Ballin' in Bali!

I recently came back from a week in Bali. I wasn't sure about going at first about going since Bali after all is a third world country. Two American girls in a third world country? That just made me nervous. My American roommate, Allie, convinced me to go. I figured when else can I go to Bali this cheap? I know I'd never fly there from the US. Now, it just made sense that I HAD to go.

We first flew to Perth because it was cheaper to fly to Bali from there than it was to fly from the Gold Coast.

Day 1: Our flight left Saturday at 6 to Perth from the Gold Coast. We were about three hours into the flight when the pilot announces “We need to fly back to Brisbane because we are having problems.” That was a scary moment of my life. So, we landed in Brisbane and had to wait about an hour or two before we could get a different plane to continue our journey. Brisbane is about an hour North of Gold Coast, so now our journey was going to take even longer! Finally, we got to take off to Perth. It was the worst flight of my life. The flight attendants were very rude and unfriendly. We arrived at Perth at about 3:30 am! I'm glad we didn't have a hotel booked. We just decided to camp out in the airport for the night since our flight for Bali was later that day.

In front of the Ulun Danu Temple

Day 2: We waited around the airport until 3 pm. Then, our flight left at 3 for Bali, Indonesia. I already knew I was in love with this place. The flight attendants were so welcoming already. The flight was only about 3 and a half hours. It wasn't bad at all. Then, I got off the plane and couldn't believe I was in Bali! I was so scared at first. First, I had to pay $25 American dollars for the visa. Then, we got outside and I was looking for someone holding a sign with my name on it to be picked up. I was glad I signed up online for an airport transfer for the hotel. I saw the sign and the driver took us to our first hotel. The first hotel was called The Legian Guest Hotel. It was a nice little hotel. It was in Legian. I felt so welcomed as soon as I arrived. This hotel was pretty cheap for two nights. I was glad we stayed here, because it was nice and clean. Also, I felt very safe. The first thing I noticed was motorbikes. Motorbikes are everywhere in Bali! Also, there are no rules on the road in Bali. People drive crazy! I was nervous all week being on the road. There are no speed limits or road signs anywhere! I could never drive here! We called it an early night since we've been traveling all day.

Day 3: Today was the North Bali Tour. We booked this tour before we left. Our driver picked us up at 8 am. First stop was to visit a place where they showed us how Bali's coffees and teas were made. This place was adorable. We got to sample several kinds of coffees and teas. The teas were delicious! Next stop we went to gardens. We saw a cactus exhibit, and a flower one. Next, we went to the markets. Markets in Bali are EVERYWHERE! I do mean, everywhere. Every corner, there's a market. You have to learn how to bargain. Bargaining is the key to getting a good deal there. They only take Rupiah, so I had to convert my money. 10,000 Rupiah is equal to about one American dollar. The markets are very cheap. At these markets, I got a t-shirt for 50,000 Rupiah, $5. Our driver recommended this restaurant for lunch. It was an all you can eat buffet for 80,000 Rupiah. Not bad. The food was good. Next stop: We went to the Ulun Danu Temple. That was very pretty. Then, we went to the hot springs. I was expecting the hot springs to be natural. Instead, it was man made. I was a little disappointed. I didn't really enjoy the hot springs that much, because people were naked in them, and I just felt grossed out the entire time. Next stop: We went to the black sand beach. I was also disappointed in this beach. The beach was disgusting. There was garbage everywhere. It was so sad to see. Last stop: Bali's biggest waterfall, Gitgit. Gitgit was beautiful! It was huge. It was amazing. We stopped for dinner on the way back, then called it a night. We didn't get back until almost ten pm! Our driver was so friendly. The only thing is I wish he spoke better English. There was huge language barriers the entire day. Anytime, we stopped somewhere we got our doors opened for us. The Balinese people were so gracious to us.

In front of the Cocoa Trees.

Riding Elephants!

