The time has come, yet again, for me to pack my passport and two weeks of clothes into my trusty travel backpack, and fly off to a foreign country. This time my destination is the small Indonesian island of Bali, which is just up from the NW corner of Australia.
My travel buddy Shay (see a sampling of our previous adventures by clicking here, here, and here) and her dad planned to go on a scuba diving trip, and invited me to come along! We have 6 days of diving booked and 5 days of exploring other cities. We're going during high season for manta rays, so we're all hoping to get to swim with some of them.
So to kick off this round of blog posts, here's 5 reasons why I'm super excited for this trip despite the 22 hour plane ride to get there:
1. This is going to be my first trip outside of the Americas.
I've done a lot of traveling, but so far it's been exclusively in Latin American countries, which have a very defined kind of culture. Going to Southeast Asia is going to be very different for me, and I'm quite sure I don't really understand how different it will be. I'm looking forward to discovering new cultural quirks and comparing what's different or the same.
2. I get to take a new language for a test drive
When I first booked the trip, I was telling people that it would be my first time going to a country where I didn't speak the language. Then I discovered free Indonesian audio lessons online, and after six months of practicing I can't really say that in all honesty anymore. However, I have not yet tested my conversation skills with an actual person, so I have no idea how it will hold up against reality. Hopefully I'll be at least a little bit useful to our group with ordering food, getting directions, and buying things, but I really don't know what to expect.
3. Balinese food
Lots of people have said it's delicious. I don't think I've ever tried Indonesian food before in my life, so I'm excited to try it, and hopefully find some new favorite flavors. I'm slightly apprehensive also, because it's supposed to be pretty spicy, and my level of spice tolerance falls well below 'wimp'. But, the aforementioned Indonesian lessons have already taught me how to ask that the food not be too spicy, so maybe I'll do okay.
4. Indonesia is where batik fabrics come from
Batik (ba-teek) fabrics are a printed/dyed style of fabric that my family has used for years in quilts and other sewing projects. (examples here) I've only ever seen the kind that comes from US fabric stores, and I'm really hoping to find some authentic, beautiful fabric to bring home. I also want to take a batik making class, which according to the guidebooks are very easy to find.
5. The views look amazing
I know that everywhere we go isn't going to be like the travel blog/instagram photos you find online, but the potential is there! With all the beaches, waterfalls, rice paddies, and temples to explore we're bound to find pretty backdrops in at least some of them.
Bonus Reason: Taipei
We have a 5 hour layover in Taipei on the flight there, and as long as we haven't had flight delays, Shay and I fully intend to leave the airport. It's not long enough to go into Taipei city, but there's a fish market and harbor right next to the airport. Google is undecided if it will actually be open yet (our layover is 5-10am) but even if it's not, there's a small beach, pretty bridge, and lots of boats to look at. Plus massive potential for a crazy adventure, since neither of us speak any Mandarin and don't intend to learn any before our layover. Hopefully we can find a taxi driver who speaks English and is willing to drive us around for two hours.
So there you have it, my first blog post for Bali. It sounds like wi-fi should be fairly consistant at our hotels, so I plan on posting more photos and stories during the trip. And fear not, we are taking under water cameras so if we find mantas we'll have proof!
As as per ususal, every blog needs at least one photo.
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| This is the temple I'm most excited about visiting: Pura Lempuyang. I know better than to pin all my hopes and dreams on a perfectly clear view, but I'm still crossing my fingers. |
