I've been to Indonesia four times and Bali three. Bali is what it used to be and always will be, a paradise with warm friendly people and incredible surf. This island captivates whoever ventures to her shores and fertile hills. Bali is a small island, only about 5,780.06 km2 (2,231.69 sq mi) which is about twice the size of Rhode Island. About four million people call it home and it feels every bit as crowded, especially in the surf. It is the only Hindu island in Indonesia and everywhere you look there are temples full of flowers and incense. It's like a deep tissue massage for the senses.
Uluwatu, Bukit peninsula. Home to Bali's most famous surf breaks.
This was Polly's first visit. She is already looking into ways of buying property and working here. For myself it was at last a time to surf good waves after taking a long break from surfing. We spent our first week in Uluwatu which is Bali's most famous wave. My Al Merick surf board was in desperate need of repairs so I chose to rent out a board from our guesthouse while my board was getting fixed. This turned out to be a bad idea. The board was a 5.10, the waves were over head. To be honest I had a very fun first session. I caught a lot of waves on this tiny flimsy board and it felt really good under my feet. The racetracks section was perfect and not too crowded. As the sun went down I decided to paddle down the reef towards the heavier peak section. I took off on a set wave, my last wave of the day. I air dropped down, stuck the landing and went for my bottom turn. But the board ended up caving in under my feet and threw me off. After a quick beating I surfaced to find my board snapped in two. Hurriedly I started paddling at a diagonal towards the cave entrance. Unfortunately for me it was high tide and the current was too strong to swim against. I missed the narrow entrance/ exit and was forced to climb up on some rocks and climb over to get out. After all was said and done I had sprained my rotator cuff and snapped my rented board in two. My punishment was one week out of the water. This turned into a blessing in disguise, I got to enjoy Uluwatu with Polly.
The guesthouse pool
pre injury surf
In Bali "puja" are everywhere. These are offerings to the gods and they consist of sticky rice, fruit, leaves, and lit incense
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Entrance/ Exit to Uluwatu
Entrance to Uluwatu
The aftermath......
Uluwatu
Bali coffee is the best coffee in the world, hands down
Uluwatu temple, one of Bali's most famous sacred temples
post injury at Uluwatu temple
Kecuk dancers
Kecuk dance is the traditional Balinese performance involving several men chanting in harmony while dancers in costume reenact scenes of the Hindu epics like Ramayama.
The monkey king
Fire dance!
Uluwatu racetracks section
Padang Padang
Padang Padang temple
There is an amazing Italian restaurant in Padang Padang called Trattoria. It serves all homemade food made with local ingredients.
Steps down to Padang Padang which is Bali's most notorious and best wave
Padang Padang
Cangu
Well miraculously my shoulder healed in about a week. It was time to get some surfing done in Cangu!
We met our friend Topher who hung out with us for the rest of the trip
Tanah Lot temple, another of the holiest temples in Bali.
About to test the shoulder
Cangu, Echo beach
Me dropping in on a big left
Shoulder working fine
Stalling for the section
hack
cutback
Bali puppy
Relaxation
Cangu coastline
Traditional Balinese food
Traditional warang style Balinese cuisine
Cheesecake!
The entrance to "Old Man's" which normally isn't a very good wave but on a big BIG day its pretty fun.
Ubud, Bali's ancient capital and UNESCO HERITAGE site
The beautiful hills surrounding Ubud
While eating coconut at a small warang (restaurant) a monkey jumped down and tried to steal it from me. I reacted quickly and indiscriminately jabbed it in the ribs with my spoon. It ran off beaten, I had won!
Our motorbike for the week, a pink one
Pura Gunung Kawi countryside.
Bathing in this water fall was a holy experience
Holy water
While we were in Ubud we went on the Ubud Herbal Walk led by a local man by the name of Navi. The walk was very informative about various herbs growing in the hills and rice paddies. However the best part was the insight he gave us into the traditional Balinese way of life. He introduced the concepts of social hierarchy which money falls short of merit, artistic sense, and friendliness. It explained how an island so infused with tourism hasn't lost it's soul. We were wondering why the island is not spoiled, why there are still honest friendly people. It all comes from their traditions and ways of viewing personal honor. They value honesty, good will and artistic sense more than anything else and it shows.
Turmeric
White Turmeric
Vanilla bean
ducks are used as natural insecticide and fertilizer. After the harvest they themselves become food
Organic Balinese cuisine
Good bye Bali, another home away from home. We will be back, maybe for good next time.
