Tony and I spent our Christmas vacation in Bali, and although it didn't go exactly as we had planned, we had such a good time!
We spent a few days in Sanur and agreed it was the perfect way to start our vacation. Our hotel, Hotel Segara Agung, was a very short walk away from the beach in one direction, and lots of restaurants and shops in the other direction.
We ate a pool-side breakfast every morning and then I'd spend time reading and drinking coffee.
One of my favourite parts of the trip was taking a moonlit swim in the pool. So relaxing and it felt magical. One of those surreal moments in life—a moonlit swim in the pool with my husband, in Bali.
You always have to try the local beer wherever you go! Ice cold Bintang? Yes, please!
We ate gelato at least once a day. 2 scoops for approximately $1CAD?! We probably should have eaten it twice a day. Or more. I googled the name of the place for you: Massimo. Go there. Get the chocolate mint.
I love vacation. No hair dryer, no makeup, no problems.
Spent a few hours here, under an umbrella(!)...
...and got the worst sunburn of my life.
Strawberry milkshake for T.
Bintang Radler for me.
Honest talk: I liked Indonesian food, but didn't love it.
On our first night in Ubud, we rode in an ambulance and I was admitted to a hospital. 4 days later we made the decision to skip Uluwatu and return to Ubud because...
...I had to visit the Monkey Forrest!
So many monkeys everywhere!
Aren't they cute?
"Here, I'll get your back if you get mine."
Just chillin'.
It was beautiful and amazing and I could have spent all day here. We just wandered around, slowly, taking it all in.
I was nervous to get too close, and so was T.
But when we stopped to rest, a monkey hopped on Tony's head and then his shoulder!
And then he tried to steal Tony's phone right from his pocket! T covered his pocket with his hand and the monkey bit him! (Don't worry. We went to the first aid office and T got disinfected and the dude working there assured us the monkeys didn't have diseases and offered to show us certificates.)
I still kept my distance.
We call this "Banana Split and a Bandaid." ;)
Seriously though, that was one of the best banana splits I've ever eaten. Atman Kafe. Go there.
We wandered around Ubud and stopped at Watercress, where we shared the ploughman's lunch and I drank kombucha and peach iced tea because I'm fancy.
I love a good balcony.
One of T's friends told him we should eat at the Dirty Duck Diner.
I was skeptical but it was delicious.
T was happy.
Mirror shot because I was feeling it.
The first hotel we "stayed at" (we checked in, went for a swim, ate at the restaurant twice, and chilled in the room, but didn't actually sleep there because heart problem) was so-so, but the hotel we stayed at on our return to Ubud was wonderful! The Champlung Sari Hotel has a delicious breakfast every morning, beautiful pools, amazing spa services, and it's right beside the Monkey Forrest!
We spent our last two days at Bali Tropic Resort and Spa in Nusa Dua. It was really nice, but T and I both agreed it was kind of overpriced. That being said, everything we needed was right there, including the beach, a pool (with a swim-up bar!), two restaurants, a luxurious room (we got a free upgrade!), and friendly staff. I don't think resorts will ever be my first choice, but it ended up being exactly what we needed at the end of a vacation that included a hospital stay.
Our flight back to Beijing was at 1:50AM on January 1st, so we spent New Year's Eve in the airport. It was perfect. We cheersed with our over-priced, freshly squeezed juice, kissed, and talked about what we want in/for 2016.
***
Notes I wrote on my phone so I wouldn't forget:
Day 1 - Dec. 19: I'm sitting in the airport, looking at the departures board, and I feel like crying. Not because anything is wrong, but because airports are magical. Airplanes are magical. Humanity is magical. Think about it. So many people, so many nationalities, coming together in one place to get on giant hunks of metal to fly all over the world. If that's not magical, I don't know what is.
Other magical things: T and I got here with no stress this morning and my toffee nut latte was upsized for free.
Hospital: T slept in the waiting room for 3 nights because he couldn't stay in the ICU but he didn't want to leave me alone. We watched Friends on his iPad in the ICU. T got excited when darts was on TV. He asked me, "Why didn't you order the soup so I could eat it?" The owner of the hotel (the first one in Ubud) came to visit. He brought a fruit basket that contained the best apples I've ever eaten. I didn't take any photos despite palm trees being right outside my window. They gave me a travel mug when I was discharged.
Dec. 29 - Resort: T and I dancing to Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" on the walkway was worth the not so great $86 dinner.
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