Ace, Gen and the World: August 8 – 20: Kuta and Ubud, Bali (Indonesia)

Sunday, September 16, 2012

August 8 – 20: Kuta and Ubud, Bali (Indonesia)

Vroom Vroom! HONK HONK HONK HOOOONK HOOOOOOONNNNK!!!!
You want masaaaaage? Best pwice fo you my fwiend!
Taxi? Transport?

Aaah, Southeast Asia…those that have been will surely agree that there’s something special about the madness we can’t describe as anything but a sensory overload. One foot on the street in Kuta and we realized that we were somewhere that felt a lot more like Bangkok than the idyllic paradise that we expected from Bali. We had been warned about the overcrowded beaches, hawkers and hoards of not-so-classy Australian partyers that have taken over this typical starting point for backpackers, but clearly weren’t sufficiently prepared! That said, Kuta is probably worth a (very) quick stop, as it is a unique experience to see the streets lined with stores from every surf brand imaginable, alongside quality $8 massage parlors and 8-story night clubs. Plus, there are beautiful sunsets and nice beach bars in adjacent Seminyak (this is the more trendy area we would suggest staying instead of Kuta).

We happily fled our first destination in search of a peaceful retreat in Ubud – Bali’s cultural center, which is also renowned for its lush rice paddies. Given our experience in Kuta, maybe we were a bit naïve to expect the second half of the island’s tourist duopoly to meet those expectations… but we were surprised to find crowded streets and traffic jams throughout what is now a small city as opposed to beautiful green countryside. Fortunately, despite all of this, Ubud does have lots to offer – including delicious Asian food, top-notch yoga studios, the famous Kecak dance ceremonies (see the video), a mischievous monkey sanctuary, and the picturesque rice paddies are only a short scooter ride away. We also did a 40 km bike ride from Mount Batur through many local villages – it’s amazing how happy and friendly the Balineses are; everyone has a welcoming smile for those visiting their village, and the children’s tradition is to come give a high five to foreigners passing by! Our hosts in Ubud made our stay especially enjoyable, giving us some Balinese cooking lessons (hopefully, but unlikely to be successfully reproduced at home) and even inviting us to their home for lunch.

Now that we’ve visited the 2 most popular destinations in Bali, we will try to find somewhere a bit less touristy!

Video - Kecak dance ceremony in Ubud

Photos - August 8-20: Kuta and Ubud, Bali (Indonesia)

