Put the lime in the coconut…. Gili Islands, Indonesia

Do you like beaches with powdery white sand and turquoise water? Do you like places with no cars? Do you like seclusion? Do you like dancing on the beach until dawn? ……… Then why are you not in the Gilis?? If you haven’t heard of this place you should look it up. It is a set of 3 tiny islands (you can bicycle around the largest one is less than an hour) off of Lombok where there are no cars, white sand, endless diving, snorkeling and beach parties and friendly locals just for good measure.

After a 6am pick-up by Wayan in Balangan, we arrived in the Gili Islands, Lombok just before lunch via the fast boats from Pandagbai, Bali. The fast boats are a pretty easy ride and only take about 1.15hrs, if the water isn’t too rough you can also enjoy the view riding on the roof which Kait, Clegger and I did. We had pre-booked our stay at D’Harbour hotel before we arrived and much to our delight the place looked even better than it did in photos. Our home for the next few days were gorgeous thatched roof bungalows set among gorgeous gardens conveniently located behind one of the islands hotspots for food and beach partying - which we absolutely took advantage of. It was a bit more costly than our usual places but at only $30/person/day we weren’t exactly breaking the bank.

Our home for a few days

After settling in and feasting on tacos in the D’Harbour bar (which the boys did on a few occasions since these tacos were so good) we headed immediately to the beach.  Although there is not much surfing on the island we did manage to find the one spot where they rent boards and there are some very VERY minor waves that you can surf for about 2 hours a day. This small beach bar where you rent the boards was run by some of the best Island locals I have ever met, they were the epitome of island life and just spent every day hanging out on the beach and surfing…they even showed off for us by surfing on their heads – no joke.

Amazing beach with Lombok in background

Jonny w/ his massive board... only way to catch these mini waves

Jonny and J.J headed out to catch a wave

Clegger making her way out for a surf

After a few hours of surfing and exploring the island we headed back to our bungalows to get ready and dine on the beach before heading to the islands best (and only) Reggae bar, Sama Sama, for the night’s party. We danced to reggae, partook in the local vodka and danced until well into the evening before we all started to fell asleep; ok well I pretty much fell asleep, so we headed home. The next day we rented bicycles and nursed the effects of the night before at the various secluded beaches around the island. That night we uncovered an amazing night food market just minutes down from our hotel so we took in some local favorites and the boys put down some fresh fish.

Investigating the fish before purchase

Checking out the local favs

Carts in the night market

After the night market we headed back to D’Harbour, who happened to be hosting the nights big party so we enjoyed some Bintangs and danced in the sand until before we knew it, it was 4:30am.

Beach party bonfire

Making some local friends

On our last day on the island we decided to take our rented bicycles on a cruise around the entire island to explore. After discovering an amazing beach bar at 11am …well beach hut with drinks is probably a better description, we decided to turn it into an island pub crawl as well. Over the course of the day we uncovered the islands most private beaches, homestays and bars, away from the backpacking masses, which just added to the magic of the Gilis. Our final stop for the day was a hidden spot on the north end of the islands for sunset.

One of the amazing hidden spots on the island

Cheers!....it's 12 o'clock somewhere

Sunset yoga poses

That night we had one more delicious dinner in the night market before heading back to D’harbour for some gentle Bintangs and a few hands of Shithead (our new fave card game). Next up 3 days on the Rinjani volcano in Lombok!

OOO_Talia and Jonny

Bukit Peninsula, Indonesia

After a few days in Can-Kuta we were ready for a change so we headed further south on the island of Bali to the Bukit Peninsula in search of serene beaches, more surfing, less people and less McDonalds. This is exactly what we found in our first stop and home for a few days, Balangan. Balangan, along with the rest of the beaches along the Bukit peninsula are some of the most amazing, paradise evoking spots I have ever seen. White sand and crystal water beaches concealed between huge bluffs at the end of long hidden roads that only a few venture down.

We stayed in in the Balangan Sea View Bungalows which sits on top of a hill overlooking Balangan beach. They certainly don’t call this place the Sea View for nothing, from our balcony we could watch the massive waves rolling in as well as the very experienced surfers catching them.

View from our balcony at Sea View

Since the beaches along the peninsula are quite spread out the best way to explore is by hiring scooters and head out on your own in search of paradise. It was pretty late in the day by the time we got settled into the Sea View and had a quick swim so we didn’t have time to explore other beaches that day but we decided to arrange for our scooters for the next anyways. We opted to get them for 24 hours so that we could use them for the night as well and after a late lunch we hoped on our new wheels and drove down to the Ulu Watu temple to watch the sunset.

