Our trip to Indonesia to say the least was eventful. It’s unlike any other place I’ve been to, it has a unique vibe. We spent a couple of weeks exploring this majestic lush place. We went during their low season and it was still busy. There is raw beauty in this country unlike any other. The locals are super kind and friendly. 

Let’s start with the one and only…Bali. We stayed in Padma hotel which is further away from the center of Bali and the main airport but we wanted to disconnect and be in utter nature. Staying at Padma was such a delight, they went above and beyond to accommodate our needs and provide us with vegan food options. The location is literally in the middle of a lush jungle. it doesn’t get any better than that. The thing that I loved most about this hotel is waking up to the morning fog covering the trees feeling like you can walk onto the clouds from your balcony and not to mention the sound of wildlife is beyond peaceful.

Shortly after we arrived, we headed to the center of Ubud to have dinner at one of their highly-rated vegan restaurants, Moksa. The food was too good that we had to come back the next day. Ubud is known for being laid back, a hub for culture and arts and amazing healthy food.

We explored a few rice terraces while we were there, because I mean you have to visit the rice terraces if you’re in Bali. You have to!

This is Tegallalang rice terrace which is the most popular site in Ubud. As you can see in the photo, it’s beautifully laid out but it is a tourist trap. Every crossing point, you will be asked for change to pass thru the field. Jon took a pic with one of the farmers just for fun and he demanded us to pay him after we took the picture. So just keep that mind, bring some coins. Another thing to keep in mind is to try to avoid wearing flip flops. The walking path along the rice field is soaking wet and it makes it super hard to walk on especially with flip flops. My feet were sinking deep into the ground and I couldn’t walk far without struggling. I ended up taking my shoes off. I wouldn’t go out of my way to see this particular rice field as it was too crowded unless you go just after sunrise.

 

My fav rice field, however, is a UNESCO cultural heritage site known as the world’s important cultural landscapes, it’s called Jatiluwih rice terraces. It’s the largest one and in my opinion the prettiest of all rice terraces. Entering the terrace requires a small fee but it’s so worth it as not many tourists know about. When we went, it was literally just us and our tour guide. It was truly a serene spot in Bali that I will never forget, the endless hues of green that surround the entire area is breathtaking. We also ended up getting some rice to take home with us, their red rice is phenomenal and full of nutrients. overall it was a great spot and a must-see!

 

Next up, the most Instagrammable gate ever, Handara Golf & Resort. This gate is so picturesque, something dark and mystical that you can only feel once you’re standing in front of it. There are nearby waterfalls in this area as well.

Bali is known for its magical temples. Definitely check out some of the temples while you’re in Bali but don’t spend all your trip visiting various temples. I personally skipped Uluwatu Temple due to the outrageous amount of monkeys that are there and the fact that these cheeky monkeys steal everything they can get their hands on lol that made me lose interest, so be careful of those cute suckers, I heard they can be very aggressive.

The Ulun Danu Beratan Temple is one of my favs, it’s a scenic landmark of Bali. The mountains and lake Beratan set the perfect backdrop. Another great temple that I wanted to check but couldn’t as it was very far from where stayed is Tanah Lot. Tanah lot is the temple you see on all of Bali’s postcards, the one situated on the shore in the water. It’s famous for epic sunsets. Tourists are not allowed inside the temple, but you can check out the surrounding area.

 I’ve seen so many photos on social media of people swinging high above the trees of Bali and after trying it out I gotta say It was loads of fun, feeling of adrenaline and thrill rushed through me overlooking the waterfalls, the river valley and the lush green forest.  I can’t remember the name of this particular one but you will find a few swing sites in Ubud.

