Scribbles Abroad

So back to Bali we went.  We arranged for a driver to take us to Bandarlampung airport where we caught a plane to Jakarta on Sriwijaya Airlines.   The ticket was around $50 each and we were charged only $8 for all of our surfboards.

We hopped on the plane and about 2 hours later landed in Jakarta.  We bought our next ticket on Batavia Airlines to Denpansar, another $50 each and no charge for our boards.  A little after take off the flight attendants began arranging meal boxes on their carts.  We were getting pretty hungry and were anxious to see what was for lunch.  We opened our boxes and what did we find?  Bread and water!  We laughed and joked about eating prison food.

Arriving in Kuta the second time around was a little better than the first.  We knew what to expect and were kind of looking forward to the chaos and conveniences of Kuta.  ATM’s on every corner, internet right across the street, and tons of places to eat.   Dawan Inn was completely full so we drove around searching for another place to stay and ended up at Legian Beach Bungalows.  The place was actually pretty nice for 90,000 IDR a night, which included breakfast.   The people were friendly and there was a little pool right outside our room surrounded by a nice garden.

We ate dinner right across the street and decided to splurge on a steak dinner.  They gave us these silly orange aprons to wear while we ate.  A rare steak was served on a piping hot slab of lava stone.  The stone would continue to cook the steak until you chose to pull it off.

The next day Shaun took us to Uluwatu to check out a couple of the surf spots.  The road to Ulu’s is pretty steep, at some points I though we were going to have to get off the moped and walk it up the hill.  Slowly but surely we made it to the top.  We first stopped at Nyang Nyang.  We stood on the edge of a 200ft cliff over looking the line-up.  The spot wasn’t quite working but the view sure was beautiful.  We continued along the coast checking out Greenballs, Uluwatu, and Padang Padang along the way. The spots didn’t seem to be working at the time but we were excited to see what was in store for us when the tide was right.

As we continued down the road we saw a sign pointing the way to Bingin and Impossible.  We weren’t quite sure where to go so a couple offered to show us the way down to the beach.  It was a long walk across a small bridge, through some houses, and then down a ton of stairs.  At the bottom of the stairs we ran into Kahi’s friend Younez, who he met in Morocco.  It truly is a small world.  Yunes was staying in a losmen on the beach right in front of Bingin with a great view of Impossible and Dream Land as well.  This is what we’ve been looking for; we’d be back for sure.

We headed back to Kuta and stopped by the mall to get some J-Co donuts for Shaun.  I think he’s addicted to them, I can ‘t blame him though, they’re really good.   They also have free Wi-Fi, which comes in handy.

Kahi and I walked over to get a little snack from a shop next door.  We noticed locals ordering some sort of icy desert, so we decided to give one a try.  It was called Es Teller, crushed ice topped with coconut strips, avocado, some sort of strange yellow fruit and condensed milk.  It was really good, especially because it was so hot outside.

The next day we spent hunting for waves in Sanur and Nusa Dua.   After a little searching we found a break called Sanur Reef.  We could have got a ride out to the break for $20 each, but decided to suck it up and paddle.  It was pretty far but the current was on our side.  The water was icy and the reef was incredibly colorful.

It was just the three of us and one other guy for about an hour and a half, until the unbelievable happened.  A boat pulled up next to the peak and 7 Japanese surfers and 3 locals jumped out.  It was obvious by their behavior that the Japanese had hired the Indonesians as their surf guides.   We greeted them and smiled but all we got in return were grunts and mad dog stares.  Shaun caught one of the set waves and a of local dropped in behind him and tried to get Shaun to get off the wave.  He did the smart thing and rode the wave as far as possible then paddled in.  As the local paddled pass me he said  “change change change! Time to go in.”  We paddled in.  At least we had it to ourselves for a while.  We really felt for the guy who was walking out on the reef and just got out there when all this went down.

We drove down the beach looking for other waves but had no luck.  There were some beautiful temples along the way and a lot of other beautiful scenery.  We headed to Nusa Dua in search of more waves.  Nusa Dua is known for its resorts and golf courses.  It’s very beautiful but very expensive.

The surf spot Nusa Dua is reef break off of Gerger Beach.  This beach was beautiful.  Crystal clear water, white sand and not too many people around.  The waves here were huge and it was too windy for the spot.  It was a really hot day, like always, so we jumped in the water and swam around for a while.