In addition to being a really famous surf spot, not for the faint of heart surfer, Ulu Watu has a Hindu temple that people and tour buses come from all over Bali to see at sunset. The temple itself isn’t much to write home about compared to many other more ornate ones I have seen, but the setting of the temple is incredible. It sits on top of a massive cliff on a section that jets out over the ocean and because of its position on the island the sunsets here are one of a kind.  There is also a traditional Kecak Fire dance put on every night after sunset at the temple. Kait, J.J and Heather grabbed some tickets but since Jonny and I had already seen the show in Ubud we opted out and decided to wander around the temple a little more taking it all in, while dodging aggressive monkeys.  After the show the five of us rode off into the night, had some dinner at our hotel and went to bed after a few hands of cards – we needed some good rest for our totally to prepare for our epic beach day.





After a quick breakfast at the Sea View, a few Skype calls home, a quick lesson for Clegger on how to drive a scooter since she was going to have to drive her own today we headed out in search of BEACHES. We spent the day beach hoping along the coast on all the beaches we were able to find – here are a few highlights;

Padang, Padang: probably the best beach we have come across yet in Bali. If you blinked while driving by on the road you would miss it hidden down at the bottom of the hill. The beach itself is not much bigger than a suburban back yard. You have to walk about 5 mins down a staircase carved into a rocky cave to get there but once you pop out its nothing but powdering sand and turquoise water.

Ulu Watu: This is not technically a beach; it’s an incredible surf spot, only for experienced riders where you get out into the break by sliding into the water in a cave and paddling through. Like most other spots along the peninsula the entry spot is at the bottom of a cliff. We stopped here at had lunch at Blue Fin, a wicked spot on the edge of the cliff. We watched the surfers catch wave after wave, dreaming that one day we could be like them……highly unlikely.

Surfer catching a wave at Ulu Watu

View from Blue Fin restaurant

Bingin and Dreamland: After Ulu Watu we set out in search of Bingin beach, a supposedly white sandy beach with waves ok for a beginner surfer. We rode for a while following each sign we could find that said Bingin, each proving to be a dead end. After over an hour of searching we finally found what we believed to be the spot where you park your bikes to walk down to Bingin but after talking to the locals there they informed us that Bingin is a rocky beach and we would be better off at Dreamland. Back on the bikes for another 5 mins, a 5 min hike downhill and we found ourselves at beautiful Dreamland. For some reason I have no photos from dreamland so images courtsey of Google Images

Balangan: After a day filled with scooting, swimming and bronzing we headed back to our home beach to watch the sunset and the day’s surfers heading in with a couple of Bintangs from one of the thatched roof huts on Balangan beach.

Path down to the beach

Bintag after a hard day

Sunset in the beach hut

Jimbaran: Ok, so this beach is not actually on the Bukit Peninsula, it’s on the other side of the southern tip of the island and is filled with endless resorts. We didn’t go here for the beach we came here for the food. Every night Jimbaran beach is taken over by seafood restaurants that set up tables on the beach and serve massive (and overpriced) seafood dinners where you select your own fish. This was a treat only for the seafood lovers in the group. Jonny, J.J and Clegger indulged on a ridiculous sized seafood feast while Kait and I dined on chicken burgers - trust me this was not their strong suit. But after grabbing some fresh corn on the cob from a man with a BBQ on the beach, we all left satisfied

Team seafood enjoying thier dinner

After diner we headed back to Sea View where yet again we ran into people we knew from back in Canada, completely unexpectedly!

Random Canadians run in

Such a small world. Jonny and I had a couple of Bintangs with them before heading to bed to prepare for another 6am wake up call. Next stop Gili Islands!!!

OOO_Talia and Jonny

Can-Kuta, Indonesia

After a wonderful week in Ubud we were ready for the B.E.A.C.H so we headed down to South Bali hotspot, Seminyak, this is where all the beautiful people come to hang out, and home to many swanky resorts and hotels.  Lucky for us, after a little searching we were able to find a budget homestay for just $15/night in the main part of town and not too far from the beach.  Only problem was the pesky angry dog next door that we had to walk by each time we left, but he seemed to be sufficiently scared of Jonny and J.J.’s air karate kicks so we made it our safe and sound.

