Brief Bali Break
After a few days in busy Ho Chi Minh City, we decided to jet to Bali for the Christmas week.
We will be flying back to Ho Chi Minh city, to continue our travels south, but for a few days- enjoy this tropical paradise and smell the ocean water as we dip in beautiful blue waters of Bali.
We started on the West coast of the main Island, just north of the major tourist area. When we arrived in Canggu Beach it was pitch black and all we could hear where the crickets in the rice paddies. Upon waking, the surrounding became more clear, this area is next on the chopping block for big development. Kuta and Seminyak are to the south, and as so over developed, its gross. This sleepy area, is showing signs of rapid growth, in the $10 juice bar markets. We came here, hoping for good waves, and the first morning walking to the beach, we found a choppy angry sea, and a beach so littered with trash it would bring a tear to your eye.
We head a bit farther down the beach and find the more bustling area, rent some surfboards and paddle out. Man, was that intense. The waves were not just big, but aggressive, with a massive beach break, that crashed from almost over head, to the ground in a second. This made the initial walk to even get int to the the ocean so challenging, I almost gave up. But we made it out, feeling immediately humbled by our skill level and this caliber wave. It was good learning, but not exactly a chill day at the beach.
We become less enchanted with this side of the island, as daily the trash on the shores is pulled back to sea, then back to shore with each tide. Hearing from locals, the waste from Java is swept there this time of year, and its too hard to clean as it just keeps coming. I find this not only disappointing, but appalling as we look at the tourists paying $5 a chair to sit amongst plastic bottles.
We leave Canggu Beach the next day.
We head east-inland- to magical Ubud. A place I visited on my last trip and was happy to return. Here we found peace and quiet in the jungle pool, walked through rice paddies, and figured out our next destination.
From Ubud, we hire a boat to take us east- to a small island off the coast called Nusa Lambungen. Promising CLEAN beaches, blue oceans and good waves, we take the bumpiest boat of all time , the 45 min trip to shore. The island delivers on all accounts, and we even rent a scooter and explore the back roads and mangrove forest. It was exactly what we needed.
After 3 days on the island, we head back to main land to the eastern coast, to a town called Sanur. Also pretty developed, it had a more lived in vibe, a bit saltier and very laid back. We enjoyed the beach here, sitting on the beach debating if it was worth it to paddle out the 2 Km past the reef break, and instead opted to reading and drinking beer under the umbrella.
The trip to Bali was a nice break and great to get some beautiful beach time. But I have to say, after 10 days, we missed Vietnam. We missed the food, and the crazy streets, Bail felt like travel light- surrounded by Australians and mainly white people, We were really ready and happy to get back to Vietnam.
So next up is a mega post with all things Ho Chi Minh!