. The beach was found to the left of the pier (facing the sea). We swam among boats in surprisingly clean water for a port. Then a cafe on the embankment with delicious fried bananas was waiting for us. So the forced delay did not tire us at all.
At half past one we merged with the crowd and went to storm the ferry. The crowd consisted of locals and backpackers.
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We were quick and efficient and rushed onto the ferry in the first rows, for which we were rewarded with good seats. A small number of cars and many motorcycles were brought onto the ferry. The people sat on the seats, on the floor, wherever necessary. The ferry was large and there was enough room for everyone.
We sat in the bow, where a strong wind was blowing. It got really cold.
Four hours flew by quickly, and now we were already in Lombok.
To our surprise, the square was almost empty. There were no taxis as a class. Romodan again. But the world is not without good people. Seeing our confusion and ability to pay, a man jumped up to us and offered us a car for 300K rupees. There is no point in bargaining in Romodan, and we agreed.
On the way, we counted the number of people on one motorcycle. The maximum was five. Child, father, mother with two children. It’s a pity we couldn’t take a photo of this daring five.
We arrived in Senggigi at the Mascot Hotel MascotBeachResort, which we booked by phone from Bali +62 370 693 365. This is a hotel on the first line, consisting of two-room bungalows. A room for two cost 450K. The rooms are clean. The garden is pleasant.
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We ate Indonesian delicacies in their restaurant. Tomorrow we will be purchasing a tour to Rijani.
Already at 9 am, an employee of the company working at our hotel caught up with me about trekking to Rijani. But we were not yet ready to talk to him. Therefore, we postponed this interesting action for 10. And during this time we called the hotel in Simbalun, from where we are going to begin our ascent to the volcano. We were immediately offered a tour, including transfer and hotel for 1,500,000 per sister. We were pleased with the route, but not with the price. Their representative immediately came to us and began to sell us on trekking, but did not want to bargain. We sent him away with God and went to the reception to meet the first pepper. He offered us a hotel in Senaru and trekking from Sembalun to Senaru for our price of 1200K rupees. We shook hands, paid him half the amount and left satisfied.
For breakfast we had delicious rice with vegetables and additionally ordered amazing fried bananas.
And swim, swim, swim! The beach there is great. Fine sand, clear water.
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One thing breaks the idyll: a small strip of garbage in the water near the shore. We walked along the beach to the right to the cape. It's pretty trashy there, but behind the cape it's just a public beach with all its features.
Let's go left, there are a number of hotels and cafes. We had lunch at Sunshine Cafe. There was strawberry juice. Food is average.
And here is the last time before Rinjani we swim in the ocean.
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And it's time to get ready. We pack all our warm clothes in our backpacks and leave everything we don’t need at the hotel. Fortunately, the same hotel for two nights after Rijani has already been paid for in advance through the Adoga website.
Exactly at seven in the evening a car arrived for us, and we went to Senara. We were there around nine. On the way, they tried to change the route over the phone. We were offered to start the hike in Senara and end in Sembalun. But this really meant an extra 450m up, since Senaru is at an altitude of 600m, and Sembalun is at 1050m. We refused not very politely.
We were checked into a modest hotel, where we met our guide Tari.
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We took the absence of a second sheet and the presence of dirty towels as preparation for the hike.
At seven in the morning we were fed pancakes and given coffee and tea. Then we watched the pickup truck being loaded with food, things, porters and a guide. At about 9 o'clock they loaded us with our backpacks. We left some extra things where we spent the night.
Around ten we were in Simbalun. There, at the trekking center we filled out the paperwork and at about 11 we set off to pick up our guide.
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At first the trail went through open terrain and was not very steep.
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Then we entered pine forests, or rather meadows with pine trees growing on them.
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It was hot. We saw many dry river beds. Near one of the bridges, the porters prepared lunch for us. To say this place was dirty would be an understatement.
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There were many groups eating there, both before us and with us, and there were no trash cans there. We tried hard not to watch the porters prepare dinner and wash our dishes. For this we were rewarded with soup made from rollton and vegetables. The tea turned out to be mud, and we washed our hands with it.
Two weeks before us, there was a fire in these places, and huge areas of burnt grass surrounded us. The guide said that this repeats every year in July and August.
But, fortunately, there were also places untouched by the fire. The climb became steeper and the views more beautiful. At sunset we went to the edge of the crater and saw the lake.
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Yes, our climb to 1600m was not in vain, it was worth going here.
The porters were already here, and tents were set up and dinner was waiting for us.
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Bzzzt described the porters most accurately. All I can do is quote him.
They are characterized by small stature and an extremely “frail” physique.
They smoke constantly
They constantly carry more than 20 kg of weight on a makeshift bamboo structure placed on one of their shoulders. At the same time, the weight of an average “porter” without a burden hardly exceeds 60 kg
The above-mentioned homemade structure is a storage for food, water, dishes, tents, sleeping bags and other things, without which our trip would simply be impossible
The only clothes they have on them are: shorts, one T-shirt and flip-flops
Each "porter" without much effort is able to overcome the steepest slopes one and a half to two times faster than quite sporty, prepared and motivated tourists (that's us)
For each day of such hellish or, better said, slave labor, they are entitled to 50 thousand rupees (think about it, that’s 5.5 dollars!)
They are most likely robots.
Early in the morning, or rather at night, we had to climb Rijani Peak 3726m. That is, takeoff at 1000m and descent. It was decided to send me alone to this task.
Get up at 2:30. In complete darkness by the fire, the porters gave me coffee and cookies. Lights were visible on the mountainside: these were the earliest birds climbing the mountain.
Tari and I set off at 3:15. I turned on the headlamp I bought the day before in Simbalun. The trail was two lanes and many people were walking along it.
At first the climb was steep, then I reached the ridge and walked along it. Tari got lost halfway, but even the most gifted cannot get lost there. The road consists of a variety of loose rocks. It's safe to walk, but very difficult. And at the end, after two and a half hours of climbing, a real tough ride awaited me: a steep takeoff.
