Bali

Feb. 22-23

I think this is our 4th visit to Bali. About 30 years ago, we flew in and I drove around the island. I wouldn’t want to drive in the traffic today. We returned with kids and stayed in Ubud, an “artsy” city about 35-40 minutes from the city of arrival and capital, Denpasar. Today that trip takes about three times as long. We would return to Bali, but would definitely base or operations outside of the urban center. The motor scooters run the show and make it tough on we novice drivers.

Our first day found us on a standard tour to the Denpasar central market and temple. We thought of leaving the tour group and making our way back to the ship after exploring on our own. However the distance plus the heat and humidity changed our minds. The market and temple were nothing special. We had a dancing exhibition and refreshments between the two and it was pretty good…especially the cold beer.

We returned to the ship and captured prime seats for an Indonesian dinner and dance show. The event was on the “pool deck” which has a moveable roof. As clouds appeared, the roof was 80 percent closed. We were in the front rows ….the “unclosed area.” We were in an impressive tropical storm that caused evacuation from the area and flooded meals. I think we enjoyed it more than our compatriots. The music and dance were very good.

Our second day found us on an excursion to Ubud. Our first stop was a visit to rice terraces which occupy steep slopes.. While we had seen these on previous visits, they are now a commercial center for zip lines, swings, and even bicycle rides along a wire high above the terraces. It all looked safe enough, but didn’t attract us.

Next, we visited the Ubud market…the best on the island. It’s a great market covering blocks. We only had 1 1/2 hours there so moved quickly to it. After acquiring a few trinkets, Karla found a massage spot. She was looking for a foot and leg massage, but it cost $70,000 in Indonesian. Seems like a big number until you appreciate that there are 16,000 rupiah to one dollar. I went shopping while Karla started. I found a nice shirt, but had to pay $5. I got Karla a dress, but paid twice that much. She always gets more.

I returned to the massage place and Karla encouraged me to get a back massage. I did. Both massages were pretty good, but we had to pay between 9 and 10 dollars. With a dollar tip for each of the masseuses, it drove the price to over $10!….total, for both! We may make it back there. Nice environment, temples everywhere, friendly people, and not too expensive.