Blissful in Bali

A short flight of just over 1 hour from Labuan Bajo finds us in Bali – the last stop on our Indonesian odyssey.

When we last visited Bali in 2019 we spent a few days in Ubud – this time we have two days in the south, just to see what the tourist hype is all about, before retreating to the jungle in the north of Bali.

Bali has always conjured images of white beaches, colourful Balinese temples, rice terraces and of course beautiful blue skies…

Yet despite having arrived bang in the middle of the dry season – the weather Gods have other plans. When we were in Komodo, we were told by a couple we met on the boat, that they had been unlucky with the weather in Bali – apparently it was torrentially wet. We had, naively, hoped that the bad weather would have passed by the time we arrived. Alas…

However, one of the great things about travelling, as opposed to being on holiday, is that the weather is not such a big deal. When you are on holiday everything is condensed. You arrive somewhere for a few days having looked forward to it for months – so bad weather is pretty devastating. I really did feel for the honeymooners we saw, who as far as I can tell, saw no decent weather for their entire trip. For us, a couple of days of reading our books was just fine and dandy. Plus the Desa Hay was great and the food wasn’t bad either!

We did venture out between downpours and took a short cab drive to Canggu beach – a favourite spot with surfers (who don’t mind a bit of bad weather seemingly). We watch good, bad and different exponents of the sport, happily ensconced in a beach side bar with a fresh coconut each. This bit of practical advice sprayed on one of the walls opposite the bar caught my attention.

Sweeping generalisation approaching – but southern Bali is not for me. Feels very touristy and there are definitely more authentic experiences to be had elsewhere. Glad to have seen it – but equally glad that we are moving swiftly on.

So with that, the next morning we take a 3 hour cab drive to Munduk Cabins. The view from our cabin was stunning – stretching miles over the jungle towards Java across the sea (with obligatory volcanos in the background – of course).

The temperature in the north is somewhat cooler and we were blessed with perfect weather. Having visited our share of rice terraces, temples and waterfalls previously – it was nice to be somewhere that we could explore at a nice sedate pace. The pool and hot tub overlooking the panorama were firm favourites of ours – as were the sunsets.

Walking anywhere near the hotel was not for the faint-hearted given that everything is on a hill in Munduk – but the local area made for an interesting stroll nonetheless. Rice terraces, coffee plantations and surprisingly, fields full of beautiful blue Hydrangeas. In contrast to the south it all feels very peaceful and you get a sense of real village life.

We visit Ulun Danu Bratan – a temple on the waterfront which is still very active with local ceremonies.

The temple has the added bonus of a small petting zoo (I’m a big child). Unlike the UK where you might find a rabbit and some baby goats – a Balinese petting zoo includes – owls, pythons, civets and Flying Foxes! I was particularly fascinated by the latter – never been up-close and personal with a giant bat before!

Having taken on board a bit of culture in the morning, and with Jenn happily absorbed in a book, it felt like a good chance to get out on a golf course. Handara golf course is literally carved out of the jungle and the perfect place to lose a load of newly purchased golf balls!

I’ve never had a caddy before, but it’s mandatory at Handara. Felt a little nervous, given that I’m notoriously inconsistent…

My caddy is very kind and patient. The fact that on the first hole he hands me a driver and says – ‘put the ball between the bunker and the tree on the left hand side of the fairway – that will give you the best chance of hitting the green in two’ suggests that he has no idea of who he is dealing with. He quickly learns…

By the end of the round, he’s abandoned useful advice and instead resignedly hands me a club and just says ‘try your best to hit it.’ I jest of course…. 😉 He did however film my finest moment – ‘a guaranteed birdie’ putt – enjoy…

Having reminded my self why I’m not on the PGA tour, next day we trek through the Tamblingan jungle – taking in several temples en route. Our guide explains a little about the importance of offerings and ceremony in local culture. As you drive around Bali its impossible not to notice the number of small family shrines that seem to form an essential part of every home. Our guide explains that everything in Bali is about balance – offerings are made to both good and bad spirits – very wise! Ancestry is also a very important part of the culture here – with even the purchase of a new car calling for a ceremony to invoke good fortune and safe travel!

It wouldn’t be a Balinese blog without a waterfall – so we dutifully visit Banyumala on our way to the airport. We’ve seen a fair few waterfalls now – but they never really get old – particularly when the walk is not overly steep!

With that it’s time to say a fond farewell to Indonesia! Australia beckons via a two and a half hour flight to Darwin (landing at 2.40am). A new continent to explore, the Ashes still in the balance – exciting!