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And this comes with accumulated fatigue. Every step was difficult. Dawn had already begun, and it was necessary to get there at any cost. The sun was rising over the sea, clouds were swirling somewhere below.
Happy people were already going downstairs, and I looked at them hauntedly. Another half hour of a hundred meters of ascent, and I’m at the top. I will never forget this beauty. Clouds far below your feet, Bali volcanoes Agung and Batur in the distance, a lake in the Rijani caldera and a small volcano, cones of fog over the lake.
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Half an hour later Tari appeared and we began our descent. Now I looked condescendingly at the people rising, and they smiled at me with a hunted smile. The descent took me two hours, including photographing the opening beauties.
Around half past ten, half dead from fatigue, I arrived at the camp.
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Soon a small volcano located on a peninsula in the lake became visible. Indescribable beauty.
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A little more, and the sun illuminated its crater. There were no clouds, we breathed clean mountain air and enjoyed the beauty around us. There is an observation deck at the top, from where you can clearly see the lake and the volcano. It is there and only there that tourists who take a two-day tour are taken. We were very glad that we took a three-day tour from Sembalun to Senara. This gave us the opportunity to more fully experience Rinjani, its beauty and uniqueness.
Then we went down to Senara. For 12 km there is 2 km of descent. At first it is steep on rocks, then on loose powder. The area was open, and below there was a forest with clouds on it. It was funny to see first the jungle, then the clouds, above them the sea and the sky. Agung was visible in Bali, Gili Islands.
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There were also pieces of burnt grass, but in comparison with the surroundings of Sembalun there were few of them. Then the path entered the jungle and the clouds. The trail is excellent and very picturesque. As the altitude drops, the character of the forest changes. It becomes thicker, vines and thorns appear.
In the evening we went for a massage. Opinions differed. Two found it much worse than in Ubud, two found it much better.
Last time in Lombok we had dinner at our hotel. We were alone in a restaurant by the sea. The food was quite decent for white ladies on holiday. We liked everything about the Mascot hotel: comfortable bungalows, location on the first line by the sea, wonderful garden, good service, restaurant. Night swim in the ocean, and goodbye Lombok!
We ordered Blue bird taxi in advance by phone. The taxi arrived on time and after 40 and 50K rupees we were already at Mataram airport.
Lion air spent a long time checking my credit card and didn’t even look at my passport. Tickets to Denpasar were purchased in advance via the Internet for 250 K rupees. By the way, a boat to Bali from Lombok costs 350K per person.
The flight lasted half an hour and was very interesting. We saw Mataram, then Agung appeared, in Bali we saw our native Jimbaran and Uluwatu.
Once at the airport, we went to the Hotel reservation counter, where a nice boy offered us the Puri Bamboo hotel in Jimbaran for $55 per double. No, at first he suggested other less worthy hotels, but as soon as I went to the next similar counter, the desired hotel was found. We paid for it immediately and received a voucher. At the exit from the airport we caught a blue bird and drove to the hotel for 40K. He turned out to be great. Large comfortable rooms with a balcony, swimming pool, towels by the pool, everything is clean. One drawback - the way to the sea (about ten minutes) goes along a not very pleasant street.
On the main street in a large supermarket we bought yellow inside watermelon, mango, melon and the mysterious Lengkeng fruit, also known as longan. These are large berries with hard skin and transparent pulp. They taste like melon. We liked.
We spent the evening on the beach, had dinner at our beloved TebaMega on the ocean shore at a table with a candle, eating fresh seafood cooked on the grill. There is also very tasty lime juice.
Continued in the next story
Indonesia is seventeen thousand islands, at first it is impossible to cover or even understand.
Even after a two-week trip around the island state of Indonesia, flying, moving from island to island on high-speed boats, water taxis (medicines for seasickness will not be superfluous), it is difficult to imagine such an incredible number of islands:
"We visited six islands, each very different from the others... and there are 17,000 others?"
Combined with the cultural perception of this daunting, vast but hospitable archipelago. Languages, religions and social norms vary greatly from village to village, city to city, beach to beach, but they all coexist under Indonesia's magically idealistic slogan, "Bhinneka Tunggal Ika" - "Unity in Diversity."
When people talk about traveling to Indonesia, the vast majority of them are actually talking about traveling to the island of Bali, which, while attracting incredible numbers of tourists, is one of the most famous, most visited tropical resorts in the world, and for good reason. If you're planning a trip to Indonesia, your itinerary should include Bali.
That's why this guide - five places you should visit in Indonesia - is focused on the island of Bali. Thanks to the international airport, traveling becomes much easier. Its proximity to East Java, Lombok and the Gilis Java, Lombok and the Gilis Islands makes it a good regional travel destination and will suit every type of traveler - from honeymooners staying at the Intercontinental to backpackers living on $15 a day.
While there are tens of thousands of truly amazing temples, beaches, and amazing villages to visit in Bali, we've settled on five that we recommend (all prices in US dollars).
1. Java's Cultural Capital: Yogyakarta
Yes, it is a huge, annoying, noisy city - but here life moves at a special speed, which is different from other places on the island of Java, and besides, the cultural riches of Jogyartha will amaze any traveler.
If you've just landed in Southeast Asia, don't go overboard on your first day. You can find a wonderful bungalow with a pool for less than $20 - I would recommend Delta Homestay, which is located away from the busy streets of Pravirotaman in a quiet valley. Go out for a walk and grab something to eat: start at Via Via, a tourist-friendly restaurant (also a local souvenir shop, travel agency and hotel, yoga studio), one of the best places in Yogya.
On the second day, travel to Kraton, the Sultan's palace.
If you are near Kraton, check in the souvenir shop about them in the temple, it is thanks to them that Jogya becomes really fun. The important Buddhist temple of Borobudur and the amazing Hindu temple of Prambanan are both outside the city limits and are worth devoting a full day to each - although it can be done in one day if you start early and stick to a tight schedule.
