Bali High

So have you ever been somewhere and you can’t get a certain song out of your head. Well, while I’ve been in Bali that song for me is “Bali Hai” from the musical South Pacific. I can’t get it out of my head 😂 Ok, so I know that song is about an island in the South Pacific – but I feel like this is the island paradise it is talking about. So this post is about the rest of my time on Bali and the nearby Gili Islands (the feature picture is from Gili Trawagan and accurately captures the vibe these backpacker islands). But I’m getting ahead of myself – first let’s start with some of the things I did on the Eastern part of Bali after saying goodbye to Sara.

East Bali

So before taking my ferry to get to the Gili Islands I spent a few days exploring the area around Padang Bai. A fascinating place of volcanoes, water temples and beautiful beaches – you know the typical stuff that you think of when you hear people mention Bali. A bit of a funny story for this blog happened when I took a tour of the Tenganan Pegeringsingan Village with has preserved strict cultural and religious traditions from hundreds of years ago. One of the local leaders took me on a tour of the village and we ended up at his home where I got to see (and purchase) the handicrafts that he and his wife make. Near the end of our time together – I thought he said – do you know gamblin’, do you want to see at the back of the house? My mind started racing and I was thinking wow – in a country where gambling is illegal and I’m in a VERY traditional village – I have stumbled upon some illicit gambling house!!! I eagerly replied back – yes I like gambling! Well – this is well you laugh at the “lost in translation” moment and I enjoyed a lovely private concert of him playing his gamelan – a traditional Balinese xylophone like instrument.

East Bali Photos

The palaces that are located on the eastern side of the island are truly mesmerizing – with water, flowers and statues all combining to create some very serene and stunning sights. The last few pictures are from Pura Lempuyang a very famous and very sacred temple for the island. On a clear day you can see the island’s largest volcano through the Heaven Gate – but not on my trip – Mother Nature decided to keep the peak of the volcano hidden.

Gili Trawagan

From Bali it was a short ferry ride over to Gili T for a few days of rest and relaxation. The Gili Islands are a well-known backpacker destination for snorkelling and diving. The cool thing about Gili T is that no motorized vehicles are allowed – everyone gets around the island by foot, bike or horse. After all of the honking I have heard (especially in Vietnam) it was nice to not have to deal with cars and motorcycles for a few days.