BALI-BALI-BALI

It’s half past 9 in the morning, Petteri is still sleeping. I woke up half an hour ago into the sound of the hammers and construction work coming outside from the building next door. My back feels sore from the sun yesterday, but I’m pleased the colour my skin is finally turning into. We are now in Bali; the Southeast Asia’s Cliché, also in the place where the bombings took place just few years ago, in Kuta Beach. (Picture: Kuta Beach) The tourist industry isn’t still quite the same as it was and it can be seen everywhere here. Most of the hotels are half empty, like ours, which is nice as we now get super good service. The people outside selling their tourist goods in their little booths are basically attacking you when you walk by. Everyone is shouting; transport YES?? ‘rum´rum’ = room? and scooters and motorcycles everywhere.

We left Darwin 19^th June 3 o’clock in the morning and got a drive from our road trip buddies, Maria and David. The flight was dreadful as next to us sat a lady with the worst flu ever and she just kept on making these disgusting noises. But Tiger Airways was very positive experience.

Before getting to Bali we had a whole day in Singapore. We arrived to the airport at 7am and even though the flight was tiring, as soon as we landed we both cheered up. After dropping or back packs to the safety we took a bus to the city. Both of us were so surprised how clean and green the city is. As I have been told that Singapore is great for shopping, you probably guess how we spent the day. Petteri bought a fancy camera and I was in ecstasy when entered the doors of Zara after being apart a year!!! I really loved the city and as we were heading again back to the airport I told Petteri that I wouldn’t want to leave yet. He just said; Aino we are going to Bali come on!!! (Picture: Pro-surfers, yeah right!)

-Bali, yes it felt unreal. For me Bali has been just a distant dream. A holiday paradise where you probably get to go once in your life time, or then not and now we are here. At times we both have to pinch each other to realize this all…

As we arrived to the airport quite late at 10pm, the first challenge was to find a place to stay that night. Outside the airport there were dozens of hotel reps waiting the tourist come out and sell them over priced overnights. We decided to find one on our own and took a taxi to Kuta Beach. (Picture: Sunset in Kuta)The thing here is that none of the prices are set, like in the taxis there are no charging meters and you have to agree the price beforehand, which can be very annoying! We should have known that it is a real suicide to walk around the city with all our bags, meaning that people shouting everywhere: ‘transport transport’, ‘rum rum’. Two stereotype looking tourists looking for a place to stay <- a gold mine for the local people. After checking out few hotels we decided to stay a night in one and continue our search the next day. (Picture: Denpasar)

The next morning we checked in to another hotel: La Walon, close to the beach and a lot cheaper than the previous one. I heard from the place from my friend Minka who also had stayed here a year ago. With 14€/day we have a nice room in the 3^rd floor and breakfast. Cheap like soap and I still think we are paying too much. (Picture: Petteri was enchanted with the smells of Pasar Badung)

The first few days we just explored the Kuta area. Went to the beach sun bathing and surfing. Petteri is getting better and better every day… with me I don’t see any progress :) But it’s fun just float with the board and sunbathe and watch the hot surfers. Food is ridiculously cheap here. With 5€ you eat like a king… very hard to resist deserts ;)

(Picture: Pasar Badung) One day we rented a scooter cuz we wanted to visit a few places outside Kuta. First of all the traffic here is crazy. NO RULES!!! Even though the traffic here is left sided, it doesn’t mean it would stop the people driving on the wrong side. I’m really surprised that we made it alive! And the petrol station… My god!!! Also there you have to bargain and there is no set price. Well you can just guess how much they dried to fool us, two blondes wearing bling bling sunnies and looking sooooooooo like tourists! But I got really pissed off and I guess they got a bit surprised a girl yelling like that and we only ended up paying one quarter of the price they asked. Still I’m convinced we paid too much. (Picture: Pasar Badung) It is not really about the money, but I’m just so irritated of the fact that they try to fool you just because you are a tourist. But in the other hand they have to get the money from somewhere… well at least now I’ve learned to pay only a quarter from the first asked price, not a cent more.

The first stop we did in Denpasar and visited the famous market Pasar Badung. Finding that place wasn’t the easiest and even when we eventually found it, getting there with a scooter was a real challenge as most of the street are one way streets. From the markets you can find anything. (Picture: Veggies in the market) There are no supermarkets around (at least I haven’t seen any) so the locals shop everything i.e. their groceries; living chickens, gooses, vegetables, rice, spices etc. from there.

After lunch we continued driving in the crazy traffic and tried to find our way without a proper map to the art markets, but after too many ‘no goes’ we gave up and went straight to Mengwi where Bali’s most famous temple Taman Ayun is located. (Picture: Ricefield on fire) Before going home we also visited the Monkey Forest ‘Alas Kedaton’ that holds over 700 crazy monkeys that steal everything. I also got a taste of a monkey attack when one of the bosses jumped on my back and refused to come off for minutes that seemed like eternity.

So that’s all that has been happening here on the other side of the world lately. Petteri is waking up finally. Breakfast time!!!

Above: Local Easter Bunny in the rice field :)
Below: Taman Ayun temple

Above: Taman Ayun temple
Below: 3 monkeys in Alas Kedaton Monkey Forest