Movement: Walking long distances in Yogyakarta can be extremely tiring, given the condition of the sidewalks and the volume of traffic on the roads. In this case, use a bekak (bicycle rickshaw), but for longer distances, it will be useful to take a taxi or rent a scooter.
2. Art village on the island of Bali: Ubud
Don't linger on Ubud's charming, somewhat commercial main street - there are plenty of places to visit in this fun, relaxing art village on the island of Bali. With numerous bars and restaurants, souvenir shops and spas at your disposal, get a feel for how different this village is from Jogja.
Undoubtedly, it is smaller in size. Hinduism predominates here, as throughout, unlike most of Indonesia, where Islam is widespread, however, both cultures and religions are beautiful in their own way, filled with historically vibrant and diverse events and stories. Just by walking down the street you can feel the difference between the two.
Visit the Sacred Monkey Forest Reserve - a popular place among tourists, where monkeys are everywhere - macaques, to be precise, if you offer them a banana, they will happily sit on your shoulder, they can easily steal your sunglasses, easily gliding through the trees. However, given that all American doctors will advise you to beware of rabies-carrying animals while in Indonesia, getting close to monkeys is not the wisest decision.
Be sure to make time for a massage, yoga class and elephants throughout your time in Ubud - it's a must do in this laid-back environment, isn't it? Visit Yoga Barn for a yoga class; from the very beginning, the village is a contacts fair where you can meet like-minded travelers from all over the world.
You should spend a day outside the city, for example, river rafting will be extremely exciting, it is simply incredible - a wild adventure, after which you will certainly try Bintang - the most popular beer in Indonesia.
Movement: You can walk all of Ubud, however for regional excursions you will need a taxi or shuttle. If you sign up for motorcycle riding, rafting, or similar activities, transportation is usually included in the ticket price.
3. Secluded Paradise: Gili Trawangan
If you've always dreamed of visiting a secluded island, try Gilis - three islands located between Bali and Lombok, catering to every taste and budget.
Gili Meno is a hot, quiet, abandoned island. Gili Air is a functional, luxurious island with pleasant nature, Gili Trawangan is the larger, well-developed brother of these islands.
It's very easy to get confused when choosing one of the Gili Islands; first, just choose and visit one of them. If you want to move to another island, it's very easy to do thanks to the white sand beach paths.
Next we move to Gili Trawangan, because according to tourists’ reviews, this place is an amazing combination of solitude and nightlife. Indeed, driving along the island's bustling east coast, we found hippie hostels and five-star resorts, shabby food markets and fine waterfront restaurants.
There are no cars on the islands, and foot traffic on Gili T is a mix of hard-working locals and slacker Australians. Accommodation and food are more refined and expensive in the southeastern part of the island. The north-eastern part is cheaper and easier - also good for scuba diving.
You can rent scooters and look for yoga studios, but people come to these islands for the diving. If you don't have a certificate, dozens of schools are ready to provide you with a wide range of programs. If snorkeling is more your thing, most of the guys on the road will be happy to rent you a mask and show you the way to the turtles.
By the way, turtles.
If you ask me what was the most memorable thing about my trip to the Gili Islands, I would happily say that it was meeting a couple from New Zealand and hanging out with them for three of the four days, sipping mojitos, listening to local Rastafarians playing cover songs. - versions of Pink Floyd on their sandy acoustic guitars, snorkeling at dusk, when we swam out to the depths of the corals and looked for wild turtles that were gnawing on delicious coral.
Movement: There are no cars here, so you will walk everywhere. If you are in a hurry (but why should you be in a hurry?), stop the donkey cart.
4. BeachpartyonBali: Kuta
For many, Kuta is Bali; for others, Kuta is tourism, and from the worst ego side.
Despite what you might think, tourism in Bali is concentrated in Kuta, which has helped put surfing on the map in Asia. And no wonder, amazing waves, and thousands of tourists walking along the legendary white sand of Kuta every day, get lost in surfing, plastic flexible chairs, sunsets.
People who like to share high-end shops bordering shops on streets crowded with people and cars will leave Kuta immediately. Everyone else will be able to enjoy a change from the stifling city norms.
If Kuta is too active a place for you, try Lijin. If that still doesn't suit you, head north to Seminyak, a quieter and less congested destination than Kuta, also home to the excellent Indian restaurant Queen's Tandoor.
Considering the large number of tourists in Kuta, the prices here are appropriate. We spent one night at the Bali Bungalo, a quiet, relatively cheap ($50 per night) hotel with no-frills rooms, terrible air conditioning and a block access to the beach. General services such as scooter rentals or catering are also available here. Regarding food: visiting the Kuta night market, you can find the cheapest nasi goreng in the city.
Movement: short distances: walk along the beach, especially around sunset, for longer distances rent a bike, scooter rentals are more practical - as little as $5 per day and can include surfboard rentals for trips along the coast.
5. Temple on the Rock: Ulu Vatu
From the frenetic mania of Kuta to the lush splendor of Ulu Watu, this is where Indonesia ends. This south-east coast of Bali is particularly attractive and its high cliffs - most with steep drop-offs to popular creeks - separate it from its big brothers to the north.
Here life moves at different speeds. It's okay if you get up at 11 o'clock in your Pink Coco Bali bungalow and don't leave its tempting pool until 2 o'clock. Hop on your scooter for an afternoon surf at Padang Padang Beach - admiring the beauty of the humble Hindu temple on your way to the beach.
After a light snack and a cold Bintang at Padang Padang, head to the Ulu Watu Temple - Pura Lahur Ulu Watu - at sunset. Pay the entrance fee, put on a sarong (provided and required at the temples in Bali) and head to the next ticket office near the rocks. With this ticket you will have access to the nightly Ketsak dance ceremony (sunset, 365 days a year), filled with theatrical scenes and cultural and historical significance.
