We left Shanghai and headed for Indonesia; first stop Bali. Bali is an island in Indonesia and also one of Indonesia’s 38 provinces. It is the only Hindu-majority province in the majority Muslim country. Indonesia is, in fact, the country with the largest Muslim population in the entire world (though most don’t live on Bali).
Luckily we had exit row seats because the 7-hour plane ride from Shanghai was a long and uncomfortable one, so the extra leg room really helped. We’d gotten used to traveling on the Chinese trains which were quite roomy in comparison to an economy flight seat.
We were all too happy to get off the plane and to our surprise and delight, the entry process at the airport was a breeze. We’d completed our e-Visa and digital entry card prior to arrival, so were able to skip the long visa on arrival line. Customs and baggage claim went smoothly as well and soon we were strolling out into the hot and humid evening.
Phil had already secured a ride to our hotel and once we found our driver amidst the sea of other drivers, we made our way to his van, cranked the AC and settled in for the hour ride to our hotel. Our driver, Kris, was a smiley and talkative Balinese man who has been a driver for 32 years. He learned English on the job and did a really funny (Californian) American accent impression for us.
We arrived at the beautiful Purana Boutique hotel where we settled in, changed clothes, and headed downstairs for a lovely candlelight dinner that Phil had arranged for us.
We started with an amuse bouche. I was very tired from traveling all day, so I don’t remember the name of all of the delicious dishes we had, but the amuse bouche was basically a fish stick in sweet and sour sauce, in the best way.
Phil started with a Balinese fish stew, sup ikan, and I had a traditional salad, urab sayur, vegetables and shredded coconut. Side note, if you really like coconut, you are going to really enjoy Balinese and Indonesian cuisine at large. I happen to love coconut and am here for all of it.
For our entrees, we each had duck. I had the crispy duck and Phil enjoyed the smoked duck. I had so much duck in China, I’m surprised I was so excited about having it again in Bali, but [in addition to coconut] I really like duck. The duck was served with chicken satay, rice, mixed vegetables, and a side of sambal, a spicy Indonesian staple that frequently accompanies dishes. Often looking more like a salsa, this one was chunkier, but still quite spicy. Sambal is made up primarily of chili peppers with additional ingredients of onion, shallots, tomatoes, shrimp paste, and other fermented sauces.
After all that travel and food, we called in an early night, eager to enjoy more of our new location the next day.
We started the day with a delicious breakfast. The hotel offered several choices, both traditional, western breakfasts and Indonesian alike, along with juice and coffee. They also offered the choice of taking breakfast in our room or their restaurant. We decided to eat in the restaurant since we’d slept in and the sun was rather bright and hot on our balcony by the time we were ready to eat.
Phil and I chose a traditional Indonesian breakfast of nasi goreng, which is fried rice with an egg on top. It was served with a chicken satay and puffy little fishy chips. If you’ve ever had munchos potato chips, they have a similar texture with a light, fish flavor. They were pretty darn good. Phil had fruit and I enjoyed fruit with yogurt. We both each also a dadar gulung, which are little green crepes flavored with pandan (which also makes them green) and filled with coconut and palm sugar. They are just a little sweet and the perfect way to end a breakfast. I didn’t know what pandan was but discovered it is a tropical plant used in cooking for its lightly sweet, vanilla-like flavor and green coloring (because it is very high in chlorophyll content).
In addition to the delicious breakfast the hotel offered yoga classes twice a week. Unfortunately, we were only staying 3 days, with none on a yoga day. I asked if I could borrow a yoga mat and they said certainly and I could even use the yoga shala that they conduct the classes in. Yes!
While in China, I had maintained a regular, morning stretch session. They varied in length depending on the space and what else we had going on. It was beneficial, given we were walking so much and my hips were often sore. It was not proper, full-on yoga to my liking. I don’t have the space to travel with a yoga mat, so being able to get down and spread out was a real dream. The space was lovely and shaded and had a fan. It felt very luxurious to be able to practice in such a lovely space during our time there.
After yoga, we took a dip in the pool. It was so nice to have a relaxed day with no real itinerary after our busy 60 days of non-stop action in China.
Our hotel ran a shuttle to Ubud’s city center every couple of hours from 10am-10:30pm. We weren’t interested in renting a motor bike, which is a very popular way to get around Ubud and Bali, in general. So, we hopped the 4pm shuttle into town for a bit of walking around, dinner, and supply gathering.
Ubud is busy. Like, really busy. It’s a relatively small area that grew substantially without the infrastructure to support it. The sidewalks are spotty and when they do exist, one has to watch where they’re going as periodically, there are crumbling spots and a wrong step could send you ankle-breaking into the sewer. Other times, you’re simply walking on the side of the road, hoping it’s a local passing you and not a tourist who is on day 1 of their rental motorbike in Ubud traffic. It’s also very hot and humid.
All of that’s not to say that Ubud doesn’t have a good vibe…it does. The locals make sure of that. They are such kind, and laid back people. It is, however, a very touristy town. It feels very much like a tourist town in Mexico or Central or South America; everyone is selling a lot of goods and services and their economy relies on you/other tourists buying it.
We chilled at the hotel most of the time we were in Ubud, venturing out to do a little shopping, get a foot massage, and for dinner. Again, China took a lot out of us and being in a place where folks spoke English and we could fully relax felt like such a luxury. Our big outing in Ubud during our 4 nights there was to watch a traditional, Balinese dance show at Ubud Palace.
On our third morning in Ubud, we shared a delicious breakfast on our balcony, packed up our stuff, and headed for the port. Our driver from the airport, Kris, drove us to one of two ports in Bali where one can catch a boat to the surrounding islands. We were Nusa Penida bound!
Next up: Nusa Penida, where the real relaxation began!
Jess Barrington Travels 