Ganesha shrine at a Luwak coffee farm
The two-week trip to Bali in February 2024 was my first independent trip to a country outside of Europe. I was excited and really looking forward to traveling so far away with my boyfriend for the first time. The last few weeks at university had been quite stressful, so I could hardly wait to finally have all my exams behind me and get on the plane.
Nusa Dua
The first stop was Nusa Dua in the south of the island and about 30 minutes by car from Denpasar airport. This was important to us, as we didn't want to spend any more hours in a cab on our first day after the long-haul flight before arriving at our accommodation. Moreover, Nusa Dua is popular for its luxury resorts and beautiful beaches. This was also a conscious decision, as we wanted a (sort of) "soft launch" into our vacation on this exciting island. After an exhausting semester at university, I honestly just longed for a bit of peace, sun and beach - and I found all that in Nusa Dua.
Sunset at our resort in Nusa Dua
Of course, we didn't spend three days at the hotel, but also went on day trips. We were able to book these either online or through the hotel, including a shuttle and tour guide.
First, we visited a Luwak coffee farm, where we tasted 15 different types of coffee. We were able to taste the special Kopi Luwak, a special form of coffee that is made from half-digested coffee beans in the excrement of Asian wild cats.
We then drove to the Uluwatu Temple, which is located on a cliff almost 70 meters high. In the amphitheater of the old Hindu temple, we attended a Balinese Kecak dance drama at sunset. It tells the Hindu legend of Prince Rama: he is banished due to a promise made by his father, King Dasarata, although he is the rightful heir to the throne, and lives in the forest with his wife Sinta and his half-brother Laksmana. Sinta is abducted by Rawana, the demon king, while Rama and Laksmana rescue her from Langka with the help of Hanoman and an army of monkeys. Finally, Rama defeats Rawana, is united with Sinta and receives the throne of Ayutya.
The special thing about the performance was the musical accompaniment by a male choir - without any instruments. There are also some monkeys on the temple grounds, but you shouldn't look them directly in the face, let alone touch them. This can trigger aggressive behavior.
The monkeys can be quite cheeky:
You have to take good care of your valuables!
View from Uluwatu Temple
Sitting or standing, the male choir forms a circle and embodies the mythical monkey army, the helpers of Prince Rama.
Ubud
After Nusa Dua, our journey continued to Ubud, the cultural and spiritual center of the island, according to various travel guides. We really enjoyed the town, with its many cafés, bars and restaurants. A personal highlight was the Art Market.
During our stay in Ubud, we rented a scooter and were able to visit various sights nearby, which was very practical. However, it is not recommended(!) to rent a scooter if you are only used to Swiss or European traffic - yes, even if you have a driver's license. My partner was born and raised in Nepal, where he learned to ride a scooter in (chaotic) left-hand traffic. He was therefore able to navigate us safely through Ubud without any major problems. You can also easily get from A to B with the GoJek service (Indonesian equivalent of Uber) for little money.
Ubud is located in the island's center and therefore has no beaches, but numerous other sights where you can admire the breathtaking nature of Bali. For example, Goa Gajah or the Elephant Cave: an archaeological site and sanctuary of Balinese Hinduism. When visiting temples and holy places, it is compulsory to wear a Sarong (a scarf tied to a skirt). These are often available to borrow free of charge at the entrance. In front of the actual entrance to the Elephant Cave site, there are many small stalls selling Sarongs, among other things. The vendors were rather pushy and tried to convince us that we had to buy Sarongs here because there were none available at the entrance to the archaeological site. However, this was not true. Therefore, I would only recommend buying a Sarong if you actually want to take one home. You don't normally need to buy one specifically for temple visits.
We spent most of the days of this trip in Ubud, as there are countless sights that I can highly recommend. Take a look through the picture gallery and gather some inspiration.
Sidemen and Mount Batur
For our third stop, we traveled south-east to Sidemen. Surrounded by lush, green nature, we spent two relaxing days there. From our hotel, we booked a sunrise tour to the volcano Mount Batur. This was not exactly ideal, as it would have been closer to reach it from Ubud. Nevertheless, we were able to easily organize a shuttle from the hotel to take us to Kintamani, at the foot of the volcano. The two-hour climb at 3 a.m. was quite strenuous. I would only recommend the tour for physically fit people who have suitable footwear and appropriate hiking apparel. The path on the last stage is very(!) stony and is only sparsely lit by the small headlamp. You therefore have to be very careful not to slip.
The day before, my partner and I were already struggling with stomach pains. Due to the physical exertion, we didn't really feel any better once we reached the top. Unfortunately, it was also quite cloudy, so the sunrise wasn't that impressive... Noetheless, the view of the Agung volcano was astounding.
The Batur and Agung volcanoes are the only active volcanoes in Bali.
Travel Preparations
From then on, the mood changed because I gradually developed classic symptoms of traveler's diarrhea - not so cool. As I had never traveled to a country outside of Europe without my family before, I wasn't aware of the extent to which I needed to prepare myself medically for my trip to Bali. Previously, my parents always took care of that. Thanks to them, I never got sick or experienced similar symptoms in Southeast Asian countries. Accordingly, my “first-aid kit” (if you can call it that) for my trip to Bali consisted of nothing more than mosquito repellent...
I would therefore like to emphasize the importance of adequate travel preparation. A lack of preparation can very quickly lead to a very unpleasant experience. I learned this in a quite memorable way. Luckily, it wasn't anything too bad. However, I was only really healthy again once we were back in Switzerland. As a result, the last few days on the island were rather unspectacular: I simply wasn't well enough to do anything too exciting.
Seminyak
Our last stop was Seminyak, a lively vacation area with beautiful beaches, lots of shopping, bars and restaurants. So there were no strenuous or overly exciting activities planned that I would have missed out on due to my stomach bug. A blessing in disguise, as they say.