The temple is an important site for Indonesian Hindus and also makes for wonderful photo opportunities, as the Indian Ocean and sunset provide a theatrical, frequently changing backdrop.
Island expectations from Indonesia
Yogyakarta, Java: Adisucipto International Airport allows travelers to completely avoid Indonesia's crazy capital, Jakarta. Most flights from the US connect to Indonesia via Singapore or Kuala Lumpur, and both of these cities have direct flights to Yogyakarta - recommended unless you're flying to Yogyakarta for work.
Ubud, Bali: In Java, travelers on a budget can choose extreme hiking-friendly bus-boat-bus tours from Jagyakarta to Ubud. People on a larger budget can pay less than $50 for a Yogyakarta-Denpasar (Bali) flight, while others can pay $15-$25 for a taxi to Ubud.
Gili Islands: A variety of companies throughout the area offer boat services from Lombok to the Gili Islands. Find and buy a package for yourself at the right price and with the appropriate schedule. The hour-long crossing from Ubud to the port city of Padang Bai is easy, even on a crowded bus with faulty air conditioning. The boat from Padang Bai to the Gili Islands, via Lombok, is a beautiful journey with frequent changes in direction. Ask the boat staff if you can sit higher to get more fresh air, sun and sudden splashes of salt water.
Kuta, Bali: if you are coming from Gili Trawangan, take a boat via Padang Bai (3 hours from Kut) or Sanur (30 minutes from Kut). Kuta also lies less than half an hour from Ngurah Rai International Airport, or Denpasar, the only airport on the island and the second most visited airport in Indonesia.
Ulu Watu, Bali: There are plenty of cheap shuttles and even cheaper public buses from Kuta, most of which stop at Ulu Watu (ask the driver). For those who like to travel on two wheels, it's possible to rent a scooter in Kuta and ride it - just avoid the post-ceremony traffic jams in the northern part (towards Kuta) unless you're brave enough.
RicardoBaka, The Denver Post
We came here to celebrate the New Year, so that we could celebrate it with the people! Lots of fireworks, fun, catchy music playing right on the street, everything is very lively. But everyone around was stoned, 18-year-old boys/girls were lying right on the sidewalks, pickpockets were pulling out phones. A kind of variety, look at the vibrant nightlife. But we don’t use any chemical doping, and it was a little unpleasant for us to observe the frenzy among young people, mostly Australians; alcohol didn’t help :). Prices in the cafe are a little cheaper than many places on the island, competition is doing its job.
If you go to discos, then you need to walk along the Jalan Raya Legian street at 9 o'clock and collect flyers, all of which are offered, somewhere they give free drinks, in several clubs they generally serve beer for free from 21-22.
While on the territory of Indonesia, it is not difficult to learn a few words in Indonesian, which is very simple, they are written in Latin, and there are no peculiarities in pronunciation:Terimakasih (terimakasi) - thank you,Halo - hello,Raya - bigPuspa - flower, etc. And when speaking basic words in their language, you will always be greeted by the enthusiastic faces of the local residents, even though they all know English from top to bottom. We had a very basic phrase book on our phone to translate frequently repeated texts.
On January 1, we decided to go to at least one famous temple, the choice fell on Pura Uluwatu, otherwise we were all just passing through. Small and small temples are everywhere, because of this, the strong desire to see the large ones quickly subsided, because you are constantly in their faith and feel it due to the fact that there are offerings everywhere, music is playing, on the radio several times a day. All stations sing prayers in a guttural voice; in the mornings there are processions in national costumes on the streets. We went to the Pura Uluwatu temple - this is a very small temple above a steep, picturesque high cliff. I forgot the prices, but something like: entry to the territory by transport 5,000; sarong rental 40,000/person; entrance to the territory 20,000/person. We already refused to pay the last one, and went through as if nothing had happened, no one caught up with us. Monkeys live in the forest. We arrived in the rain and after it stopped it became extremely stuffy. The sarongs were made of windproof fabric, in the end I had to take it off, then they were pouring themselves incessantly, one of our tourists broke away and went into the car under the air conditioning, because he was not far from fainting. BUT! The view of the temple is worth all the torment! Awesome! A high rock, waves crashing against it, somewhere in the distance you can see a small temple that you can approach, but you cannot enter the territory. A very inspiring sight!
directions
Where to go in Indonesia
How to get there: by bemo (minibuses) from Denpasar, by tourist shuttle from the airport, Ubud, Kuta, Candidasa, Padang Bai, Ameda, Lovina, Kintamani and Bedugul, by boat from Lembongan Island, by boat plus shuttle from Lombok and Gili islands.
Photo credit: Tanya, Flickr
Southwestern coast of Bali
The southwestern part of the coast is especially popular with surfers and those just getting on the board. Kuta is the largest and most popular beach in the region; further along the coast beyond Kuta are the resort villages of Legian and Seminyak, with calmer and more respectable surf beaches and a developed entertainment infrastructure.
Further west along the coast are the less touristy surf regions and Tanah Lot - with small surf beaches and excellent surf spots, rice terraces and fishing villages. Already quite far from Kuta on the west coast is Medevi Beach.
Photo credit: globetrekimages, Flickr
Photo credit: jean-marc rosseels, Flickr
Kuta, Lombok Island
With sandy white beaches, picturesque hills, tiny idyllic coves and big waves, the large Kuta Beach in the south is undoubtedly one of the most picturesque beach regions in Indonesia. Kuta is a favorite place for surfers in Lombok; it is here that surfing fans who are tired of the crowds usually run away, and it is thanks to Kuta that Lombok is called “non-tourist Bali”.
There is a housing format in Kuta for every taste - from stylish villas to simple bungalows and homestays, and prices are disproportionately lower than in Balinese. The atmosphere in Kuta is lazy, relaxed and very authentic.
Where to live: hotels, bungalows and homestays in Kuta
How to get there: from the airport and ports by taxi or hotel transfers; from the island of Bali - by high-speed boats with transfer to Kuta.