When we were leaving Gerger Beach Kahi noticed that we had a flat tire.  This would be the second flat tire of our trip.  Luckily there was a repair shop only about 100m down the road.  The tire repair process was pretty cool.  It was kind of like fixing a bicycle tire.  They checked the tube and quickly located the hole.

First he roughened the area around the hole, so the patch would adhere tightly.  Then he cut a piece of patch and put some sort of sticky black stuff on it.  Then he brought out some sort of press with a little oven in it.  He placed the patch over the press and clamped it down tightly.  Then added some flammable liquid into the oven and lit it.  After about 2 minutes he released the clamp and the patch had melted into the tube.  It was amazing!

That night we gave Kuta’s nightlife a whirl.  There is a strip in Kuta where there are a handful of Night Clubs and bars.  It was a little early and most of the clubs were just getting started.  The first club we went to was offering an all you could drink for $25 special.  There we’re many crazy Aussies and other tourist ready to party.  They started off by having a chugging contest, one of the Aussies won.  He downed a bottled beer in about 3 seconds.  That’s skills!  We went to another club where there was a group of 10 to 16 years olds running around. You’re never too young to party in Kuta!

We tried this drink called a Jam-Jar, a fruity blend of juices and some sort of alcohol.  It’s basically their version of Jungle-Juice.  It was really strong and taste pretty good.

The next day we wanted to check out the monkeys so we headed to the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary in Ubud.   While heading to Ubud a local asked us where we were going.  We told him we were going to the Monkey Forest, and he motioned us to follow him.  He wanted to show us a silver jewelry shop before he took us to the forest.  He led us to a shop filled with beautiful silver rings, bracelets, necklaces, you name it they had it.  Kahi liked a ring but it was too big for him, so we didn’t buy anything from the shop.  We asked him to show us the monkey forest but instead he led us to another silver shop.  We were a little annoyed but checked it out anyway.  When we left the guy was waiting for us outside and ready to take us to the next shop.  He took off but we didn’t follow him.

We finally made it to the Monkey Forest, it was easier to find then we though.  Shaun bought some mini bananas so we could feed the monkeys.  Before entering the forest Shaun warned us that the monkeys could be a little vicious and to be careful.  There was a little monkey sitting on the wall, I tossed him a banana and he quickly began peeling it open.

There were monkeys everywhere!  I sat on the wall and put some potatoes and bananas on my lap.  A monkey jumped on me and began eating the potatoes.  Another jumped on my shoulder and picked at my hair.  It was the coolest thing every, but it was a little scary.  After they ate all of the food they began searching for more.  I didn’t have anything and they began getting a little aggressive.  I started feeling a little uncomfortable and jumped up.

Kahi sat down next and a monkey jumped on his lap.  He gave him a banana and another monkey climbed up his arm.  It tried to steal the banana from the other monkey and they climbed all over Kahi.  He didn’t have any more bananas so Shaun tossed him a banana.  It was a bad toss and the banana hit one of the monkeys in the back.  The monkey thought Kahi hit him and got really pissed off.  He began pulling at Kahi’s shirt and showing his teeth.

We ate lunch at this restaurant with a view overlooking the rice patties.  The food was great and the staff were friendly.

It was Shaun last day and he had to run some earrands so we rode around exploring the area and checking out the waves.  We drove through Seminyak where we had dinner the night before.  This little town was a nice change from Legian.  There were some really good restaurants with very reasonable prices and a ton of really nice shops.  Kahi called Seminyak the SoHo of Bali.  We stopped in Canggu where there’s suppose to be a right and left beach break.  The waves were non-existent so we headed to up the coast.  We decided to explore Tanah Lot not sure of what to expect.

We wandered around the souvenir shops for a while and found the entrance to a temple.  After eating lunch checked out the temple.  We realized this was the famous temple that was built on an island, and had been meaning to come here.  It was low tide so it wasn’t surrounded by water but it was still pretty cool.

We said goodbye to Shaun, who will be moving to South Korea with Mandy.  We wish you both the best of luck.  Thank you for everything Shaun.  We had a great time with you here in Indonesia.  Keep us posted on how things are going and send us some pictures.  Don’t forget to tell us about the waves.  Take care!