I’m a bit behind on posts, but here we go for Part 1 of Bali: Kuta, Seminyak and Nusa Dua.
Our first stop was one night in Kuta. Kuta seems exciting at first, but it’s a shit show. Tons of very young ridiculously drunk Aussies (wanting to “jiggy jig” all night), a must experience but one night is more than enough. Being around 16 year olds made me feel quite old. Gili T was much more fun to go out at night.
The Balinese were very sweet people. Part of our day in Kuta was getting some rays on Kuta Beach and luckily I caught a few waves with a borrowed board (as I said people are so nice! Although being a single blonde could have helped in that). While relaxing on the beach, we did get bombarded with kids practicing English by asking us a survey, but we were happy to help. It was nice to see the future of the country becoming bi-lingual.
Overall we were blown away at how inexpensive EVERYTHING was - $2 pedi, $4 massage, 80 cent veggie soup or $1.50 chicken curry. If you’re in Kuta go to our favorite spot – Bamboo Restaurant on Poppies Lane 1 I believe. Poppies Lane 1 and 2 are chalked full of souvenirs, restaurants, massage shops and guesthouses. The markets have lots of inexpensive and cheap goods (if you’re willing to barter it out). Be wary though, I did say cheap - already a few things I bought fell apart. Wait until Ubud to do the shopping if you want anything to last.
Kuta Beach, Bali |
Kuta Nightlife |
Petrol for Sale...Initially I thought this was Sun Tea haha |
Seminyak and Nusa Dua are commercialized resort areas. At both resorts it was nice to just relax, have aircon and a hot shower. Neither of these spots were very eventful since we were trying to make use of the luxuries of the room. Nusa Dua is family oriented, gated and very pricey. I would recommend avoiding Nusa Dua unless you don’t want to experience Indonesia and feel like you’re on a resort in Hawaii.
In Seminyak we were in awe of the W hotel and how ridiculously nice it was. As a backpacker staying at the W, definitely made me feel out of place - too pretentious even if it was stunning. Seriously, music underwater? Retractable roof in our NYC apartment sized bathroom? Bose speakers? $20 breakfast ah! Although, eating free pizza with a DJ spinning at happy hour while watching the sunset was fantastic.
Seminyak, Bali |
While the boys went shopping in Denspar (funny right?), I headed up to Coggnigi to Desa Seni. I highly recommend spending an afternoon here. I was in heaven finally having a nutritious organic meal, yum! All of the produce is grown right there on the grounds. I was so excited to practice Yoga in Indonesia. It truly was wonderful to have a class outside in the “gazebo” studio.
Desa Seni |
Another highlight was Uluwatu temple at sunset. You could easily do a half-day trip from Sanur or Kuta. Monkeying around as the sun goes down:
If you'd like to see the rest of my photos, check them out on picasa:
Kuta, Seminyak & Nusa Dua, Bali |