Farewell Bali!

We write as we are in the air from Bali to Singapore! 

Our last two days in Gili T were super fun! We went on a snorkel trip (Laura and Alexis finally saw a sea turtle) and scoped out the coral. Kerri described it perfectly when she said, "You know you are spoiled when you are unimpressed with this."  Our $9 snorkel tour would have been more fun if it was a clear day, but even with the clouds we had a nice time. Our last night we rallied and had a fun night dancing and drinking our fill of Bintang!

REAL Sea Turtle!!!

Real Sea Turtle!

Struggle Cityyy snorkelling, struggle usual

Thankfully we were able to take the fast boat back from Gili T which was loads more comfortable and pretty sweet. After arriving back on main island Bali we took a shuttle to a beautiful resort, Bali Tropic, in upscale (and a little pretentious) Nusudua. Gorgeous room (shower pressure and AC!) it was nice to be pampered. That night we scoped out downtown Nusadua which was very Westernized, including manicured lawns and three different security checkpoints. With lots of upscale shops and families, we joked it was like the Tyson's Corner of Bali. After a lovely but not so restful sleep (as Alexis has developed a sincere cold - not much sleeping with all that coughing in a room share)  we spent the day lounging by the beautiful pool and feeling worlds away from the flies at Gili T and the trash on Kuta's beaches. 

UPGRADE!

That afternoon we took a cab to Uluwatu, checked in to our homestay and hired a car to take us to the Uluwatu temple which is on a cliff overlooking the ocean. We saw a traditional Kecak fire dance (see video) and a gorgeous sunset. Afterwards we went to a cute restaurant for some live music and dinner at this awesome bar called the Single Fin. Sadly that night we bade farewell to our incredible pals from LA, Lauren and Caitlin. So grateful to meet these girls who played such a huge part in the fun had during this first leg of our trip! 

Girls at the Uluwatu Temple

Kecak Fire Dance

Thursday morning we woke up and walked to the beautiful Panang Panang beach (our first sandy instead of cut-your-feet-coral beach experience). After working on our tans we went back to Uluwatu to check out the surf during the day time. We enjoyed a coconut admiring the view (and the surfers) at Single Fin again. Then we ventured down the steep hillside of the cliff town of Uluwatu to check out where the surfers get out... Pretty crazy!

Padang Padang Beach

Uluwatu gateway cave to the ocean

Uluwatu

Uluwatu

That afternoon we caught a taxi back to Seminyak, per the Struggle Cityyy usual, we were taken to the wrong hotel and it was quite the ordeal. After we got to the right place we did some shopping then got ready for our night. Although the intention was a night on the town (our last night in Bali!) we ended up having a low key delicious (and fancy) dinner at Potato Head Beach Club. The butterfish and expertly mixed cocktails blew our minds but it is safe to say Potato Head was way out of our backpacker league (and budget!) This morning we slept in, got a $5 pedicure and then caught a cab to the airport. 

Our trip to Bali has been a lot of things. Firstly, expensive. Bali felt more (especially in our pockets) like a holiday as opposed to our new adapted backpacker lifestyle. But we all agree we had to start somewhere.. and overall are feeling more prepared for life on the road. 

Backpack lurvin'

Bali's rich culture is prevalent in all aspects of Balinese life, and although it feels at times everyone is trying to take advantage of you (could the three of us look any more like tourists?) the people overall are lovely, charming and quick with a joke. Our trip definitely showed us the many sides of Bali: temples, rituals and tradition...Rice terraces, beaches and volcanoes...Clubbing, haggling and Bintang. We got a taste of it all and when exploring a new place.. what more can you ask for? 

Xoxo,

Laura (or as the street vendors called to her, "Lady Gaga") , Alexis ("King kong foot size" - unique selling tactic used by a Balinese man) and Kerri ("Hey Little One! Come here!)