Bali is a small island, part of Indonesia, and somewhat close to Australia (so in the southern hemisphere — yes the toilets do go the other way). We chose this location based mostly on reputation as we’ve heard a number of people talk about the island. Bali boasts over 4 million residents, forested mountains and volcanos, beautiful beaches and coral reefs, rice fields, and a robust tourism industry in about 5,800 square meters. Indonesian is the official language with English a pretty close second unofficial language. However, Balinese is used by some locals in addition to Indonesian and English. Bali is known to be a surfing and snorkeling/scuba diving destination and we encountered a fair number of folks that fit those stereotypical profiles upon arrival in the airport.
We flew into Bali on Emirates from Dubai. It was a nine-hour flight that left around 9am Dubai time and arrived shortly after 10pm Bali time. This was the longest flight we’ve taken on this trip, and should be the second longest of our whole trip after our return home from Tokyo.
We decided to stay in a smaller village in Bali further up into the island called Ubud for three of our four days. There are no beaches in Ubud as it is away from the coast, but there is plenty to do in the area. We really didn’t want to overdo it since our trip thus far has been pretty busy so we had a lighter agenda for the area with two main things in mind: Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary in Ubud and seeing and visiting rice paddies and learning about the area and the Indonesian and Balinese lifestyle. We did both and actually had a couple of days to relax around the pool and down by Sanur Beach on the last day (to be closer to the airport).
Luckily, in Ubud, the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary was right down the road from our hotel. It was really inexpensive to get into and super easy to walk around. We paid 40,000 Indonesian Rupiah (IDR) per person for an entry ticket. Really quick, roughly 50,000 IDR equals $3.75 at the time we were there. So simply, the cost of entry into the forest was less than $3.50 a piece. A price that beckoned Mike to consider revisiting a second time…
Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary
If you’ve ever seen pictures or videos from individuals visiting Bali, this is likely the place where they had photos of monkeys sitting or crawling on them. We knew that was a possibility and Mike was there specifically for that possibility. Due to the short planning period of our trip though, we didn’t have time to get the series of rabies shots recommended and encounters with animals could lead to getting bit. The doc warned us to stay away, but we went anyway. We had read that monkeys sometimes bite, but that is mostly due to the person they bite running out of food to feed them (literally biting the hand that feed you)…so we just decided to not buy bananas to feed them; can’t get upset if we don’t have food to begin with right? (insert skeptical chuckle) One other thing we read is that they will unzip pockets on bags and steal stuff, especially Ziploc or plastic bags since they have learned that is often where humans keep food. So we went to the forest with relatively minimal stuff (no bags or wallets; only a camera, GoPro, a one iPhone) – yes, we had to think about minimizing the risk of being robbed by a monkey!
We started walking around the forest and were quickly taken aback at the number of monkeys and the way they roam free. In fact, there’s nothing specific around the forest to keep the monkeys there, but the promise of food in the area likely causes them to stay put. Considering our hotel was a couple blocks away, and they’ve developed a reputation for stealing…you’d think they’d wander off for a bit and grab what they could. But we only saw them in the Forest. You had the option of buying bananas right after entry, but we skipped it. The monkeys seemed to surround us and were often sitting in the walkways just chilling. We started trekking around the forest on the path that circles the area and it didn’t take long, but this happened…
Mike watched as a monkey slowly came crawling out of the wooded area, grabbed Erica’s shorts and climbed right up her to sit on her shoulder. We’re not exactly sure why, but she happened to be digging in her pocket for the phone to take pictures and we can only guess he thought she had food? Notice they’re both looking down at the recently pulled out phone…but only one looks scared. Either way, the man in the background quickly put his arm out to lure the little guy onto himself. (Erica sigh of relief) Erica said that the feet and hands were super soft though and since she didn’t get bit, she was excited in the end.