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Fun Facts

To avoid dehydration at high altitude, it is suggested to drink at least 4-5 liters of water per day!
To support his cocaine trafficking operations, Pablo Escobar once bought 15 planes and 6 helicopters. He reportedly spent $2500 a month purchasing rubber bands to wrap his stacks of cash.
Rodriguez, an American musician that had little success in the U.S. in the 70’s, went platinum and became highly influential in South Africa. However, his fame remained completely unknown to him until 1998, when his eldest daughter came across a website dedicated to him.
Table Mountain alone has over 1,500 hiking trails, as well as 1,500 species of plants, more than the entire United Kingdom.
South Africa has the cheapest electricity and the third most safe, drinkable tap water in the world.
The average annual salary in Zanzibar, Tanzania is US$250.
The African Masai are Polygamous, and there is a famous Masai leader who purportedly has 42 wives and 240 children.
From standstill, the cheetah can reach 100 km/hour in merely 3 seconds.
A tiny jellyfish called the Box Jellyfish, not the great white shark, is the most deadly and dangerous marine species in Australia
You can rent a surfboard at the post office in Crescent Head, Australia
The 10 most venomous snakes in the world can be found in Australia
A Gatorade at the corner store in Australia costs $4.50
Singapore has the highest percentage of millionaires per capita in the world.
Ever have those moments when you’re travelling and wake up in the middle of the night unsure where you are? Oddly enough, after almost 5 months of travelling through 11 countries you have those memory lapses awake, in broad daylight ☺.
In Bali, everyone’s first name is determined by the order in which they were born. For example, the oldest male in the family is named Wayan, the second is Made, the third is Nyoman, the fourth is Ketut and the order repeats itself after the third male. This becomes somewhat confusing, because almost every fourth male has the same name!
Ever seen an upside down rainbow? We have!
The Dutch government plans to prohibit the purchase of cannabis by tourists in Amsterdam in January 2013 (a “green card” only issued to citizens will be required thereafter).
Although quite rare, certain vineyards still use egg whites to filter their wine. This traditional method, whereby a thin layer of egg whites are poured into the cask and filter down through the wine over time, is believed to retain more flavor than the more typical filtering process.
Gaudí died after being struck by a tram on his way to church. Assumed to be a beggar because of his lack of ID and shabby clothing, he did not receive immediate aid. By the time he was recognized at a very rudimentary hospital the following day, it was too late to revive him.
Christopher Columbus is buried in Seville, Spain – or is he? This is a controversial subject, as it is also believed that he is (mostly) buried in the Dominican Republic.
Gen’s last name (Guay) means “cool” in Spanish. As if she wasn’t already cool enough! ;)
What do 3 North Americans at a Spanish house party have in common, other than their nationality? White teeth, according to an apparently common Spaniard stereotype.
To become a smokejumper, you have to be able to do 7 pull-ups, 45 sit-ups, 25 push-ups and run ¼ mile in under 11 minutes. Of course, Ace is sure that he can do this – Gen, not so much :)
Turkish regulations prohibit any construction in tourist regions during the tourist season. Something more countries should adopt!
Apparently (and a little surprisingly ;), Ace has a long lost identical twin that happens to be a European football/soccer star. In our first week, the Turks have asked us twice if it was indeed him… the second group had even bet on it amongst each other. Why did he end up being the boring banker? ;)
Turkey is the only country in the world that sits on two continents - the Bosphorus strait separates the European and Asian regions.
In Mexico it is illegal for stores to sell alcohol after 2pm on Sundays. One might think that this relates to religion, however it’s actually because Mexicans get so drunk on Sundays that if they sold booze in the afternoon no one would go to work on Monday (okay, this one comes from a pre-Turkey boys trip down south last month… but I thought it was still amusing enough to merit a bullet point – Gen, not so much).

Stupid Mistakes (hopefully to be a short section)

Gen attempting a 5-hour hike at 4,000 meters before being fully acclimatized. NOT recommended!
Packing your favorite Swiss army knife in your carry-on bag when about to take a flight. Bye bye knife ☹
18 hours of bus to visit San Gil, possibly the worst ecotourism capital in the world!
Ace dropping our iPad on our MacBook Air. Note: a new MacBook Air screen costs $500!
Expecting to book a diving trip to Sipadan (potentially the top dive site in the world) 2 days in advance – to find out that it was fully booked for the next 2 months.
We found some really cheap “first class” train tickets leaving San Sebastian – but it turns out that “first class” tickets that have “unassigned seats” really mean you don’t have a seat whatsoever, so if the train is full you end up enjoying your “first class” experience sitting on the floor.
After waiting in line for about 1 ½ hours to watch the Euro semi-finals in an open air stadium in Seville with about 5,000 people and an amazing ambiance, don’t step outside once regulation time is over. Why not? Because, unlike the quarterfinals, the semi-finals have overtime followed by penalty kicks, and no matter how clueless and innocent a tourist can try to look, security won’t let you back in!
When going to see the highlight attraction in a city, charge the battery in your camera. After learning from that mistake by bringing a backup battery the next time, make sure that one is charged too.
Before we left Canada, as we were walking towards the Turkish embassy to apply for our visas we agreed to include a “stupid mistakes” section on this site. When we showed up, the embassy evidently asked us for our passports, which, believe it or not, we had both forgotten at home. First stupid mistake: Check.

Blog Archive

Sunday, September 16, 2012

August 8 – 20: Kuta and Ubud, Bali (Indonesia)

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