Bali and a luxury hotel

As we left Kuala Lumpur we were pretty excited about going to Bali. We knew already what to expect from the culture and the people and that it will be way more expensive and more crowded of tourist as any place else in Indonesia. But what we didn’t knew was how beautiful and high class our hotel for the first week was going to be. yes, a hotel. Unlikely for backpackers we had our residence in the Aston Bali a 4-star hotel with an all-inclusive package. I haven’t been in a hotel in easily 14 years and never in a 4-star one. So you can imagine how thrilled and overwhelmed I was when I saw the luxury in the hotel and especially in our room. Romy was a little bit used to this level of luxury, because she had been to several 4-star-all-inclusive hotels, but she was still amazed. The hotel was placed at the east coast what of the island which is only bad for me, because it needs a huge swell to get around the island for a surf. So unusually for me I was laying in the sun at the pool or the beach end enjoyed free drinks and food as much as I could.

We haven’t done anything else besides enjoying the hotel and the luxury and relaxing all day long. Because we are going to be backpacking for another 3 weeks, we didn’t mind feeling rich and important :D just kidding. But to have something to tell, we decided to go on a half day trip to the temple of Ulu Watu. We weren’t allowed to see the ceremony they had this week, but there was a lot of singing, praying and it smelled strong but good. We were able to avoid the monkeys which have no fear of humans at all and are known for steeling glasses, food or anything that can be taken off. But the temple was not enough, I though. Once we were here I wanted to see the famous surfspots of Ulu Watu or Padang Padang. So I led the ladys to a little touristic village hanging in in the tight cliffs. We went though and the narrow path took us far down the cliffs into almost cave like formations. A beautiful beach and an incredible view across the surfspot Ulu Watu awaited us with a warm welcome. We all were amazed and I never saw waves peeling down so perfect in my life. I didn’t took my surfboard with us, which was kind of a bummer. But no heart feelings, because I wasn’t sure about surfing on a reef as dangerous and scharp as this one. But the ladys convinced and actually forced me to rent a board and go in. I actually needed such a push and had no choice and went out. As I walked across the reef barefoot I realized how sharp it is and how much you don’t want to fall straight into it. On the other hand, if you don’t think about it and just focus on what the wave is doing, you are fine. The waves were small though and I managed to catch 4-5 in less than an hour. It was quite fun and I felt comfortable. My feet never touched ground unless I wanted them to. It was an amazing feeling. The waves are really strong, come out of nothing and looking down the small face was just a perfect wall. But never look down, because you can see every coral below your feet through the glassy water which makes you feel uncomfortable and pull back. anyway, what an awesome day.