Photo credit: Alberto Bizzini, Flickr
Gili Islands
Near Lombok, and Gili Memo, each of which can be walked around in a couple of hours - just a paradise for lazy people. The cult of relaxation reigns here, everything is subordinated to it.
Carts pulled by small horses run along the only road of the largest and most popular of the three (there are no vehicles on the island), in every restaurant or bar you will be offered beds, watermelon cocktails and delicious food, and in tiny roadside cafes - magic mushrooms. The beaches on the Gili Islands are amazingly white, and the water has a magical turquoise tint. It is so beautiful, good and lazy here that it takes enormous willpower to leave these heavenly places.
Photo credit: Natalia Andersson, loveYouPlanet
Lembongan Island
Located off the southeast coast, the small island of Lembongan (Nusa Lembongan) is a great place if you suddenly want to escape the noisy and crowded southern beaches of Bali. The beaches here are snow-white, the water is emerald, the atmosphere is lazy and very authentic. Lembongan is deservedly considered one of the best diving spots in Indonesia, and there are also several surf spots on the island. There are two more islands near Lembongan - tiny Nusa Ceningan, connected to Lembongan by a bridge, and large non-tourist Nusa Penida, which can be reached by regular boats.
The main format of housing on the island is bungalows of varying levels of comfort and prices and so-called beach huts - beach houses.
Photo credit: Jayan Vidanapathirana, FlickrTo find accommodation on Lembongan Island: Bungalows and beach houses
How to get there: by boat from Sanur, shuttle plus boat from Kuta and Ubud.
Amed, Bali island
Amed – This fairly remote beach on the eastern side is a favorite spot for divers and backpackers. The eastern coast of Bali is washed by the sea, there are no huge waves and underwater currents are not as strong as in the southern part of the island, washed by ocean waves.
Black sand, a picturesque view of the formidable Agugng volcano, a magnificent underwater world, excellent infrastructure for diving and snorkeling, a large selection of accommodation and, most importantly, a special relaxing atmosphere distinguish Amed from the noisy party southern beaches of the southwestern part of Bali.
To find accommodation on Amed beach: dive hotels, villas, hotels and guest houses
How to get there: by tourist shuttle from the airport, Ubud, Sanur, Candidasa, Padang Bai and Lovina.Bali Photo credit: Andy Troy, Flickr
Photo credit: Ahmad Syukaery, Flickr
Togean Islands
The Togean Islands are located off northeastern Sulawesi in the Tamini Sea. The archipelago consists of 3 large and several dozen small islands, on some of which you can find dive resorts with simple infrastructure or ascetic wooden bungalows. These places are idyllic, but at the same time difficult to access and undeveloped, which, by the way, is only a plus for many divers and adventurers)
Photo credit: Alida Szabo, Flickr
Derawan and Maratua
The scattering of coral islands nearby is considered one of the world's best diving and snorkeling destinations. Near the most inhabited island of Derawan there is a large Maratua atoll and several other tiny coral islands - atolls, most of which are uninhabited. The entire group of islands in the Derawan area is often called the Derawan Islands, although technically the islands are part of the Sangalaki archipelago.
The islands are surrounded by massive coral reefs, where you can often see huge turtles that have chosen the sandy beaches of the islands. The format of accommodation on the islands ranges from simpler bungalows to luxury villas on small atoll islands.
Where to stay on the islands: Derawan Dive Lodge, Maratua atoll
How to get there: by plane from Balikpapan to Berau (BEJ), by taxi from the airport to the pier and by regular boat to Tanjung Batu (in the direction of Tarakn) or by taxi from the airport to Tanjung Batu (about 4 hours, look for at the airport of fellow travelers), from Tanjung Batu on a rented speedboat to Derawan. An airport is planned to open on the island of Maratua at the end of 2016. , check the information that is current at the time of travel.
Photo credit: Ferran Altimiras, Flickr Photo credit: Aning Jati, Flickr
Raja Ampat Islands
The Raja Ampat Islands, located near Papua, are a scattering of tiny karst islands with blue lagoons and coral reefs. Waigeo Island is the only large island of the archipelago on which the main infrastructure is concentrated - here you can find very nice eco-resorts with simple wooden bungalows, dive resorts with more comfortable cottages and a brand new budget hostel.
In addition to diving, there are a lot of other eco-friendly activities here - trekking on Waigeo Island, boat trips between the islands, kayaking and fishing.
Where to live: Raja Ampat
How to get there: by plane to Sorong, from there by boat to Waigeo.
Photo credit: Setiono Joko Purwanto, Flickr
Photo credit: Fajar Nurdiansyah, Flickr
Karimunjawa Islands
The Karimunjawa Islands are an archipelago of 27 islands located 90 km off the northern coast in the Java Sea. This is the place for those looking for an island paradise unspoilt by tourists. The beaches here are white sand, the sea is calm, the corals and reefs are beautiful, the accommodation is varied, the people are friendly, and the seafood is cheap. The main tourist infrastructure is located on the largest island of the archipelago. Ways to spend time include motorbike trips, trekking, boat trips, fishing, snorkeling and diving.
Where to live in Karimunjawa: hotels, bungalows, homestays
How to get there: by plane to Dewandaru Airport from Surabaya and Semarang; by ferry from Jepara (about 5 hours) or by high-speed ferry from Jepara (about 2 hours), to/from Jepara port by pedicabs to the bus station, from where buses run to Semarang, Surabaya, Yogyakarta and Jakarta. Check the current ferry schedules in advance when booking a hotel; tickets can be purchased through travel agencies in Semarang, Surabaya and Yogyakarta or on the spot before departure.
Photo credit: David Robbins, Flickr
A trip to Indonesia can be as diverse as possible: there are temples, national parks, several volcanoes, and paradise beaches where you can watch turtles or learn to surf. Anastasia Zadorozhnaya– a Belarusian woman who coordinates exchange programs in Warsaw, is interested in film, travels, practices creating interesting routes, and for 34travel shares her recipe for a two-week trip to Indonesia.
