Bali Bliss?
I am not a travel blogger with extensive experience traveling. I am a writer married to someone who loves to travel. For my husband, Jason, the fun begins the moment he steps foot in the airport. He loves it all, the logistics, the airplanes even the delays don’t ruffle his feathers. I am grateful that his love of travel has provided our family with the experience of traveling to Bali this past Christmas break. I share the following highlights and lowlights just from our experience and perspective. Perhaps these reflections will be helpful when someone else is considering traveling to Bali and if nothing else they provide our family a digital scrapbook and some trip details to look back on. So please take it all with a grain a salt. We are a family of six traveling with kids ranging from 12-19. Was it bliss? No! Am I glad we went? Absolutely!
Bali Highlights:
The people - I have never traveled anywhere where I have been greeted with such warmth and kindness. Bali’s economy depends heavily on tourism. They need us and appreciate us visiting. And though they do need us, there was a genuine kindness in every interaction that was remarkable.
The weather - I loved the tropical weather. Our first couple days were rainy as it is their rainy season. We did get a bit nervous, worried the sun could elude us the whole trip. That did not happen. The warmth, rain showers and sunshine were such a welcome change from winter in Wisconsin.
Their Religion - Bali is a very spiritual and religious country. Though on most of the Indonesian islands the people are mainly Muslim, Bali is an exception with over 80% of the island people practicing Agama Hindu Dharma which is a combination of Buddhism and Hinduism. One of our waiters explained to us that it is a religion of great respect to Mother Earth, to ancestors, to each other and to God. I particularly appreciated observing the wait staff openly praying before they started their shift and observing the beautiful ritual of placing Canang Sari‘s in front of stores, restaurants, and shrines. They are offerings in small quadratic basket woven from palm or banana leaves and includes flowers, oils, salt, money and cookies. It is no wonder Bali is the island of gods and demons. My experience was that it is a very special place with deep spirituality creating a feeling of peace amidst the business.
Safety - I felt safe in Bali. Besides for crossing the busy streets and the mopeds buzzing about which did feel dangerous at times, overall I felt safe. The local people know how to navigate the traffic and pedestrians. I was more concerned that I would be hit by a tourist that was not used to the way of Bali traffic. I did not observe any road rage among the local people despite tons of traffic which is admirable.
The Surf - Our family all loves the ocean. The kids, Jason and I all enjoy swimming and playing in the waves. And if there are waves to try our surfing skills even the better. The surf at Canguu Beach is great for all skills. There are surf shacks lining the beach with boards to rent and instructors. I am grateful to my very patient instructor that taught me the way of the Canguu wave.
The Monkey Sanctuary is a magical place. We had so much fun observing the monekys in their natural habitat. They are such curious creatures and so fun to watch their use of their hands. This one either wanted to give my hand a kiss or snatch my bag.
I am a big fan of reflecting and sharing about the ups and downs in life, the highlights and lowlights. And on this trip, there were a couple lowlights worthy of sharing.
Bali Lowlights:
Bali Traffic - I had never truly experienced a traffic jam till my first Bali traffic jam. It took us 3 hours to travel 20 miles. We underestimated that Christmas - New Years is a very popular time to travel to Bali despite it being their rainy season. Unfortunately, they do not have the road infrastructure to support the growing tourism of the island. It was so bad that we choose to forego many of our outings to various scenic places around the island due to the traffic and that was a bummer.
Bali Belly is real. I hate to call it Bali Belly as it really is just a traveling virus that can happen anywhere and especially in developing countries that do not have clean water sources. Unfortunately, it is very prevalent in Bali. 4/6 of our family members got sick and that of course puts a big damper on the trip. I wish I knew what we could have done to better avoid it. We brushed our teeth with bottled water and tried to be careful, but we did eat a variety of things and some bloggers say to avoid meat there particularly. I would advise people to really do their research about how to best avoid Bali Belly and take it seriously so you can avoid it if possible.
The Garbage - there unfortunately is a garbage problem that does take away from the natural beauty at times. Being an island, they do not have any room to put their garbage causing it to pile up in spots, taking away from the tropical paradise feeling. They try hard to manage it, but it is clearly overwhelming and stinky.
It is far! It took us four flights to get there. Bali is really far away from Wisconsin and that cannot be ignored. We lucked out without any travel hick ups. We had one connection that was super tight, and we thankfully made it. We flew from Milw - Ny (2 hrs) + NY to Frankfurt (8 hrs) + Frankfurt to Singapore (14 hrs) + Singapore to Denpasar (Bali) 2 hrs = too much for most! But as I said Jason loves to travel and he planned the trip! We survived all the flights but I wouldn’t recommend that route. There are more direct ways to get there but we are a family of six, so we took the long/affordable way.
Despite the lowlights I am grateful for the opportunity to travel to Bali with my family. I know the foreignness of being somewhere so different, so out of our comfort zone, was a very good thing for all of us. I would love to go back someday with a more direct flight plan and during a less busy time so we could see more of the islands stunning beauty. Until then I will try to be like the Bali people spreading warmth and kindness to all that I meet.
Favorite Restaurants in Canguu:
L’Osteria - great Italian
Lusa By Luka - favorite breakfast spot
Anaga Restaurant - awesome authentic Thai food
Finn’s Beach Club - this is a CLUB with great food, drinks and the best people watching of my life! It is a PARTY!
Our Villa in Canguu: The Paradise Palm we rented through Airbnb. It is very much as the listing shows and the host who manages it is very helpful.
Resorts:
Tugu Hotel: was one of my favorite places in Canguu. It is a hotel with a couple restaurants and is so authentic. I went to a great yoga class here. I would definitely recommend staying here.
Hyatt Regency Bali - we spent one night at this resort and I would highly recommend it. It is a large convention style hotel which I don’t typically love but the location of the hotel on the Sanur boardwalk is great. There is surfing accessible by a reef which seemed popular for skilled locals.
Alila Seminyak. - We only dined at this hotel. It is a smaller high end boutique style hotel that has a great atmosphere but more of an isolated resort experience. The day we were there it was crazy windy so I am not sure if surfing is accessible from this hotel.
Tugu Hotel