Day 4: We decided we wanted to ride elephants today! We called a tour group and booked elephant riding. We checked out of our hotel, and were ready to ride elephants. The driver picked us up in the morning. We had a 30 minute ride on the elephants through the jungle. The tour guy rode the elephant in the front and we were on the elephants back in a little crate. It was so much fun! After we rode elephants we got lunch from the same place. After that, we were on our way to our second hotel, The Hard Rock Hotel. The Hard Rock Hotel was amazing!! It was a little pricey, but worth it. We checked in here, and then decided to explore a little. Kuta is a very touristy area, Everything is Americanized. There's Starbucks, McDonalds, Burger King, Pizza Hut and KFC. Bali is even more American than Australia! Kuta is nothing like Legian. It's all tourists here. Also, stuff is high-class. There's not as many markets. There's more high end stores here. The prices are the same American prices, just in Rupiah. So, we went to a restaurant for dinner. The food was all 30% off. I'm not sure if that was a good idea to go there or not. Ever since I ate here, I felt sick. We got some Bintang, Bali's number one beer, and explored a little more before we got back to the hotel. Anytime you walk into a store the people working there thank you for coming in and then thank you again for leaving. They are so friendly!

Day 5: Today Allie and I decided we wanted to have a relaxing day. We got up and had breakfast at the hotel. Breakfast was an unlimited buffet, so of course we stocked up for later. Then, we went to the spa. I got an aromatherapy massage and a pedicure, both for 150,000 rupiah ($15). It was so great. It was the best massage I've ever had. It felt amazing! After getting refreshed, we laid at the pool for the rest of the day. The pool was the biggest pool I've ever seen at a hotel. It also had a swim up bar. Later that evening, we got ready to go out for a night in Bali! The first night club we went to was called Bounty. This was my favorite club. They had buy one get one free specials. Also, their drinks are way bigger here. Also, they're so cheap. We went to about 5 or 6 different clubs. They are were all so much fun! The music was great.

Day 6: We went to Kuta beach. The beach was right across from our hotel. The weather has been perfect all week. It was almost 90 degrees F each day. I love hot weather! We stayed at the beach for a couple hours, the water was great and felt nice. Then, we realized we were getting burned so, we headed back to the pool to finish relaxing all day. We ate McDonalds for dinner. McDonalds is so cheap. For 9,000 Rupiah, $.09, you can get a McFlurry! After we laid out all day, we were exhausted and went to bed early. In Bali, there's also a 21% tax on everything! It's outrageous!

Hard Rock cafe

Day 7: We were leaving today. :( We checked out of our hotel and went shopping one last time in Bali. We went to some markets to find cheap deals. Then, we went to a high-class mall. Then, a driver from a spa, picked us up so we could go to the spa one last time. We got hair cream baths. Hair cream baths is just a hair treatment with natural ingredients. My hair has never felt so shiny and smooth before. Every time you check into a place you get a free welcome drink. So, every spa, hotel, or place we went to we either got tea or some other kind of drink. It's so nice that they do that. My favorite was of course the Balinese tea. Now, it was time to get on the plane and say bye to Bali. Our plane left Bali at 6:30 pm and we arrived in Perth at 11 pm. Luckily, we booked a hotel for the night since we had a 23 hour delay .

Day 8: We stayed the night in some hotel in Perth. We needed something else to do for the day since our plane didn't leave until 11pm. We called Swan Valley Wine tours to see if they had any room for tours today, and they did! So, we went on a wine tour. I've always thought Perth was a desert area and nothing to do. I was so wrong. This tour was awesome! The people I met on this tour were so nice. We all had such a good time. We visited four wineries, a brewery, and a chocolate factory. I never knew Perth has so many wineries. I enjoyed this tour so much. I'm so glad we decided to do this tour. Then it was time to leave and head back to the Gold Coast.

I learned so much this week. Balinese people are the friendliest people, you'll ever meet. Despite how poor they are, they are so grateful for everything they have. They just enjoy life so much. It really makes me feel so grateful for what I have. Americans and Australians have way more than Balinese people have, yet they aren't nearly as friendly. This was the best week of my life. I'm going to be talking about this trip forever. I'm so glad I went. Now, I love traveling even more and can't wait to see what else the world has to offer!

Kuta Beach