Bali

I was very excited about my first "real" trip to Bali.  Bali has an almost mythical reputation with tourists globally.  It seems to create an image for tourists that range for the tackiest holiday spots full of booze and backpackers, to spiritual yoga retreats, all the way through to the most unbelievable of luxury.  The last trip to Bali (which was the actual "first" trip) had been too short, a mere fly in and fly out for a wedding and I hadn't really been able to see enough of anything.  I had seen a beautiful beach, so good cafes and I had experienced some truly terrifying traffic.  This trip would give me the opportunity to look into this famous island in a far more in-depth way.

We had decided to split our trip in two.  The first part of our trip we would go North and stay in Ubud and for the second half we would go South and stay in Jimbaran (which would be closer to the wedding we were attending).  We arrived at the airport (which for a South East Asian airport, is in excellent condition and upkeep) and found our driver.  The drive up to Ubud took about an hour and a half, with traffic unsurprisingly causing us a bit of a nuisance.

What we found in Ubud was quite special.  Higher up in the forests of Bali, it feels intimate and protected.  The rainforests are lush and thick.  There are rivers and creeks running everywhere and so you can often here the sound of running water or waterfalls.  It does feel like a tropical, jungle paradise as you would have imagined it.

The town of Ubud itself is relatively modern and well kept.  The streets are tidy and there are countless restaurants and cafes which feel like they've been plucked out of Sydney.  My time in Ubud and Bali more generally was making me wonder whether the cafes I used to go to in Australia were really an "Australian" style or rather a "Balinese" style... or maybe there is such a strong interconnection between the two that there is a now melded culture that has now formed between the two.

We had also been lucky in our timing and arrived during a Hindu festival which meant that all the houses and businesses had been decorated with long and ornate bamboo pillars called "penjors".  Every street we drove down would have these penjors on lined up on both sides of the street.  It felt like every street had its own series of arches to welcome you as you went past.

Ubud is also the location of many of the rice paddies in Bali, so the drive in gave us spectacular scenes of these paddies full of life being worked by the locals.  It added to the authentic feel of this place which seems to captivating for visitors.

Back at the villa, Renee and I had our own private garden and pool.  She beamed as she saw everything and immediately sprawled out on the bed for a nap.

As she lay there and snoozed, still recovering from her jet lag, I went for a walk.  The grounds of the villa had a path that led all the way to the river below.  Down in that valley, the water surged past and I could hear a roar of a waterfall not too far away.  The feeling of nature was intense as I stood there by myself looking at the water.  It felt cool as the mist sprayed up and the roaring noise of the water was amplified by the walls of the small canyon.

Back at the villa, Renee was now fast asleep.  Normally I would wake her up to try and make sure she got over her jet lag, but since she was on holiday I thought it was best to let her sleep.  I pulled my computer out and started to do some work.  It was a peaceful place to be working, even if I would have preferred to do no work at all.

As night arrived, we headed into town for dinner.  A stroke of good fortune meant that Todd was actually in town as well.  He was staying in Ubud for a few days which meant we would be able to hang out for a bit.  We took the shuttle in and found a smiling Todd walking around the middle of town.

In town, in the light of the evening the penjors looked lovely.  They swayed and moved in the gentle evening breeze as though they were alive.  There was an almost magical feeling that they created, each looking down on us as those to offer some protection or coverage from above.  I could understand why people loved this place so much.