Page 12 - Explore Magazine Autumn 2018

10

Batur consists of two concentric calderas and from the Jimbaran Bay was Bloem’s Waroeng whose authentic Balinese dishes were delicious
open plateau they have created you can see the steam
coming out of several craters. From Jimbaran bay I travelled back to the east coast again to Pandang Bai Port to catch
the ferry to the Gili Islands off the northwest coast of Lombok. I especially loved the
Later on the same day trip we visited the Monkey island of Gili Trawangan and spent most of my time there.
Forest near Ubud and wow, what an experience that
was. More than 700 monkeys live in the forest and Gili Trawangan is a paradise away from the hustle and bustle of Bali. There is no
there are three temples. It’s very lush and green, and a motorised transport so it’s either horse and cart or hire a bike. I hired a bike for
very spiritual place. the five days I was there and rode around the island enjoying the beaches and the
sunset looking back toward Mounts Agung and Batur in Bali.
The monkeys are the main attraction and they are
cheeky and cute at the same time. You can buy The tiny island of Gili Trawangan is a paradise
bananas to feed them but I just watched everyone else
as they fed them and had them climbing all over them away from the hustle and bustle of Bali. There is
as the thought of a monkey clambering all over me was
gross. The monkeys are very quick to react as soon as no motorised transport so it’s either horse and cart
they see a banana: it’s gone from your hand before you or hire a bike.
even hold it in the air.
The Tegallalang rice terraces near Ubud were also a The food in Gili Trawangan is so delicious and the night markets are a great place
magical sight, and we hiked amongst them seeing how to get a cheap meal. You can choose chicken, beef, fish or vegetarian skewers and
the locals farm the land. You pay a small entrance fee then three sides, which are all local dishes. My favourite restaurant for Fish and
but it’s well worth it to explore and be right in the fields Chips was Ikan, so if you are ever on Gili Trawangan try it out!
rather than just looking down from the top.
While on the island I went scuba diving five times. It has become one of my favourite
Jimbaran Bay is a fishermen’s places to dive as I got up and close to my favourite marine animal, the turtle, and
not just one of them but lots. The best dive site for seeing them was Turtle Heaven
village with loads of places and I also enjoyed diving around the bounty wreck of Gili Meno. The Gili islands are
all very close together with loads of dive sites for people with all abilities. I can’t
to eat seafood or try the local wait to go back and explore more of the underwater world here. I would love to see
cuisine. The beach is lined with the manta rays one day: I just missed seeing them this time.

fishing boats and fishermen off- Holidays must come to an end, so it was sad to leave island life on the Gilis. The fast
ferry ride from Gili Trawangan back to Padang Bai Port is a bumpy one followed by a
loading their catch of the day. long drive back through the busy traffic of Bali to the airport to return home. What
an adventure it was!
Chasing waterfalls is another thing you can do in Bali.
I was lucky enough to have time to visit Blangsinga
Waterfall on the southeastern side of the island while
on my way to stay in Jimbaran Bay (south of the airport)
for a couple of nights. It was great to chill out and
hang out at the beach and also to visit the Tanah Lot
Temple further up the west coast at sunset. There is an
extremely popular waterfall nearby where many people
visit and go swimming. When I go back I think I will check
out others and also head over to a few in Lombok.
Jimbaran Bay is a fishermen’s village with loads of
places to eat seafood or try the local cuisine. The
beach is lined with fishing boats and fishermen off-
loading their catch of the day which was yellowfin
tuna. You can tell this is a fishing village by the
smells and by walking through the fish markets. One
restaurant we found while exploring the streets of

HELLOWORLD : EXPLORE : AUTUMN EDITION