Welcome to Bali

Explore. Dream. Discover.

Join us on this amazing adventure...

Welcome to Bali

Welcome to Bali, a place with one of the friendliest people in Indonesia or anywhere. That’s what we felt as soon as we arrived on the island. Here you ask “when does the show start?”, and they answer “when everything is ready …”. Now we can vouch for that.

This is a place where there’s no space for stress, anger or anything else that can change human behavior for the worse – quite the opposite. It’s a very relaxing place with a laid-back attitude, and people are always ready to give you a big smile and help you.

No wonder so many tourists come back to the island more than once and some even move here. Comparing it a bit with other places we’ve been, the attitude of the people is similar to what we see in the north of Tenerife. It’s only been a few days, but we are already feeling at home.

img_9743

Having lunch at I Made Ada, Ubud - Bali, after a wood carving session

Our arrival in Bali

But coming back to our arrival, we left Shanghai – where unfortunately we only spent 2 days, and where we met our friends Anna, Mario, Adrián and Grace and family – and flew to Bali, with a few hours’ layover in Kuala Lumpur.

resumenshanghaicollage

We were a bit tired from the night before, since we spent the night at the airport (our flight from Shanghai departed at 6am, so there was no point in staying in a hotel). We stayed in one of the VIP lounges at Kuala Lumpur airport waiting for our flight, so it was perfect to rest and eat in a comfortable place.

2016-08-23-photo-00002284

We took the plane to Bali, albeit a bit delayed, and finally arrived on the island very late – after midnight. We had a reservation at a hotel near the airport so that we could spend the night before going to our other hotels. At such a late hour we expected a small room and sleepy (and maybe cranky …) staff. To our surprise we were received and treated like kings by the friendly staff. The room was also a surprise, given the amount we paid for the night (around US$13!). It was very large, with 2 double beds and a simple (but quite spacious) bathroom. The internet connection was also very fast, so we rested a lot and took our time the next day before checking out. We were also allowed to stay for a while after the normal check-out time without being charged extra.

The staff from the morning shift were just as nice as the night ones, so from the very beginning we received the warm hospitality that is characteristic of the island.

Ubud, our destination for the next few nights

That same day we went to the village of Ubud in central Bali, which is known for its surrounding rice fields.

Our guest house, Saudara Home, was beautiful, right in the middle of the rice fields and with breathtaking views of the mountain and a forest too.

Saudara Home, our guest house near Ubud, Bali

Saudara Home, our guest house near Ubud, Bali

img_9965

Saudara Home, our guest house near Ubud, Bali

Just 10 minutes away from the house there is a museum with several carved sculptures made from wood and concrete. It is one of the most important places in Bali which displays and sells these kinds of sculptures. We had a wood-carving class that day there, but we leave the details for later posts.

img_9041

Wood carving in I Made Ada, in Bali

img_9166

In the region we also visited some of the rice fields and an unusual number of beautiful temples. Again, we took so many pictures of those that we prefer to split it into a separate post about the temples in Bali. We will therefore just leave some to give you a flavor of our visits.

Bali is well served of temples. Many visitors and prayers all around

One of the several rice fields we visited in Bali

One of the several rice fields we visited in BaliOn one of the days we took the time to visit the center of Ubud. On that small tour we enjoyed the pleasant company of a friend we met at the guest house. Joelle (a Canadian girl) accompanied us for lunch at one of the restaurants that were recommended by the guest house, called Ibu Rai.

Restaurant Ibu Rai. One of the best ones in Ubud, Bali

Restaurant Ibu Rai. One of the best ones in Ubud, Bali

img_9866

It offered delicious and traditional food, in what seemed to be one of the best-known places in Ubud.

iburaicollage

img_9837

img_9840

We also had the chance to take a quick tour through the Ubud traditional art market. We’d easily recommend a stop there, to shop or just to look at the goods being sold (as in our case … 🙂 ). There you can find ingredients and food, clothes, Balinese handicrafts, souvenirs and international items, among other things – an enormous variety of products that caters to visitors of all tastes.

Noah exploring the street market of Ubud, in Bali

Ubud traditional art market, in Bali

img_9874

Our journey in Bali will continue for about 3 weeks and we can’t wait to explore this beautiful place.

fpkaram

Translate »
Scroll Up