Indonesia. Temples, beaches, spices and Bintang.
Bali is a place not to be missed - I however, almost did just that.
A hot day in Bondi means one thing. People. And when there are a lot of people in Bondi there are no buses/cabs/donkeys/or carrier pigeons out of there. So after waiting 45 minutes for a bus out of Bondi and another hour on a bus to the airport, I arrived 10 minutes past the 1 hour check-in for my international flight. Long story short. They didn't let me on the flight (begging did not work with the woman at the counter- though believe me, I tried). But by some miracle, they decided to have just a bit of pity on me and book me on the next flight out (the next day) free of charge, which for JetStar is pretty much unheard of.
Needless to say, the next day I was 3 hours early to my flight and made it on without a hitch.
Bali was an amazing place, breakfasts on the beach in the morning, 3 dollar Bintang beers, $12 huge seafood dinners, beautiful temples, and amazing people.
My favorite part about Bali (besides the food!) were the temples. We visited two temples, a water temple as well as the Mother Temple: Besakih - which all Balinese people are required to pray at once a year.
Our trip was on motor bike - which was a pain in the ass - literally. Hills and winding roads, combined with dirt and intense heat made for a very uncomfortable ride. We had to take bum-breaks every 45 minutes just so that we could regain feeling. But despite the soar arses, it was the perfect way to see the Bali countryside. No roof meant you could see the high rice paddies, and look around at the constant movement of people putting out offerings and tending to their children and the myriad of animals.
The icing on the cake in Bali was definitely my birthday dinner in Jimbaran. Jimbaran is a fishing community where they have started putting restaurants along the beach. The sand is lined with rows and rows of tables overlooking the water. The fish is freshly caught and kept in tanks, ready for you to come and choose. There is no menu, and once you choose your fish, they cook it - you don't even decide how. And of course, you can get a fresh baby coconut, chopped open for drinking. Sunset, seafood and good friends was the perfect way to celebrate 26 in Bali.
