Our time in Bali (but not Indonesia) has wrapped up, and our last few days were in Uluwatu.
Uluwatu
We spent most of our Bali time wandering around the interior, so Uluwatu was supposed to be our beach break.
The first beach we checked out was Bingin Beach. It’s known as one of the nicest beaches in Uluwatu and it was basically down the street from our hotel, which is pretty much the only reason we booked where we did.
Except when we got there, it looked like a war zone. Like… what the hell happened? I googled it. Turns out back in July, the government announced that most of the buildings along the beach were illegal, so they bulldozed the whole thing. Restaurants, hotels, all of it. We still walked down, but the beach was covered in debris. Not exactly the dreamy tropical moment I had in mind.
Next day, new beach. Padang Padang. Much better. Tons of surfers which at least kept things interesting. Still quite a bit of garbage but we managed to find a somewhat cleaner spot. Lunch and store browsing followed, which the kids considered the highlight because nothing beats touching every single item in a shop you’re not going to buy.
The day after that, we decided we were going to relax by the pool and then go catch the fire and dance show at Uluwatu Temple. Except when it was time to head out, we realized we should’ve pre-booked tickets. So yeah… didn’t go.
Next up was Dreamland Beach. Finally a win. Nicest beach by far, clean-ish, and actually pleasant. Really big waves were fun to play in. Unfortunately, the ocean decided to eat Emma’s snorkelling goggles, and the sun was stronger than we realized and we all got matching sunburn.
That night we did make it to the fire and dance show. Before the show, we spent a couple of hours exploring Uluwatu Temple. The place is crawling with wild monkeys. Signs everywhere warning you that they steal anything not bolted down. So we stuffed all our things in a bag. And sure enough, we watched them steal sunglasses, hats, phones, and one poor woman had a sandal stolen!
Later, while we were sitting on some steps in the shade waiting for the show, Emma was still wearing her hat. It had a chin strap so we figured she was safe. Nope. One sneaky little jerk of a monkey crept up behind her and tried to yank it off anyway. Since it was strapped on, he basically pulled her whole head back and she smacked it on the concrete. Emma was not amused. Stupid monkey thief.
As for the show, honestly, it was pretty terrible. I wouldn’t call what they were doing dancing. The only part worth watching was when things actually caught fire, and that lasted maybe five minutes.
The truth about Bali
Alright, time for honesty. Bali has been my least favourite stop of the trip so far. That’s fine. Not every place is going to be our thing. But I genuinely don’t understand why people rave about Bali like it’s paradise.
There’s garbage everywhere. You can’t look anywhere without spotting trash. Streets, rivers, forests, rice terraces. Everywhere. Some of it is tourism, sure, but a lot of it is cultural. It’s normal to toss trash on the ground. I saw locals do it in plain sight more than once. Finish your drink? Cup goes on the road. And all the photos I posted earlier? Look in the corners. There’s garbage in almost every shot. Was I expecting a pristine island? Obviously not. Ottawa isn’t spotless either and people litter there too. But this is on a whole other level.
Walking isn’t great either. Roads are narrow, sidewalks are non existing in most places, and pedestrians absolutely do not have priority. So we end up taking Gojek (similar to Uber) for distances we’d normally just walk.
The food? Fine, but repetitive. If I never see fried rice again, it’ll be too soon. I caved and switched to Western food just to break the cycle. And Balinese coffee… look, I’m not picky, but this stuff is basically instant coffee. Half the cup is coffee grounds.
Back in the first Bali post, I said it was a big adjustment from New Zealand but I assumed I’d settle into it. It’s been three weeks. Still not into it.
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