So much for sightseeing.
Yesterday Leda and I spent the entire day sitting on a beach called Dreamland, which is on the other side of the Bukit Peninsula from our hotel in Nusa Dua. Dreamland was a kick and just so so beautiful. It's at the bottom of some cliffs and the waves are spectacular. Surfers abound at this place. I think I prefer the natural beach to the pristine one adjacent to our hotel. I had serious deja vu when I went swimming in the ocean - brought me back to my childhood for sure. Funny how the ocean can feel the same on the other side of the world.
We got more henna - this time Leda on her wrist and me on my ankle - and were approached about 50 times by various women trying to sell us saris and/or give us massages on the beach. We figured out the Indonesian word for no (bukan) but what seemed to work best was saying, "already" (two massages in as many days is plenty!). Oh and two guys - not sure where they were from, but definitely somewhere in Asia, asked to take their pictures with me. I guess they're not used to white girls? That made me giggle. We watched the stunning sunset on the beach - finally caught it yay - then grabbed a taxi and headed to a place called Bumbu Bali, and had tasty Balinese food for the 3rd night in a row where we had duck and seafood sate. They bring sate to your table on a little individual grill thing, and last night the sates were on lemongrass stalks instead of regular sticks - pretty great. The highlight though was dessert: black rice pudding with coconut milk. Yum yum YUM. I seriously want to learn how to make it. And I'll definitely be seeking out some Balinese restaurant action when I get back to New York - just loving the food here.
Today we've hired a tour guide - a guy Leda hired on her last trip here - to take us to temples and other sites around South Bali. Tomorrow afternoon we'll head to Ubud. So excited for Ubud and hoping my phone will work there. Dreading my first birthday without Mom but glad I'll spend it surrounded by such beauty. I know she'd be so happy I did this.
Love to everyone.
4 comments:
ok - the black rice dessert makes up for the singaporian icee. so cool that people wanted pics with you! see, now that is one of those unique things you can only experience through traveling. that's awesome. Just texted anna to see if i missed your birthday. i did not. i'll send some flowers to your hotel, ok, or maybe an ice-cream cake. or maybe myself so i can hang out at dreamland.
still miss you. beck's wedding is in two weeks, then it's a month 'till your home, so it's going slow for me, but hopefully fast for you - as it sounds like you're having a blast. off to twitter....
MWAH!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just looked up Bali on my cheap globe so i don't have to flinch every time someone mentions something about a country near bali when i tell them about you. now i see why Joseph kept bringing up cambodia. Oh, americans and our lack or geographical knowledge! (actually, prob just me.)
anyhoo - being tracy - i want to know about the toilets and showers, and i want to know about the flow of water and the sky. all was backwards in australia - except their toilets, which gave you two flushing options - one for big jobs, and one for little jobs. (sorry to everyone reading this who isn't sarah.)
Hey girl...just checked out the blog for the first time. I got back from China and had a really good time. It sounds like you are having one amazing trip too. I miss you! If I don't get to talk to you before the 22nd/ 21st here...HAPPY BIRTHDAY! You are doing exactly what you are supposed to be doing. Sit back, relax, and enjoy turing the big 35! Can't wait to see you! Miss you, miss you, miss you...Mwah
You had duck sates??? I love duck sates! Now I'm f'n starving!
Seriously though...Alicia was reading your bloggie here when I came into the room and I wanna play too.
Sounds like your trip is going great, "rock-star style", even. Keep at that flikr account (as I want to "vacation vicariously").
You are sooo missing the 100 degrees of humid nastiness of NYC right now! Lucky.
Have a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
I'm going to go throw another log on the air conditioner.
Birthday hug for you!
Be well. Be safe.
PS- I'd like to go on record as saying that sometimes 2 massages in as many days is NOT enough.
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