Sean and I really wanted to make a trip home to San Diego for our Chinese New Year holiday since we weren't able to go home for Christmas because of Sean's work schedule. However since no one back home gets Chinese New Year off, we decided to look around our neck of the world for somewhere we could go play in the sun!
We asked around and did some research, and we discovered a little place called Nusa Dua, which is on the south-east side of Bali, Indonesia. In the Balinese dialect, Nusa Dua means two islands. In the arial picture below, you can see the green little islands. Rocks and coral surround these little islands (or rather peninsulas) which cause the waves to break about 500 meters away from the shore. Therefore, making Nusa Dua a relaxing and peaceful beach.
We stayed at the Laguna Resort and Spa. We highly recommend it! It is there that we were introduced to the service of Bali. It really is service with a smile. Everyone is laid-back and has a big smile on their face. We arranged for airport pick-up and were surprised when the driver showed up in a Mercedes to take us to the hotel!
This is a picture of our room minus the glass of wine (taken from the internet because I forgot to take a picture). We were totally pampered with complementary fruit and the butler service.
Here are some more pictures around the hotel. We loved the island feel, water surrounding the entire resort, and that we had our own private beach front.
Outside by the pools.
This is what the beach front looked like lit up at night. We truly loved just lying in the cabana and listening to the high tide waves crash against the shore.
When I woke up in the morning, I was excited for my two favorite things in life: eating breakfast and being at the beach. The Laguna's complementary breakfast was definitely a highlight for me. Take a look at this amazing buffet!
The chef in the back was cutting up fresh pineapple. YUM!
This egg guy became my best friend. I loved his omelets and french toast. The french toast was so thick and perfectly done that I almost didn't need the syrup.
Croissants, pancakes, waffles, pizza, and apple strudel to choose from.
Home-made whole wheat bread, sour-dough bread, pretzel rolls, and with cheese, meat or jams to put on the bread.
This was the cereal bar with lots of dried fruit to put in the cereal.
Marshmallows and fruit on sticks to dip in the chocolate. For breakfast!? They also had traditional Balinese food along with a potato bar, sushi, and dumpling/asian breakfast choices.
Here are some shots of the beach front. The sand and water couldn't have been more beautiful!
We had fun swimming out to the boat and talking to the local.
We decided to explore up the beach and see what we could find. Along the way I almost stepped on this little crab!
Up the beach we came to a surf shop that was renting boards, and I swear I felt like we were back in SD! It really was such a beach town. The locals had surf racks attached to their bikes, and there were a lot of foreign surfers staying in the area too. As the island is just a jump and a dive from the north-west coast of Australia, we were naturally surrounded by Aussies and Asians. All around there were these bright pink leafy plants everywhere.
Day Two
We took a glass bottom boat ride out to the coral reefs to go snorkeling. The water was clear and we saw tons of tropical fish. We even got to feed them!
Can you tell I'm really looking forward to this? Our captain of the boat spoke English pretty well. They get a lot of tourists. We at first booked the boat/snorkeling/turtle sanctuary trip through our hotel front desk, but later that evening we coincidentally ran into the owner of this boat company's brother while we were eating dinner. He gave us a great package for the trip and gave us VIP service at the turtle sanctuary.
While we were snorkeling the water became really choppy because of all the boats. One lady and her husband had just gotten in the water when the lady wouldn't stop screaming. She was holding on to her husband for dear life. I could tell she was Chinese. She saw her boat drifting farther away from her and yelled, "Hello!" Her boat driver just smiled and waved back at her. Then she started to "climb the ladder" (a swimming position people take when panicking in the water and start using the person next to them as a ladder) she called again but this time yelling, "S.O.S!" with a Chinese accent. I swam over to her and said in Chinese, "I am going to help you. Now turn around and face your husband so I can help you back to your boat." She looked so surprised to see a white girl speaking to her in Chinese but was very compliant. She thanked me, and I suddenly realized that all the people from the surrounding boats were watching, and everyone gave me a round of applause! Then I was on my way and continued snorkeling. The husband of the Chinese lady I "rescued" asked Sean how I learned those rescue moves, and how the heck the white lady knew how to speak Chinese. And Sean asked the Chinese man if he'd ever seen the T.V. show Baywatch, and that I used to be cast on the show! Then he told him just kidding, but that I really used to be a lifeguard and that we have been living in Beijing for the last three or so years.
