Christina Marie's Travel Blog
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If there was one destination in all of Southeast Asia that I could revisit, hands down, it would be Bali. Even though the island is small, there are so many different types of landscapes and activities so there’s something for everyone. Once I got off the plane, picked up my luggage and went outside, I remembered to try to catch a cab from outside the airport gates. By doing this, I eliminated the airport tax!
The airport in theory is only a 15-minute drive from Kuta, a town known for shopping, bars and surfing; however, because of all the traffic, it took at least 40 minutes to get to where a few guesthouses were located. I’m lucky I came during low season (May) because everything was cheaper than normal.
Kuta usually attracts students from Australia and New Zealand during Spring Break. Although I was enjoying my solo traveling experience, Kuta would have been a good place to travel with at least one other person. It wasn’t the easiest place for me to meet people and I didn’t want to be one of those creepers sitting at the bar alone. The best part during my trip to Kuta was the most amazing hour-long massage I got for only $10USD (after tip)!
Instead of staying there longer than two days, I headed more inland to Ubud, which is where Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat Pray Love lived. I easily met two other foreigners on the van ride over who let me tag along. They found in their Lonely Planet that locals in Ubud curse the book because of the influx of tourist that flock to their small town.
Ubud was an amazing place to visit and I wish I could have stayed there longer. It was so quaint and I was in good company. Two attractions that we enjoyed included the Sacred Monkey Forest and watching a traditional Balinese dance performance.
In summary, Bali is worth visiting and I highly encourage people to take a trip if their able to. To view photos from my time in Bali, please visit my Flickr photosteam by clicking here.
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Video: Traditional Balinese Dance
Video: Cute monkey at Sacred Monkey Forest in Bali
As part of religious expression among Balinese people, they perform these very ancient traditional dances. Take note as her eyes open really wide and she shakes her shoulders every few dance steps.
This cute monkey was trying to crack open a rock thinking there was food inside. This video was taken at the Sacred Monkey Forest in Ubud - Bali, Indonesia.
In honor of the movie Eat Pray Love, I’ve decided to post one of my favorite images from when I was in Bali. This image was taken from Ubud, which was where the author Elizabeth Gilbert lived in the book. These type of dancers perform traditional Balinese dancing, which you’ll see videos of in a future blog post!
