Introduction
ANA Business Class Chicago to Tokyo
United Club – Tokyo Narita
Thai Airways Business Class Tokyo to Bangkok
One Night in Bangkok
Thai Airways Business Class Bangkok to Bali
D’Wina Villa Kuta and Exploring Bali (Part 1)
Exploring Bali (Part 2)
Exploring Bali (Part 3)
Ethiopian Airlines Bangkok to Addis Ababa
Ethiopian Airlines Cloud Nine Lounge and Addis Ababa to Seychelles
Hilton Seychelles Northolme Resort and Exploring the Seychelles (Part 1)
Exploring the Seychelles (Part 2)
Exploring the Seychelles (Part 3)
Ethiopian Airlines Seychelles to Addis Ababa and Back to the US

During our first two days in Bali, we learned several things:

• Unless you’re in the middle of the popular shopping/restaurant area, it can be near impossible to walk.
• Taxis are insanely cheap, so that doubles the advice not to walk
• Every taxi driver will offer to be your private driver for a day tour – this can be a great option, but make sure to negotiate, and make sure to choose a driver who speaks English well
• There are many local hotels/villas that offer incredible accommodations for excellent prices

Thursday morning, our third day,  we woke up and decided to look into some watersport activities.  One of the brochures we picked up had several packages, so we called to book a package for parasailing, snorkeling, a glass bottom boat, and a visit to Turtle Island.  A car came to pick us up at 9:00, and drove us back down into the Nusa Dua area (the southeastern part of Bali) into a crowded parking lot.  Between the parking lot and beach was an open-air restaurant with some offices, where we tried to pay for our package.  It was a bit chaotic, as there are a number of companies up and down the beach running similar operations, and the tour company we called was mainly just the facilitator who brought us to the beach to be tossed in with a dozens of others.

When we called to book the tour, we asked if we could pay with a credit card, and we were told that would be fine.  Almost everyone (tour companies, restaurants, grocery stores) seem to get visibly annoyed when you ask to pay with a credit card, and really try to push you to pay cash.  Gusti explained to us that much of this is due to corruption and companies avoiding paying taxes on income, so they try to operate on cash as much as possible.  After convincing them that I did not want to pay with cash, they agreed to swipe the credit card…unfortunately, the credit card machines are wireless, and the signal apparently comes and goes with the wind.  After 4 or 5 failed attempts (holding the credit card machine in the air towards the window), they tried to get me to go to an ATM, or assumed that I had more cash back at the hotel, and said I could get the cash when their driver took us back at the end of the day.  We agreed to try the credit card again later, and were given our tickets for parasailing.  We were a bit surprised to see that the parasailing involved taking off and landing directly from the beach, not the traditional process of taking you out on a boat and launching away from shore.  As we watched the chaos, we saw that the boats would loop out and around, bringing you back to where you started.  There was about a 15 second window of time to unhook one person and re-hook the next person to be launched into the air.  They seemed to have the whole process down, but it was very chaotic with lots of people yelling directions to you.  Eventually, it was our turn, and fortunately we both made it through the crazy process without incident.  It certainly wasn’t quite what we had imagined, and we definitely wouldn’t use the same type of tour again, but it all ended ok and the actual parasailing ride really was a rush.

Next, a boat took us out to a snorkeling spot.  The water was very clear, and we did see a number of fish, but there wasn’t too much variety.

After 30 minutes or so of snorkeling, the boat took us to a nearby island, Turtle Island, where we got to see some huge sea turtles, and even hold some baby ones.  They also had a number of other animals (snakes, lizards, owls, etc), which they toured us around to see.  After the tour, they brought us back to the area where the boat dropped us off, and had us sit down and put a menu in front of us, strongly encouraging us to order something to eat or drink.  We politely declined, but they insisted and told us that the boat wouldn’t be ready to take us back for another 40 minutes, so we should just have a drink.  We declined again, and I took out my phone to research restaurants for dinner.  About 60 seconds later, when they could tell that we really weren’t going to order anything, the boat was magically ready to take us back – boy, those 40 minutes really flew by!

The boat drove us back to the mainland beach where we started, and we were served lunch.  Lunch was included in our package, so we expected a small, cheap portion, but it was surprisingly good and filling.  Overall, the package did give us the chance to have some really cool experiences like parasailing and seeing sea turtles, but we wouldn’t really recommend it.  The operation was primarily setup to shove as many tourists through all of the activities as quickly as possible, so it wasn’t as enjoyable as it could have been.  The whole package was only $36 per person, so it wasn’t very expensive, and we’re glad we didn’t pay more for it.

After the rather whirlwind morning of activities, we got back to our villa around 1:30 pm, and instantly felt relaxed, away from all the chaos.  We had our hotel arrange dinner at Jimbaran Bay, which is a must-do when in Bali.  Many restaurants will even pick you up from your hotel and drop you back off, so our hotel arranged for a 5:00 pickup by a restaurant called “The Cuisine.”  We got to the restaurant and were walked down onto the beach, where we had a front row table looking out to the ocean and sunset.

With a glass of wine, feet in the sand, and cool breeze blowing, we watched the sun set over the water.  It was absolutely beautiful, and when ordering your meal, they bring you back to the front of the restaurant where you pick out your exact seafood to be cooked.  We ordered prawns (shrimp) and squid, which was served with rice and vegetables.  The food was delicious, the view was incredible, and the company was incomparable.  At the end of dinner, when it had gotten dark, a band of local musicians was making their way from table to table.  They sang everything from Elvis Presley to the Beatles, and they played “Is this Love” by Bob Marley for us.  They were really entertaining, and it was a bit surreal to step back and think that we were sitting on a beautiful beach in Bali, listening to the waves crash, being serenaded by a live band.

It was a very busy day, and although the watersport package was a little more touristy and chaotic than we would have liked, we did enjoy it.  The restaurant drove us back to our oasis of a villa, excited for our tour the next day with Gusti (our driver from the day before).

Continue to Part 9: Exploring Bali (Part 3)