April 1st – April 8th 2010
Bali is a vacation hotspot for Sand Gropers (people from Perth.) The four hour flight makes it one of the closest locations and definitely the cheapest destination to Perth. (BTW: Perth is the most isolated capital city in the world! Going ANYWHERE is a long trek.)
We went to Bali to just relax, experience a different culture, surf and enjoy the beaches. (Okay, I don’t surf and really have no desire to surf, but just thought I’d throw that in there to catch your attention.) It’s amazing how quickly one week can fly by when you aren’t really doing anything.
Bali is an interesting island. The culture and people appear to be so peaceful. On the other hand, the traffic and scooters are hectic and take getting used to. Walking can be dangerous with sidewalks that just end and are pitted with crater holes. But everyone seems to know the rules and we never saw any mishaps. I think the secret is to have patience and not go too fast.
Architecture is interesting and the temples, seemingly on every corner, are novelties. The people are polite and friendly. Because the island is small it is easy to get around. We hired a driver for two days and saw a good portion of the island. It is volcanic and the mountains are covered with rice paddies. The terraces are green and look like they are covered in soft velvet. There are a lot of artisans and craftspeople, with different areas specializing in wood carvings, or silver jewelry, or stone carvings, or batik, or….
I looked at Bali from two perspectives – one as a Canadian coming from Calgary, and the other one, as Sand Groper coming from Perth. (Okay, so I’m weird, but read on….)
As a Calgarian, the heat and humidity are an extreme difference – and I LOVE it. The vegetation is thick and exotic – tropical trees and flowers that command a premium price in the florist shops back home. And the sandy beaches and blue ocean are sooooooooooooo amazing. And of course, the culture and architecture are compelling. WOW!
Coming from Perth, where there is beautiful exotic vegetation and flowers and gorgeous beaches with crystal clear blue water and fine white sand – well – Bali’s flowers and beaches didn’t WOW me. And actually, in my opinion, Perth’s beaches are nicer than the beaches in Bali. But the interesting culture and way of life are always compelling.
The best part….. I spent 4 ½ hours in the spa, came out a new woman, and it cost me less than US$100! What more could a woman ask for?
Would I go to Bali again? Of course! My motto is “Have passport – Will travel!” (I also say “If you have a passport and credit cards you can travel naked!”)
I’ll leave you with that vision….
About Me
- Canadian Linda
- I’m a Canadian that grew up in Ottawa. I was educated in Cambridge, England. Ahem, I have to give full disclosure on that statement…. I lived in Cambridge for 1 year when I was 7 years old, so technically, I have been to school in Cambridge, but am not a graduate, or even a pupil, of the prestigious Cambridge University. I have lived and worked in Sarnia, Calgary and Edmonton, all in Canada, and in Perth, Western Australia. In my early 40’s I moved to Houston, Texas, US where John was based professionally. From there we were privileged to live 2 fabulous years in Perth, Western Australia. That was followed by another 2 years back in Calgary, then another two years back in Houston. Another highlight of my life was when we lived in London, England for 2 years. My husband and I are now both retired and are traveling the world. No specific destinations or plans, just wandering aimlessly. This blog serves as a journal of our travels that I hope will be treasured in years to come. Right now, I have a love-hate relationship with it because it is so time consuming. I am happy to share our experiences and welcome your comments as it keeps us connected and makes the world a smaller place.
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