Saturday, October 11, 2014
Kuta, Bali, Indonesia
Sorry there are no pictures for Kuta, I don't know why I didn't take any. My bad.
We had read in our bible (Lonely Planet's South East Asia on a Shoestring) that when we arrived in Denpasar Airport we should leave the grounds of the airport and cross the road to get a cheaper taxi. I think we were pretty successful as we bargained the driver down to 40,000RPH and managed to ignore the hundreds of annoying little men trying to take us from the arrivals hall.
We arrived at our very budget friendly Sayang Maha Mertha Hotel and were pleasantly surprised. We were kind of expecting a hole to be honest but it was perfect for what we needed - clean room, breakfast, close to everything and nice staff.
We were actually quite wary about arriving in Kuta in general as not one person had anything nice to say about it, particularly Australians who warned us that there are some undesirable Ozzys who make Kuta their second home. And while it is a bit brash and busy and nothing like anywhere else in Bali, it wasn't the worst place you could be.
We spent our first day chucking out all of our fleeces and thermals and stocking up on summer clothes in the market. We got a whole summer wardrobe for next to nothing, but you have to haggle and bargain like your life depends on it - if the girl in the stall isn't pretending to cry as you leave then you gave her too much!
Later that evening we were temped by the unbelievably cheap prices in the spas and booked in for a Balinese Massage. (I also booked in for a wax, but I'm going to need a few years of therapy before I can go into that. Suffice to say a 14 year old girl should not be allowed to use molten lava on tourists). Unfortunately the massage was not much more enjoyable. The same pre-teen lightly rubbed me up and down for a solid hour while occasionally jumping on the bed like a silent ninja. As we say in Ireland: it was shite!
The following day was memorable for all of the right reasons however as I got to tick standing up on a surf board off my bucket list. Living in Ireland where we have some of the best surf in the world it's a sin that I have reached the age of 26 without trying it before, but I already can't wait to do it again.
The best price we found was 400,000RPH for 2 hours of lessons and board rental. We practiced on the sand first and couldn't hear a word the fella was saying but we got the gist. When it was time to take to the water the instructor admitted that the waves were much bigger than usual, but I was convinced that years of watching Home and Away would pay off! It took a good few tries and screams of "PADDLE PADDLE PADDLE" before I eventually caught a wave and stood up on the board, and when I did I felt like an absolute rock star! Karen had been surfing a few times before and put us all to shame standing up the first time like a boss! I just wish we had someone there to take photos.
Kuta was our first experience of daily Hindu offerings that you see and smell almost everywhere in Bali. Canang Sari is the name for the beautiful small offerings made from flowers, rice, sweets and incense which are lit to praise and thank the gods. They are left on shrines and temples and placed all over the pavements each and every day in ritual. I never want to forget the smell of Bali; frangipani and rosemary.
Next Stop: Balangan, Bali
Other bits and pieces:
You need $35 US Dollars to enter Indonesia which you pay at passport control. Nobody tells you that!
Everyone in Kuta wants to rip you off. If you are getting a taxi, buying something at a stall or booking transport etc, always take at least half off the price they say and start bargaining from there.
Labels:
backpacker,
Bali,
Canang Sari,
daily offering,
haggle,
hindu,
Indonesia,
Kuta,
market,
Sayang Maha Mertha,
surfing,
travel
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