Bali, Indonesia - Escape

First of Two Locations
Bali is just a two hour flight from Singapore and in the low season you can find some great deals.  I bet it's even cheaper with the slowdown in travel at the moment though we'd book this long before the WuFlu outbreak.  I have a bike race on Sunday, up the side of a large volcano and back (more on that later) so we built a mini-vacation around it.

For the next three days we're on the east coast, near a famed surfing beach called Keramas.  The waves are treacherous, smashing down on the black volcanic sand in an uninviting rhythm.  On Sunday after the race, we'll head north, half way up the volcano to stay in a small traditional hut surrounded by nature.  For now, we're content in our bungalow, surrounded by rice fields.  We're up a narrow gravel road on a hilltop, a fifteen minute walk from the beach.  Outside our front door is an elaborate shrine.  Bali, the only non-muslim island in Indonesia, is Hindu. 

We were picked up at the airport by Mura, our contact for the AirBnB.  He showed us around .

We're staying in a small compound composed of two bedrooms, two baths, a lap pool and an outdoor kitchen.

There is nothing but the sounds of birds and the gurgle of the pool filter, though on the first morning we realized we're surrounded by roosters, who wake up in the dark and try to convince everyone to join them.

We took a swim when we arrived.  Bali sits on the globe due east from Singapore, but somehow the sun feels stronger and the humidity more stifling. 

I would plant a large shade tree on the eastern edge of the property if it were mine, but Dodo rightfully explained that most people come here for the sun.

The thatched roof is legit.  It was the same smell as Japanese tatami and makes a wonderful sound when the rains arrive in the afternoon.  We had an early evening massage.  Two ladies from the local parlor came to our room and gave us a Balinese treatment, which is an oil massage that focuses on the muscles, not the nerves.  She managed to find every sore point on me, especially the ones near my clavicles and calves.

We're thoroughly protected - we have a fresh offering on our lawn and an indoor and outdoor shrine.

The rice fields outside our walls come alive with crickets as the sun goes down. 

We went to lunch on our scooter and will be heading out again shortly.

Breakfast is included.  A lady shows up the morning with the ingredients and cooks it up fresh while you wait.  I got nasi goreng - which is a veggie fried rice with an egg on top.