Why Indonesia?
Honestly? Accidentally. I’m ashamed to admit, but before traveling to Indonesia, I didn’t know exactly where in Southeast Asia it was located, and Bali seemed almost like a mythical island-state. But somehow, on the Internet, promotions appeared on flights to Asia from Qatar Airways - and I love promotions - and, after studying possible destinations, I chose Indonesia (I’ll say right away that the choice was very successful!). An additional bonus is that if you travel as a tourist for up to 30 days, you do not need a visa to Indonesia.
How to get there?
The fastest way is by plane with at least one transfer. In terms of price, the ticket is a little more expensive than, for example, in, but from time to time you can catch discounts - so at the Qatar Airways sale we snagged a ticket from Warsaw to Jakarta and back for $360, when the regular price was about $560.
When to go
For most of the country, the dry season lasts from April to October, although many tourists come to Bali in winter - the rainy season is not very critical here, because... High humidity with slight fluctuations persists on the island all year round. We were in Indonesia in the first half of October and got caught in tropical rain twice (the feeling was unforgettable).
Food
You shouldn't expect culinary delights from Indonesia (with the exception of Bali). The main national dishes that we came across in Java are nasi goreng (fried rice), mie goreng (fried noodles) and soto ayam - chicken noodle soup. In Java, we ate mainly in local eateries, before ordering we carefully pretended on our fingers that we would inform ourselves of the pepper in the soup. By the way, in Indonesia, coffee lovers can try one of the most expensive coffees in the world - kopi luwak, known for its specific method of processing luwak animals in the body. Apparently, the connoisseurs among us are worthless, because it seemed to us to taste like ordinary diluted coffee.
Bali is full of cafes with a variety of food - I advise you to try meat skewers sate with nut sauce and load up on fruit. And on Gili, you should definitely enjoy a dinner of fresh seafood on the seashore, which will be grilled in front of you.
Housing
We reserved overnight accommodations in advance, since the trip schedule was very tight. In Java, places to sleep (fingers refuse to type “hotels”) are easier to find among locals through Google/blogs; in Bali or Gili, many options are available through Booking and Airbnb.
Route
I can’t count how many blogs I re-read and suffered when I had to cross out this or that place or island from my itinerary. Indonesia is home to an abundance of beautiful and unique locations, so it was not easy to choose the best ones. In the end, a plan emerged that was 95% successful.
Day 1-3. Yogyakarta and surroundings
Overnight: 3 nights in a hostel Luwabica art"n coffee house (Jl. Pugeran Timur No. 594, Mantrijeron) , run by Polish woman Emilia, the creator of a popular Polish travel blog about Indonesia. Costs around IDR 195,000 for two per night with breakfast. We also rented a brand new scooter through her for IDR 70,000 per day.
We flew to Jakarta, but due to limited vacation and not particularly enthusiastic reviews of the capital, we decided not to waste time and immediately transferred to the next Lion Air plane to Yogyakarta (the ticket was purchased in advance) - the cultural capital of Indonesia. We left one day for the city itself and one for its surroundings.
In the city I recommend:
Be sure to see the Taman Sari water palace with an underground mosque. Although I am against any excursions, here I advise you to hire a guide at the entrance, who, for a tip, will take you throughout the entire territory of the palace and in reasonable English will tell you where the Sultan watched his wives in the pool on hot days and how exactly he chose the one who would spend with him. it's evening.
For those who are in Asia for the first time, take a ride in an open auto-rickshaw, where you sit in front of the driver. It's cool, especially when you almost fly out of your seat!
Take a walk along the bustling Malioboro shopping street, try Indonesian soto ayam soup at a local cafe and go to Batik Art Center Students (Jalan Pajeksan, Cokrodipuran No.18) , where you can view and buy batik works by students and masters.
But most of all tourists are attracted not by the city, but by its surroundings, where two famous temple complexes are located - Buddhist Borobudur and Hindu Prambanan. Since we wanted to kill two birds with one stone in one day, at 5 am we were already racing on a scooter towards Borobudur (the plan was to arrive at the temple at dawn, but something went wrong). Closer to the temple, the road is very picturesque - I still have a picture in my head of endless rice fields along the road against the background of the Merapi volcano in the bluish dawn haze.
Not far from the entrance, we park the scooter for IDR 5000, have breakfast in a nearby cafe (where there were 2 menus: one with more European dishes and the second with local ones) and go get tickets. And here everyone is faced with injustice: a ticket for foreigners costs 15 times more than for locals, namely $25 (for students $10). If you plan to see two temples, like we did, you can buy a common ticket for $40, valid for two days from the date of purchase. Also at the entrance, for about $8 (IDR 100,000), you can hire a guide who will tell you in more detail the history of the complex and its significance. The atmosphere of the temple and the stunning scenery of the surrounding area more than compensate for the early rise - I highly recommend coming here at dawn. There may be crowds of tourists and Indonesian schoolchildren around, eager to take photos with you and practice English, but in the morning light the temple evokes a magical feeling of harmony and peace.
Slightly enlightened and tired from the long walk, we mount our scooter again and an hour later we find ourselves at the entrance to another temple complex - Prambanan, dedicated to the three main Hindu deities - Brahma, Vishna and Shiva. Some of the temples are ruins due to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. You can also hire a guide at the entrance - or read about this place in advance to roughly understand which temple belongs to what. Compared to Borobudur, Prambanan is a little inferior, but still worth a visit.
After so much spiritual food, we return to the hostel and pack our backpacks to set out in the morning towards the national parks in southern Java.
Day 4-6. Volcano on a volcano
Further our route lies towards the island. Bali via national Bromo Tengger Semeru Park and blue lights of the volcano.