After a late dinner, Kait and I headed to the airport to pick up our friend Heather (Clegger as she is known to us) who was coming from Canada to join us for about 3 weeks. FINALLY REUNITED!! We celebrated our joyous reunion at the arrivals terminal of Denspar airport for a few minutes and then hopped in a cab back to meet the boys in Seminyak. While we were out at the airport the boys had apparently done some exploring and discovered an unreal bar called Santa Fe that featured and even more unreal rock cover band – Crazy Horse. These guys really knew how to rock out, even though the drummer could have been over 50. You would swear you were at a live Pearl Jam concern.  The 5 of us caught up there until late into the evening over Bintangs, a local Balinese beer, before heading to bed to get some rest before our big day of beaching-it.

Enjoying Bintangs and reunions

Day 2 in Seminyak was spent 100% totally on the beach, from morning all the way to sunset. We spent the day beating Clegger’s jetlag and catching up on all the bronzing that we missed while in India followed by a pretty tame evening of dinner near the beach.

How was your Monday??

Sunset in Seminyak

Next up we headed to Kuta Beach, one of the most famous beaches on Bali. This is where you find the massive clubs, fast food joints, surf shops and Aussie’s on spring break. This is why we dubbed the place Can-Kuta, because it is basically Cancun. A wonderful beach spot but basically void of any and all local culture. We decided to spend only a few days there to enjoy the beach and good surfing before venturing out to find more culturally attractive spots to spend our time.  

We checked ourselves into a fantastic little find called Suji’s Guesthouse where for just $35 a night (total not each) we got a private 3 bed villa, with hot water, breakfast, a pool and Wi-Fi mere minutes from the beach.  I highly recommend it if you find yourself in Kuta. We spent the day bronzing, surfing and shopping before we headed back to Suji’s just after sunset. Even though it is pretty void of any culture, one thing Kuta is not missing is wonderful beach and amazing sunsets.

Poolside at the Suji Guesthouse

At night we hit another delicious dinner spot called Un’s, there really seems to be no bad place to eat in all of Bali. It was at Un’s that we got our first taste of the local booze – Arak. We eased into the Arak with a round of Arak Margarita’s but as the night wrote on we stepped it up to Arak and soda’s all around.  As everyone knows what happens in Can-Kuta stays in Can-Kuta so I we will save the details for stories told later in life to embarrass each other, but the night included dancing, shots, absinth, pizza and shenanigans that would have made our 20-year old selves jealous.

Ladies before the night on the town

Starting into the Arak cocktails

Sunset on Kuta......where we nursed our hangovers

After a much needed sleep-in we nursed our hangovers on the beach. We surfed until evening where there was yet another sunset that would give a post card a run for its money. After a pool dip and showers we headed out to a real Italian pizza place we had pasted the night before. The place had just opened and was run by an Italian/Balinese couple. The pizza was amazing as was the company, we chatted for a long time with before being treated to a shot of Limoncello (Italian liquor often shared among friends). After dinner we tried to hit the strip again but no one was in much condition for round 2 so after stopping by the Kuta bombing memorial we headed back to play some cards (how old to we sound??) 

OOO_Talia and Jonny

A change of pace - Ubud, Bali

We landed in Bali, Indonesia a few days ago, after what seemed like endless travel (see blog on travelers Abyss) and made it through the visa process quickly and without incident.  We had pre-arranged to have a driver pick us up who is a good friend with my Aunt and Uncle. We met our driver and new friend Wayan out front, sign with our names in hand and big smile across his face. I don’t think we have met a person yet on our travels who smiles as much as Wayan. We made transport plans for the next couple days and chatted with him for the entire ride from Denspar airport to the town of Ubud, about a 1 hour journey.  

My Aunt had arranged for us to stay at friends of hers’ guesthouse, where she and my uncle stay every year.  They have been coming to Bali since the late ‘80’s after starting out as world travellers’ much like we are. Only they parlayed there trip around the world into about 10 years (maybe more) or travelling and working and then into a successful Balinese import and selling business in Canada. As part of this business they would make annual buying trips back to Bali for a few months during the low sales season in Canada.... aka winter. Rough business trip, I know……..not! Anyway, it was great to have our accommodations settled before we arrived. We are staying a Sadru’s guesthouse, a charming guesthouse nestled within a traditional Balinese family compound with amazing hospitality. The rooms are big, clean and comfortable; each with their own front patio and the attached restaurant has delicious and very affordable cuisine – a perfect place to relax and enjoy our new tropical surroundings.  Try the spinach dish and the chicken satay at the warung at the guest house….so delicious

Entrance to Sadru Guesthouse.... stay here!