When we got to the Turtle Sanctuary (Turtle breading pool) we were so amazed at the liberty of being able to pick up the turtles and swim with them!
Sean said the turtles were very strong and heavy. Their fins had super-human strength.
The black spots in the water were other friendly turtles coming over to get a hug too :-)
I think this guy thought Sean had been volunteering at the sanctuary for a while because all the turtles kept coming over to him and following him around the pool. So Sean started directing the turtles over to the steps where people were waiting for up-close pictures.
Some turtles gave Sean a run-around for his money.
After having a once in a lifetime experience swimming with the turtles, we had an opportunity to take pictures holding some wild and crazy animals.
This snake really twisted hard around my right shoulder. I'm still a little creeped out just by looking at this picture.
Yes, this is a bat! It was huge!
They told us we could only stand behind the eagle. I was a little nervous it would claw my eyes out if I got too close.
We worked up an appetite after our adventurous afternoon. So we went back to our resort and explored for some places to eat. We ate some delicious tacos here. In Beijing, Mexican food doesn't exist. We have to make it at home if we really want it. So basically all we ate was breakfast at the hotel and mexican food for dinner the entire trip. It really was paradise for us.
This is on the way back to the hotel. The five-ten minute walk from the outlet/mall to the resort was verdant and tropical and full of foliage and made for very amenable walking.
Day Three
We spent soaking up the sun on the beach and just relaxing and swimming. Imagine us frolicking on the warm island sand under the hot equatorial sun, laughing and splashing in the refreshing, sparkling water. No pics necessary.
Day Four
We hired a private driver to take us to the Ubud craft markets, Tegallalang rice terraces, and the island's tallest Volcano. Our drive was fantastic! He picked us up and gave us some bottled water and a map to show us where we would be stopping. He used to work on cruise ships and learned a lot about western culture and service with a smile. He was very accommodating and took us to some of the island's best look-out points. Here are a few pictures of our trip.
We first stopped in Ubud. Here the local ladies are decorating different types of linens and clothing with different colors of hot wax.
These are ikat weaving machines. Ikat is patterned fabric that is actually woven.
There are lots of stone and wood carvers here. 95% of the population in Bali is Hindu, where other islands of Indonesia are 95% Muslim.
In order to enter the temples you must dress modestly. These sarongs were provided for anyone wanting to enter the Hindu temple. I love that they gave us matching ones since we're a couple.
This is our driver.
Bail people make these little baskets and leave them at the temples around the island. Inside is a little offering to show their sacrifice and gratitude for their blessings. This one in particular was really beautiful with the different flowers.
Driving out of Ubud up to the volcano.
It was fun to have the steering wheel on the right-hand side and to drive on the left-hand side of the road.
Up at the volcano it was really windy. It was really beautiful and a sight to see. The last time the volcano erupted was over 40 years ago. The dark-looking shadows on the land are lava remains. As you can see, no vegetation has grown over it.
We ate at a wonderful Balinese-Hindu restaurant that overlooked the view of the volcano. I loved the fried bananas and the cooked squash in the rice.
On our way back down the volcano we stopped at the Tegallalang rice terraces. Rice had just been planted. It was breathtaking!
I loved how all of these Palm Trees were filled with coconuts.
This local lady was so friendly that she even waived for the picture. Say cheese!
The locals sell and carry things on their heads. Sean took this picture as we were driving in the car. It turned out great even though we were moving rather quickly.
We had our driver drive by Kuta beach so we could check out the surf. Our driver warned us about the traffic and crowds, but was still willing to drive through to let us see it. He was right. We sat in traffic after seeing the beach for over an hour. We were glad we didn't book our stay there because it was super crowded, noisy, and the beach looked just like Imperial Beach in San Diego (murky). Nusa Dua (where we stayed) was more family oriented, had more of a tropical feel, and was peaceful and relaxing. However, if we were here during the high surf seasons, Sean and I would have loved to see the surf competitions in Kuta. We went back to our resort and went swimming at the beach. We found lots of colorful fish and some starfish! While I was laying out on the sand, Sean saw an octopus swimming right beneath him! How rad is that!
On our last night we had some savory gelato. It was divine! Of course I got chocolate and Sean ended up choosing guava.
Part of Sean's ice cream fell on the ground, and the friendly server gave Sean another heaping scoop, but in a bowl so it wouldn't spill this time. We loved the service here! :)
Goodbye Bali, you made us so happy! :)