Through our hostel owner Emilia, we reserved a tour for 3 days and 2 nights for approximately IDR 650,000 per person. This route can be organized independently by trains and tuk-tuks - it will be a little cheaper, but you either need to have a day in reserve, or walk around Bromo volcano for only a couple of hours, otherwise you will not have time for the train towards Ijen. At first we planned to organize everything ourselves as working travelers, but when we realized that we didn’t have much time left, and a couple of hours near Bromo was not enough for us, we decided not to risk it.
So, at 8 am we get to the station, where an 8.5-hour journey to the city of Probolinggo awaits us. The Indonesian train is reminiscent of an electric train, where the reality turned out to be much more pleasant than expectations: air conditioning, clean toilets, and a reserved seat - and this is in economy class!
At the Probolinggo station, we immediately transfer to a bus to our destination - the village of Cemoro Lawang on the edge of the caldera (volcanic basin). When entering the village, everyone is charged IDR 10,000 (less than a dollar). One guy refused to pay extra, but in the pitch darkness among volcanoes the concept of “all inclusive” does not exist - pay or disembark. Everyone paid, after which we were taken to bed. And here it doesn’t matter how many stars your “hotel” has - at night it will be equally cold in each one, so get ready to wear everything you have.
“In the pitch darkness among volcanoes, the concept of “all inclusive” does not exist”
People make a long journey here for the sake of two things – to watch the sunrise with a view of the valley of volcanoes and to walk along the crater of the active volcano Bromo. Dawn is first on the agenda, so after a short nap at 3 am we are already vigorously marching along the path with flashlights and a map. You can walk to the Penanjakan observation deck in an hour or travel by jeep for an additional fee, but the last part of the journey up the mountain will have to be covered on your own two feet. The road itself is not difficult - however, due to my physical unpreparedness, I already crawled the last meters. On the site itself you will have to scramble to find a good place, and then all you can do is wait for the first rays of the sun to break through the horizon. Without further ado – the best sunrise of my life.
Then you can either go up to the second observation deck (where there will be many times fewer people), or go down and through the lava field approach the Bromo volcano. Unfortunately, we were not able to walk around the crater, because... the volcano puffed slightly with poisonous gases. But if you have such an opportunity, remember - at the entrance to the park you will be asked to pay a rather large payment of IDR 300,000, but near the Cemoro Indah hotel there is a path along which you can go to the territory bypassing the ticket office (although the “No Trespassing” sign is still there There is).
“We weren’t able to take a walk around the crater, because... the volcano was slightly puffing poisonous gases"
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At 10 a.m. we pack into a minivan and set off towards the next location – the Ijen volcano. After a practically sleepless night, the 9-hour journey is difficult, but the amazing views outside the window make the journey easier and remind us that a new adventure awaits us at night.
Around 7 pm we already arrive in a town whose name even Google does not show, and check into our modest room at Catimore Homestay. It’s quite good for a few hours of sleep, and there’s a bar nearby where we had dinner. At one o'clock in the morning we again climbed into our own minivan, which took us to the foot of the Ijen volcano.
Rather, it is not even a volcano, but a complex of a dozen volcanic objects located around the caldera, where an extraordinary natural phenomenon occurs, for which I was ready to stay awake - blue lights, which are the result of the interaction of hot sulfur dioxide and oxygen. To see them, you first need to climb up for about an hour, and then go down to the bottom of the crater for half an hour. The first part of the climb is quite steep - you will need sneakers and a companion to pull you up. Then the road levels out, and on the descent into the crater there is a sign “No Trespassing”, which does not stop anyone.
The closer to the bottom, the brighter the lights are visible - they are really blue! Sulfur is also mined at the bottom, so at the start everyone received their own mask from the guide. The sulfur gases on Ijen are dangerous, and I had the feeling that there were very, very many boiled eggs that were not the freshest freshness around me. But sulfur is really insidious - its smell does not disappear immediately, it haunted us even after returning home.
At dawn, the outlines of one of the world's largest sulfur lakes, which is located in the same crater - Kawakh, also appear. The water in the lake has a stunning turquoise color due to its high acidity and concentration of metals, and its temperature varies from 60 degrees near the shore to 200 at the bottom. For the curious: you can touch the water. And near the shores of the acid lake, local residents are engaged in the extraction of sulfur, which condenses from the vapor.
Having walked around the crater to our heart's content, after a few hours we get out of it and go down to the minibus. And everything that was hidden by pitch darkness at night is revealed to the eyes - namely, volcanoes, mountains and hills in lush greenery. The spectacle is amazing! Picking up our jaws every minute, we finally go down and for the last time load into the minivan, which drops us off at the port of Ketapang, from where the ferry to Bali runs every 20 minutes. After paying IDR 6,000 per person for a ticket, we jump on a ferry full of Indonesians and within 2 hours we set foot on Balinese soil.
The first impressions of Bali were formed immediately upon leaving the pier, when Indonesians began to run up to us and vying with each other to persistently invite us into their minibuses - but transport to the city we needed, Denpasar, found us on its own. Wikitravel insisted that in Bali you can bargain for a price almost 2 times lower than the original one, but no matter how many times we tried, we managed to save a few thousand rupees at most. Either the tourists have already spoiled the Balinese, or we are not so hot as traders. For IDR 45,000 instead of 50,000, a four-hour jolt to Denpasar awaited us, so after having a snack at the Warung Papet rica-rica cafe near the bus station (by the way, they had the best nasi goreng of our entire stay in the country), we loaded into the minibus and by evening were finally able to take a horizontal position at Nakula Familiar Inn ( Jln Nakula Nomor No.4, Dauh Puri Kaja, North Denpasar).
Day 7-8. Swim on Gili Air
It seems that it was already possible to relax here, sipping a cocktail overlooking the ocean, but having read that Bali does not abound in beaches with white sand and blue water for swimming, even in advance I frantically Googled where to find paradise on the island. And she found it, but not in Bali, but nearby, on the small Gili Islands. There are only three of them: Gili Trawangan - party, Gili Meno - for lovers and Gili Air - something in between the two and just for us. But it wasn’t even the paradise beaches that convinced us, but the opportunity to see turtles right in the coastal waters of the islands.
