The rich and powerful have descended with much fanfare on beautiful Bali for the G20 summit, which is being hosted by Indonesia for the year 2022. Perhaps it’s just a coincidence, as your humble travel correspondent has embarked on a five week adventure to this wonderful part of the world at the same time. Mind you, the massive carbon emitting convoys I bear witness to on the streets every day as the elites shuttle from the G20 venue to their five star accommodation in Nusa Dua is something to behold, and doing wonders for local traffic conditions at the same time! I’m sure it comes about at the conclusion of another exhausting day emitting copious carbon from their lying mouths, as the elites insist on pontificating in a superior tone about what they have in store for to the rest of us lesser humans! Leaving politics aside, I have fond memories of Bali, after all this is the only place I’ve travelled for two separate weddings of friends from back home. These joyous occasions I helped to celebrate with my friends, coupled with the breezy nature of the Balinese people all but guarantee a return visit after 15 away is just what the doctor ordered. Generally speaking work and life have become more stressful since the pandemic turned our collective worlds upside down in early 2020. It’s incredible to note that now we are in late 2022, and I’ve never been a person to live my life in fear. It’s impossible to imagine, dear reader, that I have travelled so much of the world if my life ethos has not been galvanised by an adventurous spirit! Life is not without risk and never has been, and bearing this in mind I encourage those of you who may have parked that adventurous spirt to break free from the shackles collectively imposed on us by faceless bureaucrats and power hungry politicians. I recommend you get the travel skates on and set out to explore this beautiful planet we are all blessed to share. The experiences, the people, the culture, it’s all there waiting for you if you just pull the trigger and commit once more to hitting the road!
The adventure commenced after an intense period of work in Sydney. To be honest my focus in the office has never been at this consitent level since the beginning of the pandemic, but a long suppressed desire to get out and explore the world still resides deep in my soul, and will continue to do so. The familiar feeling of anticipation and excitement remains an emotion that is difficult to match, as I jetted out of Sydney to arrive at Australia’s favourite travel destination after less than six hours flying time. How good is that, a completely different and unique culture is only a short flight away, and after nearly two weeks in the country I can assure the reader the beautiful and welcoming nature of the Balinese people remains as strong as ever. I checked in to a very plush villa in Canggu around midnight. The area is the happening spot just now in Bali, loaded up with expats and surfers who are here for the consistent waves and buzzing night life the area is famed for. There are beach clubs galore, fine dining and prodigious amounts of traffic on the narrow streets.
A friend from Sydney has made a life for himself near Canggu with his wife and young son. On my first morning in chaotic Canggu we met for lunch and coffee over a good catch up. I followed behind him on my rental bike, feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the number of bikes and cars on the road. The area is close to log jam for most of the day in and around the town centre, and only one narrow road heads south towards Seminyak, Legian and Kuta. So in order to get around riders must battle the extreme traffic, which for me proved to be the only negative of staying in Canggu. The villa also books a large number of tour options to explore the island, which are quite affordable and well organised. I have two weeks booked in Canggu, and there is so much to see in Bali it was soon time to get cracking.
The first day tour was a long trip starting early with a shuttle bus out to Sanur. From the port of Sanur boats head out for the fast ferry ride to one of the most famous destinations on Bali, the beautiful island of Nusa Penida. The island is famed for both the quality of the snorkelling and it’s natural scenery. What a day the tour team packed in for us in a very efficient manner. No sooner had the group been sorted for snorkelling gear than we shot out in smaller groups for a total of four snorkelling spots over the course of a few hours. The spots were all teeming with tropical fish and stunning coral, and it was a blast to try out my new gopro for some underwater footage. I found the four stops to be more than sufficient, and was quite tired when they ferried up back in for lunch. We enjoyed a pleasant meal in a group of four, and then headed out in the car to explore the beautiful sights with our driver. The coastal scenery is completely off the charts, with absolutely stunning photographs on offer. We also went to a few lovely remote beaches to top off an excellent first day of touring.
I took a day of down time, and then booked on the next tour to Ubud, the historical heart of Bali. The day commenced with an hour long performance by a theatre group set to traditional Balinese music. We got to see sarong makers and wood carvers, visited a coffee plantation to sample their wares, and visited some lovely temples. Ubud has a different feel to the rest of Bali, with a focus on the heritage and culture of the island, as well as offering extreme adventure options for visitors in the form of quad bike tours and white water rafting. I had an interesting tour of the region, taking in the many different sights with friendly and welcoming staff. The tour included a trip up to Kintamani for spectacular views of Batur mountain over a buffet lunch, along with a visit to a wonderful waterfall. It was great to be back in Ubud for a return visit after so many years away and an enjoyable tour.
The next tour was to Padang Bai which is famous as a snorkelling and dive location. The coral reefs and the tropical fish are spectacular, both in their vibrant colours and the sheer volume of fish in the ocean. My captain at one spot asked me to trail him while he dolled out fish food from a water bottle. I have never seen such a swarm of beautiful fish in my entire life as they frantically swam around him, it was a veritable explosion of colour! The final tour was to the Uluwatu region, with gorgeous beaches to explore and the spectacular Uluwatu temple perched on a cliff top. The temple grounds are stunning, but beware the cheeky and abundant monkeys who snatch sunglasses and pop out the lenses from unsuspecting tourists. There are locals who offer food to the monkeys and retrieve stolen goods for the tourists, all for a fee of course. It’s quite the racket they have going on up there! Anyway, two weeks in beautiful Bali have literally flown by, and it’s time to get out to explore some other islands. Come to Bali, basically all of you should be here now!
” A ship is safe in harbour, but that’s not what ships are for.” William G.T. Shedd
As I continue my travels, until next time it’s signing off for now
Tom
Tom's music blog can be found here:
http://www.tomrooneymusic.com
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