After that, we continued to walk around nervously as monkeys were all around, jumping in trees, on people, chasing each other, and always grabbing food. One of the little guys snagged some lady’s medicine from the front pocket of her purse and was sitting in the tree trying to crack it open. She was shocked, and told us about it…twice. The forest really isn’t that big, but there is a temple in there, a water area, an amphitheater area, and a small waterway. The scenery was great, as were the statues and temple pieces. Workers in the forest continued to feed the monkeys yams and papaya to keep them nearby and entertain guests.
2-minute video of the Monkey Forest:
Pictures from the Forest:
Sadly, Mike didn’t get a monkey to crawl up him…this is why he seriously weighed revisiting on another day, but in the end we didn’t go back.
Coffee Plantation Visit
On our second day in Ubud we decided to take a downhill bike tour that we could explore the island in a more unique way than your typical bus or private driver tour. To get us uphill though the first part of the tour was by bus and the first stop was a coffee plantation for a light snack and coffee/tea sampling. On the way into the plantation our guide Putu pointed out some plants, spices, and a key animal in a cage that becomes relevant later. We witnessed one lady roasting coffee beans and she allowed one of our fellow tourists to help out for a bit.
Interestingly, our tour group consisted of two people from Canada (French Canadians), two from the Netherlands, two people from India, one woman from Germany, one woman from Russia, and our two Indonesian tour guides. The only common language among the group was English, which everyone spoke. Everyone was super nice and fun to hang out with for our half day tour. It further shined a light for us that we really only know one language while most countries know at least two, if not more!
Anyway, back to the coffee plantation…we continued our visit with the actual taste test part. We were provided 12 tasters for us to share, but only five were coffee; the others were teas and one hot cocoa. Most of the options, including of course the hot cocoa, were delicious. Some had really strong and potent flavors. For a laugh, each worker presented the 12 tasters with a clearly memorized spiel in English…including that the ginseng coffee is for the man…to make the woman happy.
The world’s most expensive coffee was something that we were allowed to taste as well. It was 50,000 IDR for a single cup, which is roughly $3.75 for a cup at the actual plantation. It looks like this coffee can be sold for upwards of $400 a pound though based on the limited search we conducted afterwards. The name of the coffee is Luwak, or sometimes known as Kopi Luwak… Considering the rarity and the opportunity, we bought a cup. For those who don’t know, the Kopi Luwak coffee is brewed from coffee beans that have been eaten AND defecated by the small animal mentioned earlier called the civet cat. You may recall this scene from ‘The Bucket List’ as Jack Nicolson’s character drinks it, but didn’t know where it came from:
Here is a photo of ours:
It wasn’t bad, but the flavor was very strong. We did wonder whether this was just a trick to get stupid tourists to drink coffee made from animal poo, and it very well may have been, but we tried it anyway (as did the Dutch and Canadians). Also, we don’t really know if this is where the coffee originated, but they have a version of it here in any case. We didn’t buy any to bring home…once was enough.
Downhill Bike Tour
After our “shitty” coffee plantation visit, we went to see the closest volcano of Mount Batur. The volcano has erupted a number of times, most recently in the early 2000s, but that was not magma. The black rock you can see on the side of the mountain was actually from an eruption in 1994. Photos below:
Afterwards we started our downhill bike tour, which is where things got interesting and more fun. We glided downhill through small villages and past homes. This was a road so we were frequently passed by people on motor bikes, which are a major method of transportation on the island. See below for a brief video of our glide down:
Along the way we stopped in a traditional Balinese house and Wayan (our other tour guide) explained the layout of the traditional house as well as some Balinese traditions. Wayan, pronounced ‘why-yohn’, explained that every house has a family temple in these smaller villages, which is located in the direction that faces the mountains, in this case north or northeast. The temple represents the ‘head’ and the other buildings represent the body. The other buildings consist of the ceremonial building for family events (birthdays, marriage celebration, funeral/cremation, etc.), the kitchen, one building that is enclosed (all others are open) for the grandparents and newlyweds (to make babies), and one more open building where the rest of the family sleep together. The last part of the house is the backyard where the animals roam (chickens, pigs, etc.) Family and community are a big part of the Balinese lifestyle, staying together as a single family unit. They often live off their own land, growing vegetables and fruit as well as eating eggs and their chickens or pigs too.
