Other than our home in Hawai'i, we have not had a greater sense of belonging than in Bali. The warm climate, surf, friendly locals, variety of fresh foods from around the world, preservation of culture despite the rampant tourism, and relaxed island lifestyle drew us in.
Our first stop in Bali was the cliffside surf village, Bingin. Although Bingin is on the Uluwatu peninsula (the most famous spot on Bali for surfing) it's relative seclusion allowed us to avoid the traffic jams and invasion of Australian surfers that plagues the area. Our pace of life slowed and we got very used to surfing twice a day, joking with the locals (they LOVE to joke around), and chatting with expats (who often call themselves local) over a bottle of Bintang. We visited several other places in Bali (Uluwatu, Padang Padang, Changgu, Seminyak, and Ubud), but Bingin this was our favorite place by far.
A big highlight for us was taking a trip to a remote island with our good friend Chiara who was working in Java when we were in Indonesia. She took a week off and booked all of us a trip to Rote island, the southernmost inhabited island in Indonesia. There were very few tourists here. We were often the only people on the beach, with only a handful of surfers in the water. But by the way people were talking about Rote on Bali (none of the people had actually been themselves) it seems like this will be the next big surf tourism destination in Indonesia. Divers have just started to explore the waters there, and Janice was able to get her diving certification and join Chiara on two dives!
The most beautiful sunsets we have ever seen were every night on Rote
Included in our stay at bungalows on Nemberala beach were boat rides to the break out in front. Our captain here from east Timor, knew the area so well and even watched out for Janice when she was diving, tracking her line of air bubbles in the ocean,
Rote was the only place Jim brought his waterhousing out. The rest of the time he was surfing!
Longboards are hard to come by in unpopulated areas. The first night Janice and Chiara were on Rote they bumped into a man from Kaua'i who rented them his longboards for $10 a day. Janice got to ride his 9'0" Gerry Lopez board for the week!
Janice and Chiara waiting for the last wave of the day
Jim got to visit the local school on Rote and play with the kids during recess
After Rote, we wanted to head to Balian to surf but a lag in the swell and a recent surf attack there changed our minds. Chiara told us about Penestanan, an artsy village in the rice paddies north of Ubud where you can walk for hours without seeing a motorbike or car.
Early morning walk in Penestanan
There was some great street art in Penestanan
They call these bikes "Jap style." Jim is inspired to build his own when he gets back home
Bali has temples around every block. Gunung Kawi temple in Ubud is our favorite. It is one of the oldest temples on Bali and is completely empty in the mornings.
