Good Golly, Hello Bali

Greetings again folks,
Fall break arrived on the calendar last week for Marianella and I, providing us with another opportunity to seek out the wonders of southeastern Asia and escape the monsoon season that just does not want to end in Dhaka. After some deliberation, Bali came into focus for us-a reasonable flight from home and a reputation as a tropical paradise drew us in. After booking the plane tickets, our research began in earnest. Opinions about the island paradise varied greatly when reading through various websites-while many attested to its beauty and culture, others bemoaned a destination overran by obnoxious tourists and stand-still traffic. Fortunately, options on where to stay on the island abound and we chose two locales that proved to be wise choices-Ubud, located in central Bali and considered the cultural center of the island and Candidasa, located on the Bali's east coast, perched against the Pacific Ocean.

Ubud

4:30 a.m. It is a time of day we do our best to avoid being conscious at, and most days we are successful at achieving this modest goal. However, due to our flight arriving in Bali at 2:30 a.m. and the subsequent hour and a half taxi ride to the resort outside of Ubud, we were checking into our room at 4:30 a.m. Never have I been as thankful for booking a first-rate hotel. With October right on the edge of the rainy season in Bali, off-season rates were quite attractive and we pounced on the offer from Ayung Resort, a sparkling new retreat just six months open to the public situated in the sublime wilderness on the outskirts of Ubud. The comfy bed delivered us to sleep almost immediately and when we awoke again mid-morning, we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast on the dining room veranda, followed by a few hours spent poolside, securing a solid afternoon nap before embarking on an exploratory visit into Ubud in the late afternoon. Our primary vacation aim of relaxation was already being achieved.
Outside the front lobby:

Along the pathway around the hotel:

The view at breakfast:

It was on the second night of our trip where the magic of Bali presented itself to us. We had unknowingly arrived in Ubud while the town was hosting their 10th annual Readers & Writers Festival, a wonderful event that included free author readings, films, and music spread across town. Marianella and I were happily indulging in the potpourri of culture, but by the early evening, our energy was flagging-it was a long day underneath the tropical sun and as we trudged to our last stop, we discovered we had incorrectly read the program-instead of heading to a desired poetry slam, we were among the audience of middle aged women who were acolytes of a local poet/singer who spoke liberally about her sensuality. I was underwhelmed and began to think we should find a taxi and head on back to the resort. Fortunately, the performer finished shortly after we arrived and some seats cleared out in the front of the bar/cafe. By this time, we made the decision to stay and wait for the world music that was promised after a couple more authors. Our endurance paid off-once the readings were complete, we absorbed the talents of two incredible musicians-Yeshe, an Australian singer-musician and Lasso, a drummer from Burkina Faso. They transformed the night for not just us, but the entire audience. When they finished their final song, an impromptu dance party broke out that enveloped the entire crowd, Marianella and I included.
Yeshe & Lasso:

Energized by our musical night out, we spent the next day touring around the outskirts of Ubud, greeted by a cloudless sky that allowed us clean views of the three major volcanoes of Bali. Following that, we visited a coffee plantation and then went temple-hopping to three Hindu temples, each of them possessing a distinctive beauty and character. After a bit of shopping in the villages noted for their handiwork, we retreated back to Ubud for a traditional Balinese dance performance. It was our last night in Ubud, so we enjoyed a late dinner in one of the many excellent restaurants in the town, lingering over our meal and drinking in the atmosphere. As our taxi returned us to the resort, Marianella commented that it seemed we had been on vacation much longer than three days, in a good way. It's a wonderful feeling to fully escape on vacation and Ubud had delivered.
On our Ubud area road trip:

At the Coffee Plantation:

Tampak Siring (The Holy Spring Temple):

Trying Out a New Look:

Local women preparing rice cakes for an upcoming festival:

Gunung Kawi (The Rocky Temple):

Goa Gajah (Elephant Cave Temple):

Candidasa & East Bali

If we were able to wind down in Ubud, we went into full relaxation mode once we arrived at the sleepy ocean-side community of Candidasa. I mentioned earlier our decision on where to stay when visiting Bali and our choice of Candidasa was actually the key-Ubud had been a no-brainer for us, but where to enjoy the ocean was the puzzler. Close to the airport are the primary beach destinations for Bali, but what we read about those areas was not too desirable for us-young, loud, late night revelers seemed to be the standard for this area. Candidasa offered a wonderful alternative-in the '80s it was being developed as the next hot spot for the beach crowd, but a botched development plan caused the beaches to erode and left the town to reinvent itself. From our perspective, it provides exactly what you would want in a vacation town-a smattering of good restaurants and little shops with a white sand beach just a short taxi drive away.
At our hotel in Candidasa:

Pasir Putih Beach:

The arrival to our boutique hotel garnered immediate affection-not ten steps from our door was the ocean, lapping against the shore and providing a harmonious landscape no matter the time of day or night. We only had two and a half days in East Bali, but we experienced what we could-a visit to a traditional Hindu village one morning, followed by a half-day at the beach and culminating in massages in the hotel's outdoor spa where the waves of the ocean provided a peaceful soundtrack. The next day brought a morning tour of the rice terraces and hillsides of East Bali with an afternoon spent by the pool before watching one of the most beautiful sunsets either of us had ever seen. It was an indelible memory that was delivering us a message-come on back to Bali. After watching the last glimmers of light leave with the sun, we said goodbye to Candidasa by indulging in a delicious fresh seafood meal coupled with an outstanding jazz performance, sending us onward to the airport with a pure sense of contentment. Bali may not be the pure paradise it was thirty or forty years ago, but we certainly tapped into its considerable charms in our week on the island and a return engagement seems likely.
Road tripping through the rice terraces: