Blake and Deb Far Away

Hiring a private driver is an affordable way to see far flung sights on Bali without braving the chaotic driving method here yourself. The roads in Bali are actually pretty good but the center line  is really more of a suggestion than an imperative. One drives on the left, but if you’re in a car you could easily have motor scooters travelling in the same direction simultaneously pass you on both your right and left side while two or three “lanes” of motor scooters are coming the opposite direction. Sometimes a motorcyclist who only has a block or two to travel will go against the traffic on the edge of the road, whether there is any kind of shoulder there or not. Passing happens constantly, usually with a gentle tap of the horn to announce your presence. Somehow this all works. Drivers just adjust to each other like birds in a flying formation, resulting in neither collision nor road rage. It’s just the way they do it, and we didn’t feel at all unsafe with either of the two driver...

The Balinese don’t do “plain.” Architectural elements and surfaces here are richly decorated using natural materials like stone, wood, brick and even coral. All this eye candy makes for engaging walks through the neighborhoods. Even the poorest of dwellings - and this is a developing country after all - generally make an effort at achieving some degree of visual interest. Here are some photos of a few of the swankier entrances we've passed by in Sanur, which often seem to take their inspiration from the many beautiful Hindu temples throughout Bali. In fact, some residential compounds actually have their own family temples. Across the street from our AirBnB Carved wooden front door of our AirBnB I think this one is a hotel and/or spa. A bit over-the-top, perhaps, but fun. This door is set in coral walls Here is a modern touch where they've let the climbing vines provide the decoration. ...

Uluwatu is another of the great sea temples of Bali. The temple itself didn't particularly thrill me but the cliffside setting is spectacular. And there were monkeys everywhere! Visitors are warned to keep close watch on their possessions as the monkeys are absolute rascals and will grab anything that catches their eye. Women are advised to remove earrings. The spectacular setting for Uluwatu Temple To enter the temple one must be properly attired. Fortunately, sarongs can be borrowed at the door. Equally fortunate, they can be quickly removed upon exiting. Note the long path along the cliff edge. Monkeys Angry monkeys. Angry Monkey God. Deborah's video of a mischievous monkey (Is there any other kind?) Monkey with a recently stolen cell phone. Notice that this one is holding someone's sunglasses. Harassing tourists is hard work.

Indonesia is a complicated country. It’s an archipelago consisting of more than 10,000 islands (no one can agree on exactly how many). Four of the five major islands are shared with other countries.  It spans east-west more than 5,000 kilometers (3,000 mi) – more than the continental US. Indonesia’s culture and religion have been influenced throughout its history by traders and immigrants from India, China, Portugal, Arabia, Britain and the Netherlands. It is a Muslim-majority country (87%) – the largest in the world in fact with a Muslim population of over 200 million – but freedom of religion is part of the Indonesian constitution and many other religions are practiced. Bali is unique among the islands with a majority (84%) practicing Hinduism. Like all religions it has evolved over time and been influenced by other neighboring religions and philosophies such that the Balinese version of Hinduism is more interested in art and ritual rather than scripture and strict religiou...

Many people come to Bali for the beaches, but we’ve seen plenty of those lately between our home in Hawaii and our house sit in Australia. Our focus now is more on the cultural aspects of Bali, which promise to be very different from what we’re used to. And different equals interesting. Still, our first stop of Sanur is a former fishing village and one of Bali’s earliest beach resorts. It has a quiet, laid back vibe compared to party-central Kuta, which is on the opposite side of the isthmus that makes up the southern end of the island. A beachside pavilion for fishing, picnicking, chilling. The beaches at Sanur are protected by a reef. Calm waters make for safe harbor. A paved path runs the length of the beach district (photo by Deborah). Loads of restaurants line the beach. Gate and offering niche along the beachfront path. Notice the use of coral in the masonry. The beaches here are pretty clean, though not prist...

We have been in Bali nearly a week now, but we’ve been having too much fun for me to get around to the first blog post from here. Until now. Our first stop on the island is the town of Sanur, a beachfront community about half and hour east of the airport. We found a very nice AirBnB place in a quiet neighborhood that is nevertheless centrally located, allowing us to walk wherever we need in town. We might have lost a bit of our previous Hawaii acclimatization because it feels pretty hot and humid here. Fortunately our AirBnB has air conditioning and a breezy rooftop terrace. I’ll write more about what it's like here in future posts, but for now let me start with a few of the millions of photos we’ve been taking since we got here – a sure sign of how much we like Bali so far. Our rooftop terrace (photo by Deborah) View from our rooftop terrace (photo by Deborah) Enjoying our AirBnB Temple gate. Sculptor at work. Sanur (and Bali in general)...