Ubud is a peaceful town buried inland on Bali nestled amongst rice fields and luscious greenery.  Unlike South Bali, Ubud is considered the cultural hub of the tourist circuit where families, backpackers, honeymooners, etc. come to soak up Indonesian culture. If you look past the swanky villas, Starbucks and western style restaurants that dominate the streets of Ubud there is still some wonderful cultural experiences to be had, especially if you venture to the many artist villages within close range to Ubud.

Restaurant buried in the rice fields surrounding Ubud

Rice fields in the surrounding area

We spent our first few days in Ubud soaking up the scenery through various walks around the local area and a day trip with our new friend Wayan as well as taking in the culture. We caught 3 different types of local dance, Legong, Barong and Kecak, perused through the artist villages, took a walk through the local monkey sanctuary, and even stopped at a spice and coffee plantation to try some Luwak coffee; Luwak coffee is some of the world’s most expensive coffee and the lowest produced by volume. It is made almost exclusively made in Indonesia and has a very unique production method. The coffee berries are eaten by an Asian animal called a civet, the berries pass through the animal’s digestive tract where the berry exterior is broken down leaving only the coffee bean. The animal then excretes the beans and someone cleans them, boils them and then they are roasted and prepared for coffee. Soooooo yup it is poo coffee.

Monkey chilling in the sanctuary

Jonny trying the poo coffee

Barong dancing

Beginning of the Kecak dance

Kecak Dancing

We also indulged in some delicious meals at many of the great restaurants in Ubud, which are far too many to name.  Even though we absolutely loved all the Indian food while in India it was nice to have a little change….and to eat a salad for the first time in months.  While wandering the streets of Ubud after one of our delicious meals we actually ran into a friend of mine from back in Ottawa who was in Bali on his honeymoon with his gorgeous wife, who small world as it is knew Jonny! We chatted for a while and then made plans to grab dinner a few nights later and catch up more.

Our travel partners from earlier in the trip, Kait and J.J, where planning to meet us in Ubud on our fifth day there and we planned to spend another two days there together before heading town to the south where our best girlfriend from back home was going to join us for the rest of Indonesia. REUNIONNNNNN! We arranged for Kait and J.J to get picked up at the airport by Wayan and they arrived at the guesthouse around 9pm. They had just come from Kuala Lumpur, which is just an hour flight away so they were luckily not suffering from much traveller’s fatigue. We shared a few Bintang’s (local Indonesian beer) and caught up on the last few weeks of our respective trips. Kait and J.J, like us, are eager to jump into a place as soon as they arrive so we arranged to climb a nearby volcano, Mount Batur, for sunrise the very next morning. Since a the sunrise climb came with a 3am wake-up call we decided to keep our Bintang’s to just two rounds and hit the sack around 11:30am in order to get some sleep before the hike. At 3:01 we got a knock at the door from J.J saying our driver was here…..opps, guess we missed the alarm.

It was about an hour drive to the starting point and then another hour or so climb to the top of Mount Batur, but we made it all in time to catch an amazing fire-ry red sunrise come up over the villages and lake below Batur.  Unfortunately clouds obstructed some of our views of the crater but the amazing feeling of sunrise on top of a volcano more than made up for it. After a quick breakfast at the top of boiled eggs and croissants, provided by our man Wayan, we climbed back down and were back at the guesthouse napping by around 10am.  

Sun rising over Mount Batur

Coming down after the sunrise - sun shining on the lake

We made it!

That night was our dinner our honeymooning friends from Canada Matt and Becks, so the six of us feasted on a great dinner of Indonesia food and swamped stories over Bintang’s and Mojito’s until we literally closed the restaurant around 1230am, at which point we were all ready for bed.

We spent the last day in Ubud showing Kait and J.J around a little more until we split up – girls headed for shopping, boys headed for lunch at a crazy BBQ place Jonny and I had seen a few days before. We joined up back at the guesthouse around 3:30 where Jonny and I said goodbye to our amazing hosts at the guesthouse and our home for the past week. We arranged for Wayan to pick us up to take us down to Seminyak, in South Bali, where we plan to spend the next few nights, but more importantly to be reunited with Heather!!! On the way to Seminyak, Wayan took us to take in yet another incredible sunset (I am really not getting tired of these on this trip) over Tanah Lot, a beautiful temple perched on a rock in the ocean, only accessible at low tide. 

Crowds gathering for sunset at Tanah Lot 

Fun at Tanah Lot

Another gorgeous sunset

We spent the evening there watching the sunset and taking many photo’s with Indonesians visiting from other islands….. apparently photo’s with westerner’s is a big thing here too. Who knew? After sunset we headed down to Seminyak to find a place to stay for the night and eagerly await Heather’s late night arrival! 

OOO_Talia