Kuta is not a place you want to stay for longer than a day. It's kind of like Tijuana-- a place where you go to buy really cheap souvenirs and fake nikes or to party. After spending two nights in Kuta (one night too many) we were ready for something a little more mellow, so we headed off to Bingin beach. Bingin beach is much more of the typical Bali. It's very quiet and relaxing, filled with beautiful beaches and die hard surfers.
We had to walk down some gnarly steps to get to our $25 a night room...
...but it was totally worth it.
Padang Padang Beach, Bingin
Ulu Watu, Bingin
Oh and in case you are wondering what kind of view $25 gets you, this is it.
Bingin was great. We would wake up in the morning for some yoga, then go down to the beach and eat breakfast at one of the shacks right on the water (usually fresh fruit and fresh squeezed fruit juice...so delicious and refreshing!), lay out on the beach all day, get a $5 hour long massage, and then end the night with dinner on the water. One night we had this awesome candelit dinner on the beach where they caught fresh fish and cooked it right in front of us.
The shacks on bingin beach.
I was obsessed with the fresh fruit juices and large coconuts!!
We spent four days at Bingin beach, and by the last day we were all sunned out so we headed to the mountains in Ubud. Ubud is beautiful with its temples and traditional Hindu architecture. The scenery is luscious and green as it is tucked up in the mountains. It's full of culture and incredible vibes. It's a well known spot for retreats since there are yoga studios on practically every corner, restaurants that focus on whole foods and detoxifying the body, and ornate temples. For me, something felt so right about being in Ubud. It's a place that seemed impossible to feel anything but calm, collected, and content.
Rice paddies in Ubud
While we were in Ubud we took a sunrise hike to the top of the volcano, which was fun but lets just say quite the experience. First we got picked up at 2 am in the morning, which was totally unnecessary considering we made it to the top of the volcano two hours before the sunrise. Second being the dumb Californians we are, we wore shorts and tank tops. Bad idea anytime you are hiking up a volcano, what were we thinking? So for two hours we sat in freezing anticipation for the sun to rise, and just as it hit 6am...fog rolled in and we couldn't see a damn thing. Fortunately, we were all delirious and able to laugh at most of our misfortunes. In the end, the trek was fun and I would do it again (but I would rent the $5 jacket that we were too stingy to rent!).
Seriously?
I was able to quickly snap one photo in between the rolling fog
Freezing our asses off
The Trek
It was well worth it when it finally cleared up
Post trek, our cab driver was nice enough to take us to a coffee plantation for a much needed caffeine kick. We had the opportunity to see how the coffee was made and taste a variety of Bali coffees (including ginger coffee..my favorite!)
Coffee flight
Our last stop in Indonesia before heading back to Kuta for our departures was The Gilis. Gili T is a tiny island with no motorized vehicles that takes less than an hour to run around (exactly 40 minutes). It's very touristy but laid back. Gili T is obviously just one big beach but it was beautiful with spectacularly clear water. There we snorkled (and the fish were the most beautiful fish I have ever seen and I am not exaggerating! If only I had an underwater camera for proof), did stand up paddle boarding, and watched the sunset while sitting on bean bags and drinking sangria. It was the perfect way to end a long two week vacation.
It doesn't get much better than posting up in one of these shacks while having a drink and watching the sunset
The last thing worth mentioning about Indonesia is the food. I am obsessed with the food in Bali! It is so much more flavorful than I anticipated. Apart from the fresh fruit and juices, which are to die for don't get me wrong (and only $1 or less even!), the traditional food was rich in spices and included lots of fresh vegetables. While I was there I became addicted to their hot sauce Asli (which you will most likely be receiving as a souvenir). For those of you who know me well, I am a newbie when it comes to hot sauces, so for me to rant and rave about it means it must be good. It was so good that at one point on the trip I was sweating and crying because my mouth was on fire but I kept adding hot sauce to my food, but I digress... The typical meal is called nasi campur, which is awesome because there is a variety of things to choose from. It's basically like a buffet style. They hand you a plate of rice and get to choose as many side toppings as you would like (the options are almost overwhelming because everything is so good: corn fritters, vegetable fritters, vegetables, tofu, curry, chicken, pretty much anything and everything you ever wanted).
I'm kicking myself because I did not take any pictures of our dinners while I was there! This is what I could find on google, but it doesn't nearly do it justice.
The assortment of sides to choose from may look something like this.
All in all it was a great trip spent with great company...Cheers!
P.S. Stay tuned- more stories and adventures from Indonesia to come, but I just wanted to get this out for you who are dying to hear about my trip.
