Looking forward to three weeks of touring and diving around the island of Bali. There are national flags flying everywhere on the island.
Welcome to this short interlude during our busy house sitting schedule. We found we had three unaccounted for weeks between our Bangkok and Fiji house sits, so after deep thought and looking at a map we choose Bali as our vacation spot.
One of the reasons we love Malindo Air. It certainly isn’t for their roomy coach seats. It is however for their generous 30kg per person checked luggage allowance.
After a short delay in Kuala Lumpur we arrived in Kuta, Bali to be greeted by our smiling driver, June, from the hotel. Of course the best part was our luggage arrived with us. June provided us with a great introduction to the friendliness of the locals here.
One of the first sites we visited once we were settled was the memorial to the 2002 Bali bombing. It is a reminder that no one ‘peaceful’ place in the world is any safer than another. Unfortunately there are simple pathetic cowards everywhere who will attempt to hurt others. This site, for me, simply reinforced the desire to continue exploring the world and meeting the incredibly friendly people the world over.
On October 12, 2002 Bali was the scene of a horrific bombing which left 202 people dead and 209 injured. This tasteful memorial at the site is a sombre reminder of the loss.The centre point of the memorial is this plaque with the names and nationalities of all those who died. Australia was the hardest hit with 88 tourists killed. Canada lost two citizens that day.
Even though Indonesia is the most populous Muslim country in the world, on the island of Bali is where you find the majority of the 1.69% of countries Hindus. What that means for us is there is no problem finding pork to eat and you have to always watch where you are walking so as not to tread on Canang sari baskets which are literally, everywhere.
There are plenty of street dogs in Kuta, the city we are currently in. All that we have met have been exceptionally well behaved, but the condition of some of them really pulls at the heart. I do hope that after dark they at least get something to eat from the thousands of Canang sari that are put out every day.
Before you start to think that Bali is some kind of horrible place I should balance out our experiences a bit. The people here are exceptionally friendly and helpful. The other fantastic part of our experience so far has been the restaurants. The food here is fantastic and varied.
We had great pizza at this place we found along a narrow back road.Karen couldn’t help but snuggle up to this fellow we bumped into while checking out a mall.Most homes seem to have at least a small sculpture of some god. The bigger the building, and I imagine the wealthier the patron, the more elaborate the shrines seem to be.The degree of detail in the carvings on all the sculptures is simply incredible.The Balinese are quite specific about your condition when you enter their temples. Though we wondered if they actually checked to make sure everyone was complying.Between house fronts, open store fronts, motorbike traffic and pedestrian traffic these side streets require that you keep your wits about you.Just when I was starting to get hot we met this group of young soldiers who were just coming off of the beach portion of their run. Perhaps I don’t have it that rough.Our final night in Kuta was spent watching the sunset while enjoying dinner on the beach.
Up next is exploring the coast of Bali and what it has to offer above and below the water.
My twisted mind kinda laughed at the photo of Karen and the Lego Man. He appears to be contemplating his crotch. Perhaps, in hope of a few more building blocks.
Hi Pete and Karen.
Loved the photos and information on Bali.
My twisted mind kinda laughed at the photo of Karen and the Lego Man. He appears to be contemplating his crotch. Perhaps, in hope of a few more building blocks.
As always, take care and continued safe travels.
Beaver