There are a number of temples in the community to worship and pray, many ceremonies and traditions, all a part of the culture. There is a ceremony to file down teeth so they are flat, which happens around 15-17 years of age. There is also a ceremony for the gods, which often begins with a cockfighting match. Cockfighting is still legal and practiced in Bali mostly for religious reasons, but sometimes to raise money a match may be held “for the gambler” and a portion of the stakes are kept as a fee. Wayan mentioned they are aware cockfighting is illegal in many other countries, but they do not want to give up their culture, which is an understandable and respectable stance.
We also stopped by a rice field to learn a little bit how the Balinese harvest rice. It appears to be very hard and tedious work and we learned that it doesn’t net the workers much money. As a result, a large number of rice fields have been sold to build more hotels, which has done two things: 1. Signified the decision to move to a tourist economy 2. Caused Bali to be a net importer, not exporter, of rice. We watched as the workers sorted through, cut, sifted, and eventually bagged the rice. Often the ladies would be the ones carrying the 40kg (90lbs+) bags balanced perfectly on their head out of the fields. Before motorcycles, that walk would be 2-3km or longer, but today they mostly walk out of the field to the truck or motorcycle to carry from there.
We stopped by an old banyan tree as well, which we were told was over 500 years old. The tree also is home to the mamba snake and many spiders, some of them quite huge! Another guide in a different group had one of these spiders in his hand. Putu sensing Erica’s unease with the potential for a snake or spider to come her way, snuck up behind her and touched her ear with a small branch of leaves…she jumped and screamed! A man after Mike’s own heart as he likes to scare her frequently at home.
Our last stop was at Putu’s home where he and his family, plus Wayan, treated us to lunch before taking us back to our hotel. This tour was only $40 a person, which was a very reasonable price! Putu and Wayan really made the experience, plus the exposure via bike as opposed behind the glass window of a van. Putu was hilarious and had a great laugh, and Wayan just smiled and seemed genuinely happy.
One thing we noticed in Bali is things are cheap. We had dinner with two larger beers, entrees, and a tip that amounted to the equivalent of $12. You can find more expensive and fancier restaurants, but we weren’t that interested. The Canadian fellas, Pierre and Alex, were kind enough to offer us their reservation at Locavore (Michelin Star rated), but we declined since it was a 6-10 course meal and pricey for the area. People here seem very happy, which the flippant thing to say is they live in paradise or that they need to be since they operate a tourist economy, but we got the sense that family and community being paramount and working hard, but enjoying life is really what they are all about. Many of the workers we encountered would thank people with hands in front of them and a slight bow as a sign of respect and gratitude. We found ourselves offering the same hand and bow gesture in return whenever we experienced it. Interestingly, the Balinese parents we met had the same complaints American adults do…video games rotting kids brains, religion taking a backseat for younger generations, etc. Things are quite different all over the world, but can also be very similar…
Sanur Beach
Our last day in Bali, we went down to Sanur Beach as it is closer to the airport and would make for an easier transfer the next morning for our flight. Sanur felt a lot different from Ubud, almost like the Australian’s version of Mexico (cheap flight and a close less expensive beach town). The area was filled with shops for souvenirs, pushy salespeaople, and mostly Australian tourists. The beach was pretty and we were treated to a nice rain storm while we ate lunch by the water. That said, we prefer Ubud. We did sit in briefly to a dance show on the beach before dinner on our last night, which was interesting. We’ve included a beach photo and a shot from our flight out that shows the reef and why Bali is a popular destination for snorkeling/scuba.
We really enjoyed Bali, and Erica told a number of people we would likely be back… Until then, we’re off to see more…starting with Singapore!
Thanks for reading.
Cheers and Love,
Mike and Erica
Wanderlust with M+E 