June 10-11: Bali

Bali is probably the premier vacation destination in Indonesia, so it was pretty much imperative that we visit this island. We met back up with Al’s sister, mother, and aunt, in the Bali airport on the night of June 9, and made our way to the house we’d rented through Airbnb. Like many of the houses we’d seen in Indonesia, this one was gargantuan. Unfortunately, it was too far off the beaten track for many in our party, so we spent most of the next day finding a more luxurious hotel and moving our belongings there. We were not ready to get on with our vacation until almost 4 in the afternoon.

We thought we’d take a half-hour drive to see the monkey forest in Ubud. Of course, thanks to traffic (Not just limited to Jakarta apparently!) and a run-in with a police officer (easily resolved with a tiny bribe) the half-hour ended up being more like an hour and a half, and we arrived after the park had already closed. Fortunately, there were monkeys sitting outside the gates, so we didn’t go away totally unsatisfied.

We strolled up and down the street for a while, and then had dinner in a pretty snazzy restaurant, where I had gado-gado again. That is basically (with small variations) the one and only Indonesian entree that I can eat.

The infamous gado-gado, sauce on the side.

That night, though we were all tired and unmotivated, somehow we (Al’s sister, him, and I) dredged up enough energy to go out for a night on the town. I, being a veteran of clubbing in DC, where everyone is uptight, was struck by how happy everyone seemed at the bars in Bali! We indulged in flaming cocktails (photos did not turn out) and danced until my shoe fell apart (my shoes do that a lot when I’m going out), and then danced some more. It was a weeknight, so the clubs were not too crowded, and I was able to dance barefoot without fear of stepping on something unpleasant.

The next day was again almost entirely wasted driving, this time to return the rental car. We got back from this errand in late afternoon, and had just enough time to hit the beach for an hour or so before sunset.

Al says Bali is also a premier destination for surfing, and I could see why. The waves there were bigger than any other beach I’ve ever been at. I was able to ride a couple of them, sans surf board, which I wouldn’t know how to use anyway, and got a ton of sand in my suit.

That mission accomplished, it was time for dinner on the beach, and then back to the hotel for the night.