Bali Makes for the Best Sis Trip

26 hours later and I made I️t to Bali! Flights went smoothly with minimal issues and the time passed relatively quickly, with the help of books, journals, and movies. I arrived at DPS around 12:30 at night, but did not make I️t to meet Tessa until around 2:45am.

A little background

Through a large coincidence, a long time aquaintinance of my mom named Susan, lives right in the heart of Semiyak, Bali. Susan lived and her kids grew up in Bay Village, and she started to travel when they were both grown. Eventually she settled down in Bali, claiming I️t to be the best decision of her life. She spends her days painting, practicing yoga, and soaking in as much Balinese culture as possible. By the time I had arrived, Susan had been in Tokyo a few days with a friend and offered for Tessa and I to stay at her villa.

My mom messaged Susan on a whim, under the impression she was traveling somewhere in Indonesia/South East Asia and might have some recommendations for my sister and my solo adventure. God has an interesting way of interweaving people in our lives, which I am so glad for. If I have learned anything from my mom I️t is to “just ask” because the worst answer is no. Who knew someone from 20 years ago would welcome Tessa and I with open arms on the other side of the globe?!

As our travels in Bali are just beginning, I️t is beyond reassuring to have a “home base” close to the airport at Susan’s home. Tessa and I arrived and will leave Indonesia at different times, so having one place to land and coordinate is a lifesaver. While I am starting a semester long trek in Singapore, Tessa is concluding a year abroad after spending her sophomore year of college studying in Seoul, South Korea and Hyderabad, India. As we both have tried our best to pack light, you can imagine the luggage we have to haul. Susan was kind enough to let us leave the majority of our bags at her place, allowing us to travel to other parts of this beautiful country with ease.

Cities

Kuta / Seminyak

I would hesitantly compare Kuta and Semiyak to other busy beach towns around the world. Locals are trying to persuade tourists to buy handmade or imported goods, small tented shops line the narrow streets, and little-to-no traffic signs or laws causing chaos on the roads (for me at least, the locals seem to deal with I️t just fine). We were very centrally located, with the majority of desirable destinations within walkable distance.

After arriving in the country, I think the most shocking part for me were the prices. The Indonesian Rupiah is much weaker than the USD, and while everything is listed in 100,000’s R, all products are significantly cheaper than their American comparisons. One day, Tessa and I both got a 60 minute (amazing) massage and a pedicure for around USD$9 each! Crazy crazy. Our 1.5 hour Uber ride was approximately USD$10, which is also wildly cheap.

Nusa Lembongan & Nusa Penida

Days later, I am STILL struggling to find words to describe how beautiful these islands were. While still considered part of Bali, there are 3 islands just south east of the mainland that make up the Nusa Islands. Although much more remote, they are continuing to develop to meet the growing tourist industry in Bali. The waters surrounding these islands are insanely blue, ranging from Caribbean turquoise to a deep, rich blue I don’t think I have ever seen before.

We stayed at a small local hotel on east side of Nusa Lembongan, perfectly located in between the water and the main road with most of the bars and restaurants. Because I️t was much less crowded, I finally built up the courage to rent a scooter, which costs about $12/day (I’m sure you could bargain down for less). I am so glad we did this, a Bali must! I️t allowed us to take our time riding around the island visiting a few different beach spots.

We also spent a day traveling around Nusa Penida, the largest of the Nusa Islands. After taking a short boat ride to get there, a local driver showed us around to a few of the tourist destinations. Normally I am not big into tourist attractions, but Kelingking Beach (especially), Broken Bridge, and Crystal Bay were INSANE. Although we did not come prepared for the very vertical hike down to Kelingling beach, I️t was beyond worth I️t and the preceding 3 days of leg soreness was justified. Broken Bridge was massive and showcased more of the beautiful blues that I still cannot fathom. After a bump (vertical rod) in the road and a flat tire, we made I️t to Crystal Bay before sunset for a quick dip. Nusa Penida is home to some of the craziest roads I have ever been on. With maybe one paved road and more wholes and bumps than you could count, even a Jeep Wrangler would have struggled. I still am in awe that some people drove little scooters up and down the crazy hills, there were a few times we saw people walking up hills because the scooter couldn’t handle the weight. Overall 10/10 stop on the trip.

Ubud

Last but not least, Ubud is small village toward the middle of mainland Bali. I️t is a very quaint, walkable city all of about 6 blocks surrounding one main road. I️t has tons of cute shops and boutiques, and has recently been overtaken by yogis and health nuts. Now I wouldn’t put myself in either of those categories, but I love yoga and do love health conscious foods so I am so glad we made a stop here for 2 nights. Since Ubud is so centrally located, many day trips are offered for activities like white water rafting, temple tours, rice field tips, and even a volcanic hike to Mt. Batur. Because we were only here for a short period of time and took a more relaxing approach to the trip, we tried to avoid the highest populated tourist attractions for the most part.

We did however bargain (wasn't really a bargain but let's consider it contributing to the local tourist economy) a driver to take us to the Tegallang Rice Terrace and a Luwak coffee plantation one day. The Rice Terrace was beautiful and I️t is crazy to learn about how harvesting has been ingrained in Balinese culture for 1000’s of years, but a simple drive by of the terrace would have probably been sufficient. The coffee plantation was more fun than anticipated, where they offer a free taste test of their fresh harvested teas and coffee. Luwak coffee is unique to the area, where the Luwak, a rodent looking animal of the cat family, eats coffee beans to ingest the bitter outer shell and then poops out the rest of the whole bean. The beans are then collected and washed from the feces and roasted to make this delicacy. The “plantation” was a small scale tourist set up to show the plants and spices grown in the area, as well as showcase the Luwak animal itself.

I LOVE MY SISTER

I can't express how incredible it was to spend this time with my best friend is such an amazing place!!!! Tessa is the best and I wouldn't trade this trip for anything. She knows how much I appreciate her so I will shut up, here a few more of my fav pics of her that make me happy :)