We only had a day on the island, so I was looking for a transfer option with the earliest departure and latest return - I found one on easygili.com (we also reserved it in advance). The transfer Denpasar (Bali) – Gili Air – Kuta (Bali) cost IRD 500,000 per person, and we reserved our bamboo bungalow through Airbnb for $35 with breakfast. On site it turned out that our host has his own boat on which he takes guests to snorkel and look for turtles, so we immediately signed up for the next morning, after which we went to check whether the beaches were really so heavenly. The Internet didn't lie! You can walk around the island in a couple of hours, stopping along the way at bars and restaurants to taste freshly prepared seafood... What a paradise! There are no cars or police on the island itself, but there are legal hallucinogenic mushrooms.
The next morning, the host took us and the guests on a boat away from the shore, where we swam, dived and, most importantly, saw turtles in their natural environment. After several hours in the water, we moored to the shore, grabbed our things and rushed to our boat in Bali.
“There are no cars or police on the island itself, but there are legal hallucinogenic mushrooms.”
Day 9-14. Bali
Bali, although a small island, is full of diversity. If you want to walk along the volcanic beaches and watch the sunrise in the sea with dolphins, head to the north; if you want to go diving, go to the east, in the west there are many surf schools, in the south there is the main party, and in the center you will find the Agung volcano, many temples and Ubud with vegan cafes and yoga classes.
We decided to devote the first three days to surfing, so we reserved in advance Legian Village Hotel (Jl. Padma, Legian, Kuta, Kabupaten Badung) and signed up for surfing lessons at the Russian school Surf Season. For three days of classes, which began at 7-8 in the morning, we managed to get up on the board, and I personally was also exhausted to such an extent that all plans for an active exploration of the surrounding area (in particular, the famous temples of Uluwatu and Tanah Lot) collapsed under the pressure fatigue. After each lesson, I steadily drifted off to sleep and no temples or beaches could tempt me. But surfing is something that you definitely need to try in Bali, so you can either enroll in a Russian school (a more expensive option), or find Indonesians on the shore who rent out boards and at least explain in English what to do with it ( will be cheaper, but less effective).
If surfing doesn’t interest you, it’s better not to stay in Kuta. The city is full of tourists, so most local traders will charge double prices for goods and try to fool you in various ways. We ourselves found ourselves in the same situation - on the last evening in Kuta we decided to change money not at an authorized point, but at one of the shops that offer more favorable rates, although we sensed that there was a catch somewhere. The scheme is this: there are two guys at the counter, one of whom counts rupees for you and after each count of yours insists that he must count the money again, and the second talks to you. After several such recounts, you no longer remember who was the last to hold the pack in his hand and you quickly get out of there. We returned to the hotel with our rupees, counted them - and there was a million missing (okay, not dollars). At the reception they explained to us that the exchanger, when counting with his fingers, swipes a dozen bills for himself. The hotel security guard and his fellow policeman volunteered to help us, although we were sure that our money changers had immediately closed their shop and left. As it turned out, no - a short conversation between our saviors and the scammers led to us returning the rupees we had received earlier, and without asking questions they gave us dollars, which we exchanged at the official point, and then we walked along the ocean for a long time and digested this incident.
The next morning we left Kuta with relief and took a local bus to Ubud, where we spent our last days in Ojek's Homestay (Jl. Raya Ubud Gg. Soka No. 4 Br. Taman Kelod) , riding around the area on a scooter rented for 50,000 IDR per day. At the surf school they convinced us not to go to Ubud - for them, as ocean lovers, it was not clear what you could do in the depths of the island other than “look for the third eye,” and the well-known film “Eat, Pray, Love” greatly promoted this place. But, riding alone through local villages, forests, and rice fields, we did not regret our choice at all. There are many interesting locations in Ubud and its surroundings - we managed to visit the following places, which we strongly recommend.
The Legong and Barong Dance– traditional Balinese dances. We went to a performance at the Royal Palace - quite unusual, but interesting. The entrance ticket cost IDR 100,000.
Campuhan Ridge Walk– a trail with scenic views that takes you to Carsa Spa – the best spa I’ve ever had! It is better to go for a walk early and reserve the spa in advance.
Monkey Forest– a tropical forest where monkeys roam freely. Remember that although the monkeys are calm towards tourists, they are quite unceremonious and treacherous, so it is better to keep your bag zipped with you and hide your glasses and jewelry. It is better to stock up on bananas for feeding in advance so as not to overpay on the spot. Entrance IDR 50,000.
Pura Tirta Empul– Hindu temple with famous holy springs. First, it’s better to walk around the temple grounds (which are very beautiful!), and then take a dip in the springs - wet people are not allowed into the temple. I advise you to read in advance how to properly perform the ritual of ablution and what to pay attention to. It is believed that the water in the temple is holy and has the power of healing, but even if you don’t feel anything, you will definitely be invigorated by its coolness. Entrance: IDR 15,000.
Pura Kehen– we arrived here in the evening, so what I remember most about it was its sparse crowds. We only met a couple of tourists. The temple is located away from the main routes and is not very popular - this is what attracted us. The temple itself is ancient, and the huge banyan tree on its territory gives it a special atmosphere. Entrance 15,000 IDR.
Tegallalang Rice Terraces, which we only reached on the day of departure. A taxi to the airport was booked for 8am, so we had to leave for the terraces before 5am. The only thought that was somehow invigorating this early was the shame and disgrace of visiting Bali and not seeing the rice terraces. At that time there was practically no one there, and the sun had not yet risen high, so we fully enjoyed the beauty. Still, getting up early in Bali really pays off. Admission is free, although when we wanted to go down to the lower levels, our grandmother followed us, demanding donation. We were already running out of time, so we decided to stay upstairs.