 

 

 

Nusa Penida

Let’s just say this is when our trip got more adventurous. Getting to Nusa Penida wasn’t the smoothest ride. The fast boats operate daily from Sanur to Nusa Penida. If you’re traveling with lots of luggage, just keep in mind that you will have to walk in the water to get on the boat so dress accordingly (there is no dock to walk on in Sanur harbor) but don’t worry the guys there will carry your luggage for you. However, getting off the boat once we arrived in Nusa was very rough, the dock in Nusa’s harbor is not stable and it was in a VERY rough condition. You will need to roll your own luggage on that dock which was a nightmare but if you have a backpack you will be ok.

Your flipflops will be awaiting you in a big bucket of flip flops once you get off the dock. I remember it being crowded, loud, and super hot.  My first impression on the island is that it’s very undeveloped. There are few hotels but they were not in great shape. We picked to stay at their newest hotel and it wasn’t great either. There aren’t that many options when it comes to good food on the island but we had already booked our stay for 3 days prior to knowing all that.  I highly recommend getting your own tour guide as the roads were still under construction and very hard to drive on. Our tour guide took us to 3 major landmarks: Kelingking (they call it the Dinosaur lookout), Crystal Bay, and Broken Beach

While we were in Kelingking, we lost our drone as it was very windy that day. We couldn’t see where it was stuck but we knew it didn’t go far from us, it was somewhere down the cliff (9 meters to be exact). He got so upset and started to search for it everywhere. The locals asked what was wrong and what were we looking for? Right after we told them what had happened they went out of their way and spent hours helping us look for the drone. It was the sweetest gesture ever. But also dangerous. They grabbed random ropes and tied themselves with NO harness whatsoever and climbed down the mountain to search for the drone!!!!!!! When I saw them do that, I immediately told them to come back up and that we can’t have anyone get hurt over this. They kept insisting despite my worried face. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find the drone but everyone made it back up okay minus a few scratches. Indonesian people are truly kind and warm-hearted people. In the end, we lost the drone but we gained many friends.

Next stop: Lombok. It all went downhill from here 

The only reason we wanted to go to Lombok is to see the strawberry fields in the mountains and as a stopover to go to Gili islands from there. I would say Lombok was my least fav of the rest. Something about it didn’t vibe with me but worth checking out for 1 day. Due to bad weather, we had to cancel going to Gili islands. We ended up staying longer in Lombok, and I just felt it was lacking something. The north of the island is beautiful and lush, the beaches were ok, nothing special.

I associate Lombok with negative memories of us trying to flee Indonesia when Mount Agung erupted. When we first arrived in Lombok, they told us the mountain had become active again and it had caused Bali airport to close and cancel all flights. Everyone was coming to Lombok to leave from Bali and we thought it was going to be okay but then all flights from Lombok were canceled as well so we had to wait 2 days for the situation to get sorted out and sadly it didn’t. We got stuck on Lombok and missed on our next flight and hotel stay in Thailand. People were getting anxious and frustrated at the airport and no one could promise us a flight out anytime soon. some people were in Lombok for 9 days waiting to get on a plane.

Long story short, we decided to head back to Bali (where the mountain erupted) and take the risk of flying out from their airport instead as they reopened it for one day. We quickly took a taxi to the nearest ferry terminal so we can get out of Lombok and back to Bali. This my friends was a nightmare. It was a 2 hrs drive and another 2 hrs of waiting for the ferry. When the ferry showed up, it was actually NOT a ferry but a normal speed boat. The weather conditions were terrible that day and I had my concerns about getting on that boat. The story gets worst from here as I had almost fainted from a shortage of breathing. The swales were nothing like I have seen before, they were washing right over the boat. I was going to literally throw up but Jon kept reminding me to breathe. It was the WORST boat ride of my life (it lasted about 2 hrs) but we made it to Bali. We had an hr to rush to the airport and thank God we made it but only to find out our flight got delayed lol. Delayed is better than canceled. I was soooo thankful to be at the airport that day. I was ready to leave and say farewell for now.

The trip overall was an adventure, we were fortunate to see breathtaking views, and will be back in the near future.

Be inspired,

MM