Bali Beautiful!

We've just returned from almost 3 weeks in Bali, Indonesia and I am feeling...well, fantastic! When people ask me what it is about Bali that makes it special, it is difficult to articulate. Having never been to Indonesia, or anywhere in Asia, I had no idea what to expect. What I found was wonderful and healing! I think it might work best if I start from the beginning and relay a few tales. The answer to the question will then reveal itself!

What can you get for $6 in Bali? A scooter rental for the day!

We started our visit to Bali at the Blue Point Bay Villas & Spa. It afforded breathtaking views of the beach and ocean…and spectacular sunsets! It also appeared to be a popular location for wedding photos!

My first wildlife encounter happened soon after arriving there. I had just pulled up a bar stool on a cliff side patio overlooking the ocean when a monkey came running up, jumped up beside me, bared his teeth and screamed at me! I screamed back and ran away. He stayed put! Lol

A few days later, we spent a couple hours haggling in the market then headed to the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary in Ubud. The entrance fee was a whopping $4 each, the most we've had to pay yet!

So, I may have gone a bit overboard on the monkey photos but I could not resist. In my defence, there are almost 700 monkeys in the forest and I didn't photograph all of them! Here’s just a few!

Other than alcohol, the only thing expensive here is Kopi Luwak coffee. We went to the coffee plantation to watch how it is made. You may have heard about it in the Jack Nicholson movie "The Bucket List". The coffee cherries are eaten by the Asian palm civet and pooped out. Then the beans are dried, cleaned and ground. It is one of the most expensive coffees in the world. Wasn't on my "bucket list" but it has the added advantage of low/no caffeine as I cannot tolerate caffeine. And, of course, it is also delicious!

We walked a few blocks to this awesome coffee shop to grab a cup of java. Warren got the Balinese coffee and I got the Luwak. Warren's was $2.35. Mine was $10.00! Quite the involved process to make my cup. Well worth the price.

While in Bali, I started a series of posts called "What can $x buy in Bali" - because everything is so inexpensive. To carry along with that theme, here are a few photos of our current accommodations. Each of the 16 rooms are alike, one bedroom private pool villas that overlook the rice paddies or, like ours, with a "Sacred Valley" view. Included in the room rate is breakfast (either delivered to your private poolside patio or in the outdoor garden restaurant), a 15-minute foot massage, afternoon tea in the garden, and shuttle to and from the heart of Ubud (about 15 min drive). And the price? $140 including tax! That's about the same as a hotel in my home town in Canada...minus the view, the private pool, and likely the breakfast!

Last night, Warren and I had a 2-hour couples treatment at the spa here, called "Lulur Ayu" (see description in photo) for $27 each. Amazing!!

This afternoon, we are heading to the Yoga Barn for a yoga class! (We may need a massage afterwards too!)